Teen Services Librarian

Teen Services Librarian

The Seattle Public Library is Seattle's center of information and knowledge and one of the most popular and valued services in the city. Library staff members are highly regarded by the public for their knowledge, quality of service and dedication. Staff members are committed to the Library's organizational values of respect, partnership, engagement, diversity, transparency, and recognition. They demonstrate these values by fostering partnerships, maintaining open communication, and supporting an inclusive and equitable work environment. A strategic priority of the Library is to cultivate a culture of innovation that emphasizes creativity, engagement, learning, and staff development.

The Library supports the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative to eliminate institutionalized racism by removing barriers to access, providing opportunities for growth, and ensuring equitable access to Library programs and services. If you share these values and meet the qualifications, the Library encourages you to apply for the Teen Services Librarian position.

We are seeking a dynamic, community-driven Teen Services Librarian for the Children and Teen Services Department at the Central Library. This Teen Services Librarian will lead projects, develop community-focused programming, maintain collections, and provide basic to advanced reference help and readers' advisory for Library patrons in person and via LibAnswers. This position requires a commitment to inclusionary patron-centered practices and amplifying voices from historically marginalized and excluded communities. Writing, editing, and presentation skills are preferred; the ability to provide reference services in other languages is an asset.

The successful candidate will be a part of a team of Librarians and Library Associate IVs reporting to an Assistant Managing Librarian. As a staff member at the Central Library, a Teen Services Librarian is responsible for maintaining a safe and welcoming public environment utilizing principles of de-escalation. Experience providing service for people who are insecurely housed, or individuals living with addiction or mental illness, is preferred.

Teen Services Librarians serve teens and young adults defined as ages 12-26 as well as their caregivers and families. They are able to provide innovative and proactive services consistent with developmental needs of youth and the needs of parents, families, and caregivers.

The Teen Services Librarian will provide Teen Services support for the Central Library and Downtown Seattle. They will provide programming for teens and young adults, work with local community partners, and provide teen collection support for the Central Library. This role will regularly cover information service points throughout the Central Library.

This role will be heavily focused on working with unhoused teens and young adults up to 26-years-old. This can be done by continuing partnerships with nearby housing communities, collaborating with the co-Teen Services Librarian at the Central Library, and occasionally working with the Social Services Team.

The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong commitment to providing high quality learning opportunities and understand tween, teen, and young adult learning and development as well as the role of the family and community in the larger context. Demonstrated experience engaging and collaborating with partners using culturally responsive strategies. The successful candidate will have an understanding of relationship building, power sharing, and collaboration when working with and between community and institutional partners. Experience operating in a cross-functional team is preferred.

This position will respond to the evolving needs and interest of our communities by facilitating and supporting community-led programs and activities that promote cultural enrichment, school and career readiness and success, teen development and engagement, community building, and emerging literacies, such as, social, digital, media, information, and text based.