Job Description
The Denver Public Library (DPL) is a growing urban library system that serves the City & County of Denver. DPL sees more than 4 million visitors every year across its 27 locations, serves Denver’s most vulnerable communities through outreach and mobile services, hosts thousands of programs a year and manages a collection of more than 1.4 million physical and digital materials. We believe a strong library is vital for a strong community. DPL is committed to serving the evolving needs of Denverites through inspired programming, diverse collections, culturally-representative spaces and equitable policies & procedures.
DPL’s Cultural Inclusivity Services (CI) team collaborates with Denver's multicultural community to create equitable opportunities for learning, discovery, and connection. Plaza, one of CI’s main programs, has been an important element of Denver Public Library programming for fifteen years, and takes place at ten library branches and online. Plaza creates inclusive spaces for people from all over the world to connect with resources and meet new people by offering low-barrier spaces for language practice, citizenship exam preparation, legal help, technical assistance, resource navigation, and more. All programs are free, family-friendly, and open to all.
Plaza is hiring multiple 20 hour Library Program Associate positions to assist with programming geared towards Denver’s immigrant and refugee communities. In this position, you will lead programs in collaboration with a group of staff at multiple branches and work directly with library customers and help them reach their goals. You will work with a team of over 30 bilingual part-time staff across various Plaza locations, as well as with other library staff who work outside of Plaza running daily operations at their respective library branches.
Our ideal candidate has:
- Familiarity with at least one area of Denver, including neighborhood demographics, trends, needs of immigrant communities, local community organizations, and libraries.
- Familiarity with Google Suite software and the ability to embrace the challenge of learning new software and technology.
- Skill in observing and responding to changing community trends.
- Ability to apply creative solutions to problems as part of a collaborative team effort.
- Ability to work as a part of a multicultural, multilingual team representing a variety of backgrounds, skills, and experiences.
- Ability to facilitate connections for new immigrants and refugees in a respectful manner.
- Ability to pass a background check after the offer to hire has been made.
- Experience multitasking in busy environments while demonstrating a positive attitude, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural awareness in working with customers, coworkers, volunteers and community.
- Experience planning and facilitating virtual meetings or programming.
- Experience with Plaza programs at Denver Public Library.
- A reliable form of transportation (strongly preferred).
We know your time is valuable. Applicants who meet the following minimum requirements will be considered:
- Fluency in a language other than English (speakers of any language are encouraged to apply).
- Working proficiency in English (advanced English fluency is not required).
- Submission of a resume that lists your work experience and a cover letter that connects your experience to this position.
- One year of experience working in an organized program.
- A Bachelor's degree in a related field of study (additional appropriate experience may be substituted for the education requirement).
Other things to know:
- Schedule Requirements: Most shifts will take place Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday availability is required for this position. At some point in the future we expect to open some weekday evening hours.
- Although the full salary range for this position is provided, starting salary is typically near the range minimum. The City and County of Denver benefit package will be offered based on part-time classification.
- This is not a remote position. Although there may be some tasks that may be completed from home, work from home will not exceed 5 hours per week.
- Southwest: Athmar Park, South Federal
- Southeast: Hampden, University Hills, Lowry
- Northwest: Sun Valley, Barnum, Globeville Elyria-Swansea
- Northeast: Montbello, Green Valley Ranch
- Plaza programs are located at 10 locations throughout the Denver area. This position will be assigned one of four city areas and will be expected to work at multiple branches within that area on a weekly basis, and other locations occasionally.
- Plaza programs are grant-funded, and this position is not guaranteed beyond December 2023.
- City Employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All persons offered a position will be required to provide valid proof of vaccination prior to starting employment.
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
The City and County of Denver benefits package will be offered. Though the full salary range is provided, we anticipate offer will fall between $21.70 and $24.42 per hour.
Additional Info & Requirements
We anticipate this posting will close on Friday, February 18. Please submit an application at your earliest convenience in order to be considered.