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Exempt: No
Department: Adult Services
Reports To: Manager, Adult Services
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Rate of Pay: Starting at $17.33 – $19.94 per hour | 40 hours per week
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement Savings Plan with Employer Match, Paid Time Off
Safety Sensitive: No
As a Genealogy Librarian, you help create an experience that makes our community say, "I love Fayetteville Public Library!" When you work at FPL, you are working alongside a dedicated team that brings their passion and pride to all that they do. You share your technical and product knowledge with customers and other staff, contributing to the overall success of the Library. You relate easily to others, building rapport and collaborative relationships with both the staff and customers. You are able to communicate and interact with all customers, create a welcoming and inclusive experience, are a good listener and enjoy working with people. You have a passion for what you do and enrich the customer's experience by using your knowledge to determine the customer's needs and exceed their expectations. You are comfortable in a changing environment, with multitasking, and with learning new systems and procedures.
As a librarian, you provide professional genealogy and reference assistance and exemplary customer service to the general public and coordinate one or more specialized adult services work activities. You have strong experience in conducting local history and genealogy research and develop and deliver genealogy collections, programs, and services that reflect a wide spectrum of ideas and viewpoints, mirroring diverse and growing community needs.
1. Proactively greet and establish rapport with patrons, enthusiastically engaging them in conversations about all our materials and services. Provide exemplary customer service in-person in the adult & reference genealogy department and at all locations throughout the library. Answer questions about library programs and services and refer callers and visitors to the appropriate staff member or service desk. Staff public service desks as assigned.
2. Effectively communicate to patrons regarding a variety of topics including, but not limited to, library products and services, policies, responsibilities, and code of conduct. Blend creativity, problem solving, and decision making to positively impact the customer experience, de-escalate any negative situations and resolve customer questions and concerns. Monitor customer feedback. Diffuse difficult, volatile, and/or inappropriate customer situations, keeping safety in mind.
3. Ask open ended questions to assess, understand, and ascertain customer needs, determine how to tailor your approach, and provide recommendations using your institutional knowledge to connect our customer with the right solution. This includes both routine and complex patron inquiries. Provide advanced genealogy and local history research assistance, readers' advisory, technical assistance, and exemplary frontline customer service.
4. Conduct in-depth genealogy and local history research for patrons and the library as requested. Provide instruction on genealogy research databases and physical resources in classroom and one-on-one settings.
5. Help orient new staff, ensuring a smooth acclimation to the library and our culture. Train new staff members as assigned. Monitor, train, develop, and coach department volunteers as assigned. Provide assistance to colleagues.
6. Serve as senior-most staff member and assume delegation of the Adult Services Department and/or facility as assigned.
7. Create, develop, implement, and evaluate multiple high-quality, genealogy programs and workshops. Participate in management of $50,000+ annual departmental programming budget, and with department offer approximately 250 diverse programs annually.
8. Select and purchase materials for assigned library collections. Monitor and manage a print and electronic materials budget in approximate range of $3,000-$6,000, ensuring collection purchases are balanced, relevant and responsive to community needs.
9. Evaluate existing collections and donations for relevance, community interests, and research merit.
10. Oversee and administer one or more specialized Adult Services work activities, including but not limited to Digital Archive, Student Proctoring, Interlibrary Loan Services, Nonprofit Resource Center, Genealogy and Website Maintenance.
11. Manage web content proficiently with appropriate tools.
12. Research and develop grant proposals to enhance and expand library services.
13. Create print and web bibliographies, user guides and displays spotlighting library collections, services and programs.
14. Serve on and/or chair library committees as requested.
15. Display excellent time management skills, attention to detail, problem solving skills, strong organizational skills and the ability to work proactively to balance multiple tasks and prioritize work. Complete work at an appropriate pace with a sense of urgency.
16. Speak, instruct, and/or perform in front of library and outreach audiences. Assist with library services, programs, and outreach opportunities as needed. Represent and promote the Library in public, media, and professional associations. Seek out opportunities and utilize networking events to promote recognition and use of the Library.
17. Pursue professional development, which may involve travel, to keep informed of current and emerging library trends. Maintain professional and technical knowledge through attendance of educational workshops, review of professional publications, establishment of networks, and participation in professional organizations.
18. Assume personal responsibility for the building's condition and solve minor issues and problems as they arise.
19. Complete special projects as assigned.
20. Protect library assets and ensure building security by adhering to library policies and following appropriate closing procedure. Learn and carry out emergency procedures.
21. Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty mentioned satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
1. Graduate degree (MLS, MLIS, etc.) from an ALA-accredited program; or a master's degree in a related field; or a bachelor's degree plus concurrent enrollment in an ALA-accredited MLS/MLIS degree program and at least 1 year of related experience working in a library or educational setting, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. High language skills including ability to read, analyze, and understand general business/company related articles and professional journals. Ability to effectively communicate information and respond to questions in person-to-person and group situations with customers, clients, general public, and other employees of the organization. Ability to effectively speak and present information before groups of customers or employees.
3. Basic math skills including the ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
4. High reasoning skills including the ability to solve practical problems and deal with several variables where only limited standardization exists and the ability to communicate this information.
5. High computer skills including knowledge of office productivity software and ability to operate standard office equipment.
6. Excellent customer service skills including the ability to resolve difficult customer situations.
1. Ability to work a flexible schedule as assigned that includes evenings, weekends and holiday shifts is required.
2. Perform both independently and as an effective and valued team member.
3. Strong organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
4. Work under pressure on multiple projects with frequent interruptions and tight deadlines.
5. Must have significant initiative and drive.
6. Ability to provide own cell phone.
7. Multilingual skills a plus.
The following physical activities described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and expectations.
While performing the functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, talk or hear; frequently required to reach with hands and arms; and occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision.
All library positions require customer-focused service to both internal and external customers, flexibility, teamwork, punctual and reliable attendance, and compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
1. Ability to tolerate moderate noise that comes from an office environment with typical HVAC performance, constant visitors, telephone calls, computers, and printers; ability to tolerate increased noise during library programs.
2. Ability to occasionally work near mechanical equipment including the book conveyor and sorting system and mechanical lift for walk-up book drop.
Please send completed application, résumé and cover letter to:
Email fplhr@faylib.org
OR
HR Department
Fayetteville Public Library
401 W. Mountain Street
Fayetteville, AR 72701
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