Associate Library Director
Associate Library Dir of Public Services & Strategic Initiatives
Recruitment #2208-4141-001
List Type | Exempt |
---|---|
Requesting Department | LIBRARY |
Open Date | 8/26/2022 08:30:00 AM |
Filing Deadline | 9/23/2022 11:59:00 PM |
HR Analyst | Aisha Hendree |
Introduction
*THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM CIVIL SERVICE*
The Associate Library Director of Public Services
& Strategic Initiatives is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the
Milwaukee Public Library Director*
Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Milwaukee is
an urban hub bursting with energy. Milwaukee provides a casual sophistication –
big city appeal without the big-city hassles. We are accessible and affordable,
and our residents are welcoming. Milwaukee has evolved through the years,
bringing together its unsurpassed old-world charm with a breathtaking Art
Museum, top-flight arts and cultural attractions, professional sports,
lakefront festivals, recreational opportunities and great restaurants.
The
Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) offers a dynamic, innovative work environment
where each employee contributes to making the Library the best Third Place
possible – Inspiration starts here, we help people read, learn and connect!
We
are looking for a dynamic and innovative library leader to join our team!
Purpose
The Associate Library Director provides
high-level community service operational oversight that supports the extensive
public-facing operations of the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL), including educational
programming, inclusive and wide-ranging outreach and exhibits, special events,
and projects.
The Associate Library Director provides
ongoing leadership and direction to senior management personnel at 13 locations
throughout the City of Milwaukee.
Essential Functions
Public Services and
Strategic Initiatives Leadership
- Lead the Public Service Area Managers of the Central Library,
Branch Libraries, and Youth, Education, and Outreach Services, along with
other public service managers and staff, in providing innovative and
high-quality library services to the public; encourage teambuilding within
and between work units.
- Support the Central Public Services Area Manager in ensuring
the successful administration of the services provided by the Wisconsin
Talking Book and Braille Library.
- Lead the development of service models to ensure outstanding
customer experiences that meet the needs of the community.
- Work with the Community Relations and Engagement Director to enhance
and elevate public service programs.
- Act in the absence of the Library Director and Deputy
Director in matters relating to the operation of the MPL System.
- In partnership with the Library Director, develop the
policies, programs, and long-range plans of the Library's Board of
Trustees.
- Work closely with the Library Director and the MPL leadership
team to ensure that organizational funding and budgets support the
strategic organizational goals and the public-facing service needs of the
community.
- Assess and evaluate existing programs and services to
determine public-facing needs for the future; seek opportunities for
streamlining and use data and surveys to assess impact.
- Analyze existing services in relation to strategic and
funding priorities to expand the library’s capacity to fulfill its mission
and initiatives, including developing innovative spaces, designs, and
related programming, i.e., “Maker Spaces,” the Central Library Business
Commons, system-wide youth, teen, and adult programming, and outreach and
delivery services. Lead the internal committees and partners that support
these vital services.
- Establish staffing patterns, goals, and objectives for the
public services team. Develop policies, procedures, and institutional
benchmarks with peer public libraries. Evaluate customer service and
service delivery to maintain strong and consistent public-facing
interactions throughout the system.
Community and Strategic
Partnerships Development
- Work closely with the Library Director, the MPL Foundation,
and the MPL Board to maximize financial and growth opportunities that
support the mission via grants and collaboration.
- Provide content and direction for new grants and privately
funded projects that support the mission; work with Foundation staff and
others on crafting proposals for funding.
- Work with teams internally in leading program design efforts
for proposed projects, including outcomes, measures, and evaluation plans.
- Determine the need for consultant support; identify funding,
create scopes of service, and ensure accountability.
- Assume responsibility under the Library Director as an
official MPL representative at other City of Milwaukee committees and
meetings.
- Supervise community public service partnerships to ensure the
approaches are consistent in all areas of MPL Public Services.
- Liaise with the Milwaukee County Federated Library System (MCFLS),
which includes 15 municipalities with 14 participating library boards.
- Liaise with the State of Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction (DPI), which is a source of federal and state funds for
library programs and federated operations.
- Represent the library in community and professional meetings
and maintain active membership in professional organizations.
- Keep current with and contribute to technical, professional,
and relevant business literature.
- Liaise with other major urban libraries nationwide, special
libraries and information agencies, community groups, and local officials.
- Write articles for publication.
- Lead projects such as the Wisconsin Writers Wall of Fame and
MPL Poet Laureate selection processes: recruit selection committees,
facilitate the work of the committees, and lead subsequent programming.
Performance Management and
Customer Service Leadership
- Select, train, and evaluate management and reference
personnel.
- Maintain close connections to peer institutions and current
trends in library public services and measure staff according to best
practices in the field.
- Set standards, including coaching public service managers and
supervisors on customer service and communication skills.
- Receive, investigate, evaluate, and act upon complex
complaints and suggestions from residents, patrons, and organizations
pertaining to public services.
- Apply and interpret MPL Board and City policies in
multifaceted public-facing situations.
- In collaboration with others, lead teams in executing the
strategies laid out in the MPL Racial Equity and Inclusion Work Plan and
other Library Committees.
We welcome qualified
individuals with disabilities who are interested in employment and will make
reasonable accommodations during the hiring process in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, as amended by the Americans with
Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008.
Conditions of Employment
Please be
advised that new employees are required to have received either both doses of
the Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine prior to
their employment start date or have an approved religious or medical
accommodation prior to their employment start date. You can find further
information relative to the City’s Covid-19 Vaccination Policy here.
The Associate Library Director must be able to do the following:
·
Work beyond standard business hours on occasion, including being
available for emergencies.
