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 and Outreach 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 Public Services Division, 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 Outreach Specialist in the Mobile Services and Outreach Department to help in the development of strategic library outreach and community engagement, specifically to youth and families. This role will work to deliver and design library services for a diverse customer base, strengthen community connections, and represent the Denver Public Library to stakeholders and the community. In this position, you will lead the planning of and participation in special events. You will utilize mobile tools, including driving large vehicles, to increase library presence in the community connecting with students and providing presentations and resources in English and Spanish.
You will assist customers and train staff on readers advisory, reference assistance, technology navigation, and the development of offsite programming. This role will work with youth service providers, educators, and school administrators to plan bookmobile outreach to youth across Denver. This role will help lead collection maintenance and collection development activities for Mobile Services. You will work collaboratively with other staff and library branch locations to identify library outreach needs for youth and families in metro Denver and participate in relevant library committee work. 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.
About You
Our ideal candidate has:
Knowledge of positive youth development practices or experience working with youth.
Experience working with educators, school administrators, and students.
Knowledge of children’s and teen publishing trends, popular media, and collection development best practices.
Excellent customer service skills, including the capability to provide equitable, trauma informed and empathetic customer service drawn from lived experiences and knowledge of EDI concepts and practices.
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.
Skill in providing reference, readers and media advisory services to all ages.
Ability to work in a physically demanding environment with continuous lifting of objects weighing up to 75 lbs and moving heavy carts in tight spaces. Much of this work is done in an outdoor environment.
Ability to create a welcoming environment for youth and families.
Ability to supervise and lead staff during outreach events.
Skill in using and assisting customers with technology.
Experience with program design and evaluation.
Experience with event planning and community partnership building.
Ability to work as independently as a subject matter expert and leader.
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.
Ability to safely operate large vehicles.
Minimum Requirements:
A Master's in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution is required.
Other things to know:
Spanish language proficiency strongly preferred. Position requires regular presentations and storytimes in Spanish. Spanish proficiency will be evaluated in the interview process.
DPL is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion; diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
A valid Colorado driver's license with a good driving record is required.
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 may include weekend and evening hours.
This position is based at the Central Library, which has no free parking. Our business office hours are 9am to 6pm, with occasional evenings and weekends.
Lifting requirement.
We expect this position to close 5/16/2024. Please submit a resume and cover letter at your earliest convenience.
About Everything Else
Job Profile
LA1305 Library Outreach Specialist
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.
Position Type
Unlimited
Library Hiring Range
$56,176.00 - $74,433.00
Starting Pay
56,176.00-74,433.00
Agency
Denver Public Library
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.
It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.
Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.