Children & Youth Services Librarian

Bixby Memorial Free Library

Vergennes, Vermont

Children & Youth Services Librarian

(20+ hours per week)

Bixby Memorial Free Library is seeking an enthusiastic, qualified candidate to serve the children and youth of our rural five-town Addison County community on the shores of Lake Champlain and the banks of Otter Creek. You’ll join a talented team of staff and volunteers at the beautiful 110+-year-old library building overlooking the falls in the vibrant historic downtown area of Vergennes.

Summary: Bixby’s Children and Youth Services Librarian provides quality resources and services and ensures the library is responsive to the needs of youth and families throughout our vibrant five-town community on Lake Champlain. The Youth Services Librarian proactively partners with schools, childcare providers, and other relevant organizations and individuals to coordinate resources, calendars, and impact. The librarian is also responsible for developing effective relationships, communication channels, and content to reach, engage, and grow intended audiences.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Plans, develops, maintains, and evaluates all aspects of the Library’s juvenile and young adult collection and spaces within budget, including audiovisual and electronic resources, using standard review sources and considering patron requests and usage.
Plans, organizes, facilitates, and evaluates educational and cultural programs and series for children and young adults.
Works with local schools, childcare providers, community youth organizations, and others to provide to increase reach, utilization, and participation.
Develops effective approaches to expanding the use and enjoyment of library resources and participation in library programming, particularly among underserved groups.
Recruits, trains, manages and supports adult, pre-teen, and teen volunteers.
Identifies and provides relevant support, tracking, and reporting for grants and other income sources.
Provides regular circulation/welcome desk coverage and support
Performs similar or related work as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Passion and ability to interact meaningfully with children of all ages and their caregivers with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Current knowledge of trends in children and youth literature and programming
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking
Highly effective partnering and collaboration skills and ability to work in a team environment
Self-directed with excellent time management, judgment, and creative problem-solving skills
Skillful in learning and leveraging a range of technology, tools, and platforms for effective communications and productivity
Strong sense of humor, positivity, resourcefulness, and resiliency

Education and Experience:

A Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree and/or Vermont Certificate of Public Librarianship and three or more years of working with children and youth in a library or school setting is strongly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Candidates without an MLIS degree are expected to complete Vermont Certification within three years.

Physical Requirements: Work is performed under typical library and office conditions on multiple floors. Duties require intermittent light to moderate physical effort in carrying, lifting, or moving lightweight materials or equipment.

Accessibility note:  Please be advised that our historic building is currently not fully ADA-compliant. We are working hard on an accessibility project to make sure that all members of the community can access our second floor, but currently, the only ADA accessibility is to the basement and first levels.

Compensation:  $19 – $21 per hour, depending on qualifications. This position is eligible for a matching Simple IRA retirement plan of up to 3%.

Please send a cover letter and resume to Catharine Hays, Library Director, at [email protected].