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Community Engagement Assistant – Part Time 

 

Exempt: No

Department: Community Engagement

Reports To: Manager, Community Engagement

Location: Fayetteville Public Library

Rate of Pay: Starting at $14 - $14.50 per hour | 20 hours per week

Benefits: Paid Time Off (Holiday, Sick and Vacation)

Safety Sensitive: No

   

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION

As a Community Engagement Assistant, 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 Community Engagement Assistant, you offer support to the Community Engagement Team. You will handle a variety of tasks related to a vibrant and active volunteer program that supports library needs across the organization, assist with the development and implementation of community outreach, and help in the day-to-day activities of the Community Engagement Department. You will maintain detailed and accurate records of volunteer information, assist with volunteer recruitment and engagement activities, and support library outreach programs and special events that mirror the diverse and growing needs of the community. You will work with appropriate FPL staff to identify community engagement needs and assist in the research, writing, and management of grants as needed. You will seek out and research opportunities for ways to secure additional resources and funding.

   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Proactively greet and establish rapport with patrons, enthusiastically engaging them in conversations about all of our materials and services. Provide exemplary customer service in-person at outreach events 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.

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.

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 readers' advisory, technical assistance, and exemplary frontline customer service.

4. Oversee and administer one or more specialized Community Engagement work activities, including but not limited to volunteer programs, outreach programs, library tours, at-home book deliveries, and/or story times.

5. Maintain and cultivate relationships with current and potential volunteers and follow up on their involvement in specific programs or initiatives. Meet with current and potential volunteers and partners as needed.

6. Recruit volunteers, conduct interviews, complete background screenings, train and evaluate volunteers as assigned. Work with other teams across the library to implement volunteer placement that assists with the delivery of exemplary customer service.

7. Fully process volunteer applications using volunteer management software and maintain database to ensure accurate documentation of volunteer information.

8. Create, update, and maintain internal volunteer job descriptions and update postings on social media sites, when appropriate.

9. Assist with volunteer rewards and recognition programs, including bi-annual appreciation and volunteer spotlights. 

10. Update scheduling information to volunteer calendar and communicate changes in volunteer scheduling with designated staff, when appropriate.

11. Assist with the development, preparation, implementation, and evaluation of specialized outreach programming and library special events that promote library use in the community.

12. Drives a motor vehicle to attend meetings and visit various work sites.

13. Drives Bookmobile and assists with pre-trip inspections, selection and stocking of materials, and on-site programming as scheduled.

14. Assists in keeping the Bookmobile neat and orderly, preparing and evaluating programming, and reporting concerns, challenges and/or feedback to manager as needed.

15. Assist with grant preparation to enhance and expand library outreach.

16. Track and compile key statistics for performance reports as needed.

17. Speak, instruct, and/or perform in front of library and outreach audiences. Represent and promote the library in public, media, and at community events.

18. Pursue professional development, to keep informed of current and emerging library trends, particularly as related to community engagement. Maintain professional and technical knowledge through attendance of educational workshops, seminars, and webinars, review of professional publications, establishment of networks, and participation in professional organizations.

19. Collaborate with supervisor on departmental projects to ensure the smooth operation of the department.

20. Conduct special projects as assigned.

21. Participate in meetings and activities of the department and the library. Assist with library services, programs, events, and outreach opportunities as needed. Represent your department on various library committees as assigned. Staff public service desks as assigned.

22. Help orient new staff, ensuring a smooth acclimation to the library and our culture. Train new staff members as assigned.

23. 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. 

24. Assume personal responsibility for building maintenance and solving minor issues and problems.

25. Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.

   

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

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; occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, 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.

  

OTHER SKILLS & ABILITIES

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. Must be able to appropriately handle sensitive information.

7. Ability to provide own cell phone.

8. Multilingual skills a plus.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

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.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. High school diploma and two years of college, plus two years of related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

2. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to write reports, business correspondence, and effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

3. Basic math skills, including the ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, and percentages. 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. Intermediate computer skills including proficiency with office productivity software, volunteer management software, and ability to operate standard office equipment.

   

WORK ENVIRONMENT

1. Ability to tolerate moderate noise that comes from an office environment with typical HVAC performance, constant visitors, telephone calls, computers, and printers and light traffic and the ability to tolerate an increased level of noise during programming events.

2. While performing the functions of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outdoor weather conditions at offsite outreach events.

  
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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.

  

TO APPLY

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