Library District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator

District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator

Position Title: Library District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator

Hours & Compensation: Full time hourly at 40 hours per week with benefits. Some nights and weekends required. Salary starting range: $60,000-70,000 depending on qualifications and experience. Benefits include Health Insurance including vision and dental, 401A with match with 457 option, long term disability, paid life insurance, and mobile phone use reimbursement.

Qualifications: MLIS degree required. Three years prior public library experience working in Youth Services.

Nature of Work: The Van Buren District Library is seeking a dynamic, outgoing, experienced youth librarian ready to inspire excellence as our new District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator. This position works from the District Administrative Headquarters, Webster Memorial Library, in Decatur, MI. Decatur is situated between Kalamazoo and the lakeshore region of southwest Michigan. Decatur is a rural area with many farms, parks, and places to camp. Van Buren District Library serves 44,230 residents from its seven branch locations. Webster Memorial Library is both a functioning branch serving the Decatur community, and the administrative headquarters of the Library District, serving as the hub of the District’s centralized functions such as administration, interlibrary loan, technical services, local history, and interbranch delivery services.

The District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator is a position of responsibility, requiring a person willing to perform a wide variety of duties. The District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator must have an understanding of youth services and be effective in developing good public relationships. The District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator serves on a full-time basis, which includes some evening and Saturday hours.  These hours should reflect the best interests of the Library District. The District Program, PR & Technology Instruction Coordinator is responsible to the Executive Director or other personnel as assigned. It should be recognized that many, if not all staff members serve in multiple, often unrelated roles. This is standard practice at VBDL.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinating the Library District’s youth programming efforts, including oversight & execution of classes & events across VBDL’s seven branch locations.
• Training staff in youth services programming fundamentals & best practices.
• Developing an extensive set of off-the-shelf youth program resources for all VBDL locations.
• Coordinating the Library District’s adult programming efforts, including oversight & execution of classes & events.
• Form, implement, and steward partnerships and collaborative efforts with outside organizations in furtherance of the Library District’s goal to serve the community.
• Coordinates overall public relations efforts for the Library District including the District’s social media efforts, contacting media outlets, and authoring press releases.
• Instructing library staff and patrons in the use of technology platforms such as basic PC usage, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, social media, the library’s ILS, Libby, and hoopla among others.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• MLIS or its equivalent from an accredited library school.
• Minimum of 3 three years of public library experience working in youth services.
• The ability to train staff in youth services programming fundamentals & best practices.
• Intermediate skill with standard library tasks and technology including ILS systems, PC technology, standard software packages such as Microsoft Office, online platforms such as Google Workspace, Libby, and hoopla.
• Familiarity with current and emerging social media platforms.
• The ability to self-acquire new abilities in the use of technology platforms and transmit those skills to others.
• Ability to work some evening and weekend hours
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with associates, supervisors, local officials, and the public.
• Ability to read fine print with or without corrective lenses, to lift up to 30 pounds, bend, twist, crouch, kneel and refile library materials up to 90 inches in height.

The duties and responsibilities for this position, including essential job functions and responsibilities, supplement Van Buren District Library Personnel Policies and work rules applicable to all employees and may change or increase by practice or policy, as deemed necessary by the library. The library reserves the right to assign work outside of an employee’s regular job assignment. The library also reserves the right to change an employee’s regular job assignment, work location, or job description at any time.