Job Description
Serving Teens at Madison Public Library
Madison Public Library offers resources, experiences, and spaces for teens with the goal of developing lifelong learners, self-advocates and engaged community members. The library provides free and equitable access to cultural and educational content that celebrate ideas, promote creativity, connect people, and enrich lives.
Why We Serve Teens
Resources and programs for adolescents are a fundamental, integral part of library services. Teens need skills, tools, and resources, which the library can provide, in order to be fully-participating members of society. Library staff strives to work with teens and teen-serving professionals to advocate for the needs of teens in the community. (YALSA's Future of Library Services for Teens)
How We Serve Teens
Madison Public Library is dedicated to serving all teens in Madison with access to diverse collections, safe community spaces, and technology. All library staff play a role in providing superior service and access to resources for the adolescent population in Madison. Teen Services Librarians strive to offer extended access to targeted underserved and underrepresented populations and groups. Programmatic efforts for teenagers are focused on building relationships that work toward bridging the opportunity gap in Dane County through targeted, skill-based programs designed for library patrons and traditionally underserved teenagers.
About This Position
This Teen Librarian position is a three (3) year limited-term position based out of the Lakeview Library and will serve youth on the Northside of Madison. This position will focus on collaborations with many key community partners as well as working with neighborhood residents and the Neighborhood Resource Team (NRT) to identify community needs and develop engaging learning opportunities for youth in this neighborhood. The Lakeview Teen Services Librarian will coordinate, collaborate and work closely with the Lakeview Youth Services Librarian to provide assistance and programming for youth both inside and outside of the library building. This position is also part of an exceptional citywide Youth Services team who strategically coordinate services throughout all nine Madison neighborhood libraries and in outreach locations across the City of Madison.
About You
You have a passion for working with middle school and high school youth in creative and engaging ways that promote literacy and learning. Equally, you have a passion for working with the community and developing relationships with people and organizations. You are flexible, and can plan and carry out programs and services. You have a deep commitment to principles of racial equity, inclusion, and social justice. You have a good understanding of library practices and principles. You are a good communicator, both in writing and in speech.
The Community
The Madison Public Library is an award-winning library system, dedicated to celebrating ideas, promoting creativity, connecting people, and enriching lives. Working for Madison Public Library means working alongside a highly talented and truly outstanding group of people. And, we don't just excel in traditional library services: The Bubbler has received national attention for taking the makerspace concept into new and exciting directions; our Youth Services Librarians are teaching educators, home-visiting nurses and neighborhood center staff about literacy best-practices for youth; and Community Engagement Librarians are collaborating with local experts to offer classes for businesses, job skills, and technology classes for adults. Our spaces also shine, with a new community kitchen supporting youth nutrition and community meals at our Meadowridge Library, while the fully equipped Media Lab in our Central Library uses experts in the field to teach everything from audio engineering to video game design to Photoshop. Madison Public Library is bigger than our buildings, though – our focus is community engagement and empowerment – both within and outside the library walls. We are in the business of changing lives.
HR Info
For additional information and to apply online, please visit our website.