Job Description
Sometimes you leave your cape at home.
You are more than just a librarian. You are a literacy superhero, a reference champion, a guardian of knowledge. You amaze children, teens and adults alike with customer service superpowers. Faster than a speeding locomotive, you fly through the branch, effortlessly delivering story time to toddlers, providing homework help to a table full of teens and providing a parent with a Spanish language book list for her 10 year old. You're able to leap a stack of books in a single bound and lift a crate of books with ease. You dazzle us all with your excellent interpersonal, organizational, leadership and communication skills.
Cape or not, we want you on our side!
Multnomah County Library is looking for a creative, customer service-oriented, charismatic Bilingual Spanish Youth Librarian to join our team! We're committed to providing the best possible traditional and cutting-edge library services to children and young adults, both in our buildings and in the community, and we seek someone who shares that commitment.
We're currently hiring a full time Bilingual Spanish Youth Librarian for our Kenton Library. We'll also use the hiring list created by this recruitment to fill potential future Youth Librarian vacancies throughout the system.
As the Kenton Bilingual Spanish Youth Librarian, you will draw on your programming prowess to assess the needs of your community while you plan, prepare and implement programs (including storytimes) and outreach to youth and families. You know how important it is to connect with all of our patrons, so outreach will be an important part of your duties. You will be building and maintaining professional relationships with children, teens, families, educators and care providers in both the Latino community and the larger community we serve.
You'll use your expertise in literature, research and other areas to provide excellent customer and informational service to children, teens, families, educators, and care providers. In addition, you are responsible for matching patrons' personal, educational and recreational needs with the appropriate information and resources, as well as delivering a variety of professional-level library services.
You will work closely with the Youth Services team, the Kenton branch administrator and fellow branch staff. You'll serve as a mentor and professional role model to other staff members as you demonstrate the out-of-this-world customer service our patrons have come to expect from the Kenton Library.
Successful candidates will have excellent interpersonal, organizational, leadership and communication skills to help the library develop innovative Youth Services for the 21st century. In addition, you are:
- A change agent who is flexible and adaptable
- Willing to take risks and try new ideas
- Have a passion for promoting reading in both English and Spanish to people of all ages.
- A team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- An experienced, proactive reference provider for all segments of the community
- Can manage projects, set priorities and juggle multiple tasks effectively
- Enjoy developing and delivering training and programs to the public and staff
- Keep up with the library profession and public library trends, including services to Spanish speakers, and share your knowledge with colleagues generously
- Embrace technological tools in service to our mission and priorities
- Not afraid to wear a cape
Additional Info & Requirements
We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant. For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master's degree in library science from an American Library Association accredited program.
- Ability to speak, write and read English and Spanish fluently.
- Thorough knowledge of and/or extensive experience with the Hispanic community, demonstrated by your knowledge of the traditions, values and customs of the Hispanic community.
- Strong cultural sensitivity and competency abilities.
- Knowledge and understanding of the theories of child and adolescent learning and development and how those theories might impact library service from birth to high school.
- Experience with past and present children's and young adult literature, periodicals, audiovisual materials, websites, electronic media and other materials.
- Ability to pass a criminal records check.
Preferred Qualifications: You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Please clearly explain on your application how you meet any of the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills.
- Two years of professional youth librarian experience is desirable.
- Experience planning, preparing and implementing culturally sensitive programs (including storytimes) that are of interest to children, young adults, caregivers and adults working with children is preferred.
The Community
Extraordinary natural surroundings. Great food, music and a vast array of cultural experiences. It’s all part of life in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County is Oregon’s most densely populated county and home to Portland, Oregon’s largest city. Boasting lush forests, dramatic waterfalls and the stunning Columbia River Gorge, the county offers endless options for outdoor pursuits, while Portland’s enviable livability, superior public transit, green attitude, and world-class food scene draw accolades from around the country.
As Oregon’s cultural center, there’s a thriving music scene to discover; art, history, and science museums to explore; local sports teams to cheer; and tax-free shopping to appreciate. With a population close to 748,000 and an area of 465 square miles, Multnomah County includes not only the city of Portland, but Fairview, Gresham, Maywood Park, Troutdale and Wood Village.
Multnomah County Library is the oldest public library west of the Mississippi River, with a history that reaches back to 1864. Today, Central Library and the other 18 neighborhood libraries that make up the library system house nearly 900 computer stations for the public and a collection of two million books and other library materials.
As Oregon's largest public library, Multnomah County Library serves nearly one-fifth of the state's population with a wide variety of programs and services.
HR Info
Anthony Cesario
Senior HR Generalist and Recruiter
anthonyc@multcolib.org
Please visit our website to view the complete job announcement and application instructions for this position.