·
Work rotating shifts, including evening and weekend hours.
·
Stand, walk, climb stepstools, crouch, and reach.
·
Lift and move items weighing up to 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible
amount of force constantly to move objects.
Minimum Requirements
1. Master's degree in library science or library information
science from an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library school.
2. Four years of library management experience as an
administrator of a public service operation in a neighborhood library unit, an
independent municipal library, or a central library in an urban setting; as an
administrator of a major library division; or as a coordinator in a major
subject area.
3. Valid driver's license at time of appointment and
throughout employment, including use of a properly-insured personal vehicle (mileage reimbursement is provided pursuant
to Section 350‑183 of the Milwaukee Code).
Equivalent combinations of education and experience may also be considered.
NOTICE: Please do
not attach your academic transcripts to your employment application. The hiring
department will verify candidates’ education as part of the background
screening process prior to extending any job offers.
Desirable Qualifications
·
Experience working with patrons from diverse socio-economic,
cultural and educational backgrounds.
·
Successful experience in obtaining outside funding.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Other Characteristics
Technical
- Knowledge of modern public library goals, organization, practices, policies, goals, services, administration, and reference services.
- Ability to learn the workings of the MPL system, including its policies, functions, relationships, and resources.
- Ability to read and interpret a wide variety of job-related documents; broad knowledge of subject disciplines and wide-ranging reading interests.
- Knowledge of computers, online catalogs, databases, networks, and their applications for library use; proficiency using word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
- Understanding of the social responsibilities of an urban public library in an era of information access and technological change.
- Knowledge of research methods, development, and the preservation and organization of research and reference collections.
- Ability to promote innovative programming and public service development.
- Knowledge of budgeting processes to be able to assist with complex budget development and management.
- Ability to acquire knowledge of building renovation planning and processes.
Leadership and Supervisory
- Flexibility and skill in encouraging staff to solve problems in the interest of providing the highest quality public service.
- Ability to execute the full spectrum of management duties, including ability to interview, onboard, train, coach, motivate, discipline, and evaluate staff.
- Ability to foster an environment of inclusion wherein all employees are treated respectfully, are valued for their strengths, and feel that they can safely express themselves.
- Ability to represent the library consistent with MPL's vision, mission, and strategic plan.
Communication and
Interpersonal
- Skill in tactfully and respectfully addressing sensitive situations with patrons who may be experiencing difficult personal issues.
- Community outreach skills to be able to build relationships with community partners.
- Customer service knowledge and skill.
- Ability to work effectively with multilevel, multicultural managers and staff, elected officials, board members, other City employees, vendors, community groups, and patrons from all socioeconomic, educational, literacy, and cultural backgrounds.
- Verbal communication and presentation skills to be able to share information in a clear and concise manner to various audiences, both formal and informal.
- Written communication skills to be able to write clear reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, and publication-ready articles.
Judgment and Critical
Thinking
- Critical thinking skills to be able to creatively solve challenging, multifaceted problems, make sound decisions, and marshal library system resources for the benefit of the community.
- Organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet frequent deadlines.
- Skill in performing detailed, independent work with a high degree of accuracy.
- Situational awareness and observational skills to be able to mitigate potential safety incidents.
- Professionalism, honesty, integrity, ability to maintain confidentiality, and responsible stewardship of City resources.
- Intellectual curiosity as well as a commitment to staying apprised of developments in library management.
Current Salary
The current salary range (Pay Range 1JX) is $92,513-$114,879
annually, and the resident incentive salary range for City of Milwaukee
residents is $95,288-$118,326 annually. Appointment above the
minimum is possible based upon level of experience and other qualifications and
is subject to approval.
The City of Milwaukee provides a comprehensive benefit program
that includes the following:
·
Defined Benefit Pension Plan
·
457 Deferred Compensation Plan
·
Health and Dental Insurance
·
Paid Parental Leave
·
Comprehensive Wellness Program
·
Onsite Clinic Services
·
Onsite Employee Assistance Program
·
Alternative Work Schedules
·
Long Term Disability Insurance
·
Group Life Insurance
·
Tuition Benefits
·
Paid Vacation
·
11 Paid Holidays
·
Paid Sick Leave and other paid leaves
·
Flexible Spending Arrangement
·
Commuter Value Pass
For full details of the benefits offered by the City of Milwaukee,
please visit http://city.milwaukee.gov/Benefits.
Selection Process
The Selection
Process - will be job related and will consist of one or more of the
following: an evaluation of related education, experience and accomplishments,
written tests, interview, or other assessment methods. The Milwaukee
Public Library reserves the right to call only the most qualified candidates to
oral exams, performance tests, or personal interviews. Information from the
selection process will be used to make a hiring decision.
Screening for this position will be based on an evaluation of each applicant’s education, experience, and professional accomplishments, which should be detailed in a cover letter and resume.
Please send the following via email to MPLJobs@milwaukee.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2022:
- cover letter
- resume
- Please indicate “Associate Library Director” in the subject line.
The City of Milwaukee reserves the right to invite only the most qualified applicants to participate in the selection process.
INITIAL FILING DATE: The selection process will be conducted as soon as practical after the deadline date. Receipt of application materials may be discontinued at any time after this date without prior notice. However, recruitment may continue until the needs of the City have been met. The applicant is responsible for attending all phases of the job selection process at the time and place designated by the City of Milwaukee.
Additional Information
Inquiries regarding the selection process may be directed to Danielle Wrobleski by calling 414.286.3077 or via email at DMWrobl@milwaukee.gov.
Conclusion
EEO Code 101
The City of Milwaukee values and encourages diversity and
is an equal opportunity employer.