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Position Description

• Invitation to Compete #21-26: Adult Services Librarian, Archivist
• Central Library
• 1000 Fourth Ave. Seattle, WA 98104
• Regular, FLSA non-exempt, benefitted, full-time (40 hours per week)
• Salary range: $44.92 - $54.46 per hour
• Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Overview

The Seattle Public Library is actively seeking an innovative archival professional who sees collection engagement with the communities we serve as essential to all aspects of developing, delivering, evaluating and improving programs, services and content. The successful candidate will be a creative, self-directed professional with a strong work ethic, a collaborative work style, and a good sense of humor.  They will have the ability to thrive in an environment that requires supportive teamwork to maintain a safe and welcoming service environment for patrons and staff. 

Under the direction of the Special Collection Services Manager, the role will implement the archival collection preservation program at Seattle Public Library Special Collections. The position also serves as the primary subject matter expert on archival processes and best practices for the Special Collections unit, collaborating with the Special Collections team members on archival donations and the collections. This position will anticipate and respond to the evolving needs of existing and future archival materials by developing and implementing workflow practices for appraisal, donation guidelines, processing standards, descriptive practices, preservation/conservation, deaccession and disposition. The role works within budgets established for archival and preservation work and supplies in consultation with the Special Collections Services Manager. The position is responsible for performing processing work and documenting the progress of that work, including archival collection statistics. This role will also serve as a representative for emergency response for historical and cultural materials as defined by the system and through mutual aid agreements. 

Qualifications

• Education: Must have an MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited library school, or Washington State Librarian Certification; or Masters Degree in Information Science or Archives and Records Administration or Accredited Certification alongside a Washington State Librarian Certificate. (Note: Washington State Law prohibits an individual from being hired as a librarian unless they have obtained a Washington State Certification for Librarianship which requires a Master's Degree from an ALA-accredited Library School.)
• Exemplary Customer Service: The successful candidate will have a proven commitment to public service and providing exceptional customer service. Candidates must possess excellent interpersonal communication, problem solving, customer relations and teamwork skills, a sense of humor, and demonstrate a positive and enthusiastic commitment to public service.
• Excellent written, verbal, and listening communication skills with a customer-oriented approach.
• Leadership: Applicants must be able to utilize their knowledge, skills, and abilities to effect positive change. They must actively seek out information from the library, archives, and museum profession and other industries; pursue opportunities to develop networks with the intent to learn about best practices from other organizations and share The Seattle Public Library’s best practices; take initiative in helping the organization to meet its goals; and be able to communicate how the Library is fulfilling its mission.
• Technology and Informational Resources: Must have current working knowledge of PCs in a Windows environment and library applications and be able to use online Internet searching methods and information resources. Working knowledge and ability with office productivity applications (e.g. MS Office and Excel). Experience with archives information management applications, modern digital preservation software solutions and integrated library systems is highly desirable.
• Intellectual Freedom: Applicants must have a strong commitment to intellectual freedom as defined by the American Library Association's Bill of Rights.
• Race and Social Justice Initiative: Applicants must be able to support the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative and have a strong commitment to providing equitable services to marginalized or underserved populations throughout Seattle, and an understanding of how collection description and cataloging can contribute to equitable access to and representation within library collections for historically marginalized communities.
• Project Management and Teamwork Skills: Experience managing projects from inception though completion, delivering high-quality results. Planning programs and outreach, developing and implementing a project, and evaluation using outcomes-based evaluation methods. Experience serving as a member on a working committee or project team in lieu of the above experience may be considered.
• Effectively manages stressful situations and ambiguity.
• Effective conflict resolution skills with experience in de-escalating stressful situations.
• Experience with an integrated library system (ILS), catalog databases, streaming media, and other electronic resources.
• Basic knowledge and experience with a variety of office equipment (such as computers, photocopiers, and printers), and office applications (such as SharePoint, Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel).
• Other Required Skills and Abilities: Candidates must be flexible, able to handle multiple competing priorities and tasks, adaptable to change, and able to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. Must have strong research skills. An ability to incorporate and apply newer/emerging technologies in support of creative, effective library services is desirable. Must be able to lift and carry up to 40 lbs. intermittently.
• Resiliency: Applicants must be resourceful and able to deal with evolving and emerging dynamics in the community as well as the workplace, cope with pressures, and learn from failures in ways that respond to the needs of those the position serves and help the organization move forward. Must have the ability to maintain a high level of professionalism and customer service.