Librarian-Teen

About the position

The Teen Librarian at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh plays a crucial role in fostering lifelong learning and community engagement among youth aged 11-19. This position involves mentoring teens, connecting them and their families to resources, and facilitating programs that reflect their interests and developmental needs. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of teen brain development, a passion for community engagement, and experience in serving diverse populations.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Library Services Manager and other youth-serving staff to develop and execute the vision of Teen Services at CLP's Downtown.
• Develop relationships with all teens in the community to fulfill their informational and recreational needs, including job readiness and readers' advisory.
• Develop, implement, evaluate, and promote teen-driven, project-based programs around Connected Learning models to increase literacy, technology, collaboration, and community building skills.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with individuals and agencies serving teens and their families.
• Welcome customers and build relationships with teens, caregivers, and families within the Library and community.
• Provide quality reference and readers advisory using print and electronic resources to fulfill customers' needs.
• Participate in system-wide initiatives, programs, service teams, and project management.
• Support location-wide partnerships and share best practices to empower staff in serving teens.
• Cultivate a dynamic teen collection that represents the community's needs in consultation with the Coordinator of Children's & Teen Collections.
• Manage the Teenspace, including upkeep, equipment/supplies, behavior, and creating engaging displays.
• Provide meaningful experiences for volunteers in service to teens and for teens who are volunteers.
• Assist with day-to-day operations of the location, which may include circulation, registration, and shelving.
• Engage in continuing education opportunities to develop and maintain job skills.

Requirements

• MLS or MLIS from an ALA accredited school required.
• Previous experience working with teens in an urban setting is required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Outgoing, dynamic, and highly organized individual with a passion for working with teens.
• Commitment to providing high quality customer service in accordance with CLP's Philosophy of Service.
• Previous experience planning, presenting, and evaluating programs for teens ages 11-19 years strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of innovative library services to teens and families, especially regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Understanding of family engagement and ability to develop best practices in this area.
• Familiarity with collection development best practices and current reading interests of teens.
• Knowledge of current technologies, electronic resources, and virtual services including social media.
• Knowledge of media mentorship practices.

Nice-to-haves

• Bilingual or multilingual skills are a plus.