Youth Services Outreach Specialist

Youth Outreach Specialist

Do book talks come naturally to you? Do you enjoy engaging a classroom of kids or planning hands-on activities that spark curiosity? If you love connecting young people, teachers, and families with the right library resources, we'd love to meet you.

We're hiring a creative, reliable Youth Outreach Specialist to expand library services for youth from pre-K through grade 12, with a special focus on grades K–5. You'll bring the library into classrooms, community events, and our Bookmobile, building strong partnerships with schools and community organizations.

Outreach is at the heart of this role, but you'll also contribute to programming, readers' advisory, circulation, and information services. We're looking for someone who is organized, adaptable, and passionate about creating welcoming, inclusive experiences for every member of our community.

What You'll Do

• Build and maintain relationships with educators and staff at schools, businesses, and other community organizations
• Prepare and deliver high-energy presentations for students and teachers: book talks, hands-on activities, database instruction, and program promotion
• Curate resources to support pre-K–grade 12 curricula, with special attention to grades K-5
• Design and lead literacy and STEM events for youth and family audiences
• Lead library tours for school and community groups of all ages
• Represent the library at community events, including school athletic/extracurricular nights and community events
• Provide readers' advisory and circulation support on the Bookmobile during outreach visits
• Cover desk shifts in Kids' World (ages birth–grade 6) and the Hub (grades 7-12), offering reference and readers' advisory

What You Bring

• Comfort speaking to groups of all ages, from young children to adults
• A positive, adaptable attitude when plans change on the fly
• Experience with, or strong interest in, serving underserved or vulnerable populations
• Reliable transportation
• Comfort using computers, tablets, and other tech to assist customers
• Strong familiarity with books, film, and pop culture for youth (preferred)
• Experience working with youth and multicultural audiences (preferred)
• Bachelor's degree in education, child/adolescent development or related field. Customer service and program experience preferred.

The preferred candidate must also demonstrate ability to work effectively with staff and customers in alignment with Our Culture and IDEA.

Hours and Scheduling

Part-time position, 25 hours/week, with some evening and weekend flexibility required to support the team and our community.

Benefits

Benefits include two weeks of prorated leave time, which include vacation, sick and personal time plus 7 paid holidays, participation in Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) pension plan, availability of Roth/457 savings plan and other optional benefits such as pet insurance & identity theft protection.

This opportunity will remain open for applications until the position is filled.

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