LibraryJobline

Job Description

About Our Job

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.

The Mobile Services Department’s reach spans across the city of Denver, meeting community members where they are to provide library services and access. Under the umbrella of the Communications and Community Engagement department, the Mobile Services department delivers library programs and services through a mobile fleet to increase library access to target populations, including children, teens, and older adults. We provide library services and resources including intergenerational programming to a diverse customer base outside library locations and create positive experiences for library customers visiting the bookmobile by checking out books and other materials. 

DPL is hiring a Library Program Associate in the Mobile Services Department to design dynamic outreach and programming opportunities, implement library services to a diverse customer base, strengthen community connections, and provide daily bookmobile service . This role provides community access to a wide variety of library services and represents the Denver Public Library to stakeholders and the community. You will often assist customers with questions, provide resources, offer readers advisory, help navigate technology, and perform clerking and shelving duties while providing bookmobile service and driving large vehicles daily. In this role, you will work collaboratively with other staff and library branch locations to identify library outreach needs in metro Denver, assist in the planning and participation in special events, and utilize mobile tools, including driving large vehicles, to increase library presence in the community. You will develop and maintain strong and lasting partnerships with community partners and work directly with community members to understand and deliver on their library needs. 

Our ideal candidate has:

Excellent customer service skills. 

Knowledge and experience with community engagement practices. 

Ability to listen to and evaluate community needs and design services and programming to meet those needs including the ability to facilitate group conversations.

Ability to work in a physically demanding environment with continuous lifting of objects weighing up to 50 lbs and moving heavy carts in tight spaces. Much of this work is done in an outdoor environment. 

Ability to provide equitable and empathetic customer service drawn from lived experiences and knowledge of EDI concepts and practices. 

Ability to create a welcoming environment for all ages. 

Knowledge of positive youth development practices or experience (personal or professional) working with youth.

Skill in using and assisting customers with technology. 

Experience with program design and evaluation. 

Ability to work independently.

Ability to thrive working in an environment with constant public contact with people from all backgrounds and age groups. Including the ability to demonstrate positive attitude, excellent interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and a sense of humor in working with customers, coworkers and community.

Ability to creatively solve problems, negotiate, and handle stressful situations in a positive manner including setting boundaries and safety expectations with coworkers and community members. 

Knowledge of presenting and providing library services to customers with varying levels of experience and knowledge.

Skill in choosing appropriate materials for programming and outreach. 

Ability to safely operate large vehicles varying from around 20 to 35 feet in length. A Commercial Drivers License is not required. 

We know your time is valuable. Only candidates with the following minimum qualifications will be considered:

Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree 

Experience Requirement: No minimum years of prior experience required. 

Education/Experience Equivalency: One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education.

Ability to safely operate large vehicles varying from around 20 to 35 feet in length. A Commercial Drivers License is not required. 

Second language proficiency preferred. 

Other things to know:

DPL is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion; diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Cover Letter is strongly encouraged when applying for this role. 

A valid Colorado driver's license with a good driving record.

This position requires a flexible attitude for working in outreach including a variety of connectivity, bumpiness, motion, climate and environmental factors that could impact working conditions. This includes a large amount of outdoor work. 

The schedule will be determined by the needs of the department and will include weekend and evening hours.

This position is based at the Central Library, which has no free parking. Our business office hours are 8am to 5pm, with occasional evenings and weekends.  

Candidates must be comfortable with lifting up to 50 lbs. 

Starting Pay

22.16-24.93

Assessment Requirement

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.