Youth Engagement Specialist -Hilliard Branch

About the Position:

As a Youth Engagement Specialist, you will create a positive and enriching experiences by engaging youth and their caregivers in conversation and activities and promoting literacy and reading. You will help develop and deliver quality programs and informal engagements aligned with our library’s Young Minds Strategy, designed to help youth establish the foundation for a successful life. Additionally, you may conduct outreach to schools and other organizations serving youth and/or perform collection management activities.

The Young Minds Strategy focuses on three (3) categories:

• Ready for Kindergarten; building kindergarten readiness skills for ages 0-5
• Third Grade Reading; supports and promotes early literacy development for K-3rd grade
• High School Graduation; support and preparation for tweens and teens

Position Schedule

• Combination of mornings, afternoons, and evenings (with some flexibility)
• Friday/Saturday rotation (as scheduled)
• Sundays 1:00pm - 5:00pm (as assigned)

What You’ll Do:

• Proactively provides a high level of customer service by engaging youth and families in usage of library resources, activities and programs.
• Creates a safe, welcoming environment that balances a fun atmosphere, engaging activities and relationship building, while supporting youth development and learning. 
• Plans, promotes and presents programs and informal engagements for children of all ages at the location and off-site.
• Answers customer questions and provides customer service throughout the building. Makes referrals by locating appropriate sources of information using a variety of tools and resources.
• Connects with schools and community organizations to promote Young Minds programs and services through presentations, community events and networking.
• Works to diffuse youth confrontations, mediate and reduce tensions.
• Performs collection management activities for juvenile materials as directed. Creates displays and merchandises materials.
• Directs volunteer and volunteen activities including orienting, training and scheduling.
• Ensures that the children’s and teen areas are neat, orderly and appealing to customers and staff.
• Maintains personal skills and knowledge through engagement with library trainings, reviewing resources and professional development conversations with other youth services staff members.
• Utilizes computer applications and library equipment, maintains current knowledge of system wide and location specific procedures, processes, policies and operations. 
• Supports library policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct, by following up with customers when necessary; alerts Security Officer and/or manager about suspicious behavior and similar risks to safety and security.
• Performs other duties as assigned including serving on taskforces, committees, etc.
• Assumes responsibility for the operation of the location in the absence of a manager.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 2-3 years’ experience working with youth or community engagement required.
• Experience delivering programs and services to diverse audiences preferred. 
• Interest and ability to serve and develop rapport with youth and their caregivers.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills. 
• Ability to operate library technology including personal computer, email, software programs (i.e., Windows/Microsoft Office) and other job-related equipment and systems.
• Ability to utilize reliable transportation to promptly report to job assignment and other locations, per job requirements.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands: 

The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, and residences or commercial vehicles (e.g., use of safe workplace practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals, and/or working in moderate outdoor weather conditions).

Work requires occasional lifting or pushing of up to 50 lbs. and the frequent lifting or pushing of up to 20 lbs.