Jobs - Highwood Library

Employment Opportunities

At the Highwood Public Library, our staff paves the way for engaging programming, innovative services, and transformative collections. We are a small but mighty library serving a diverse and dynamic community!

We welcome candidates who are committed to excellent customer service, creative collaboration, and dynamic problem solving.

About our Library

Learn about the library’s mission, vision, and strategic plan
Read our policies and review our services
Explore the City of Highwood

Open Positions:

Adult Services Manager

Full time, exempt
Hours: Flexible, including some evenings and Saturdays
Benefits include IMRF, health, vision, dental, vacation, paid sick time and paid library holidays.

Responsibilities include:

Hires, trains, schedules, supervises and evaluates adult services and circulation staff, coordinating and monitoring work flow to determine short- and long-range staffing needs; scheduling staff to adequately meet patron needs; and conducting department meetings on a regular basis.
Provide prompt, courteous, and direct assistance to all patrons with basic information regarding use of library materials, equipment, and services. Various circulation functions include reference, readers’ advisory, technology, referral services to patrons, checkouts, renewals, accessing on-line resources, etc.
Handles patron conflicts that arise and cannot be resolved by frontline staff.
Ensures team members are well trained on the currently used Integrated Library System and on customer service best practices.
Develop library collection, selecting and recommending books and materials that are relevant to the community served;
Maintain library periodical subscriptions and renewals;
Plans and coordinates department services and procedures to assist staff in following and implementing the policies set by the Library Board of Trustees.
Prepares and maintains departmental records, statistics and reports: preparing a monthly report; preparing an annual budget proposal.
Serves as Librarian in Charge by interpreting and implementing library policy and working closely with the team to resolve issues.
Attends department managers and all staff meetings: providing input to the solution of interdepartmental problems; informing other department managers, the assistant director and the director of changes in departmental personnel and procedures; serving as a liaison between other managerial staff and Circulation staff.
Contributes to long- and short-range planning and goal setting processes for the entire library.
Work closely with Marketing department to engage the public in library services and ongoing library card sign up;
Coordinate records retention to follow state mandates. Develop guidelines to continue process for ongoing records retention;
Participates in relevant training, continuing education and/or professional development.
Purchase library supplies, code financial expenditures, and work closely with Business Manager and Associate Director to maintain financial compliance;
Collect data for statistical analysis and reports and prepares reports for submission to the Library Director;
Performs other duties as assigned.

Personal qualities and qualifications include:

The ideal candidate will have a MLIS, bachelor’s degree or equivalent knowledge from a related field.
Minimum of three years of library experience with three years of progressive supervisory work.
A professional, friendly, helpful, positive attitude.
Ability to work well with adults, teens and children and collaborate with staff members.
Dependability, punctuality, honesty, and trustworthiness.
Willingness to accept change gracefully.
Willingness to help out in special situations and cooperate as a team member to achieve efficient library operations.
Typical office skills such as working with Microsoft Office products, answering phones.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Constant standing and walking. Lifting up to 30 pounds, bending, reaching, stooping, climbing, pushing and pulling in excess of 75 lbs., reaching, handling, and fine manipulation skills. Ability to communicate by telephone. Ability to handle and shelve books. Ability to use a keyboard. Vision: near and far. Speaking and hearing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The library work environment is usually busy and demanding. Children’s programs are often noisy and crowded.

This position reports to the Associate Director.

To apply, please send resume and cover letter to Laura Ramirez at lramirez@highwoodlibrary.org

For a PDF of this position, click here

Circulation Assistant

Join the 2021 IMLS-award winning Highwood Library & Community Center, a small but mighty library serving a diverse community. The Highwood Library & Community Center is an innovative anchor that enriches, empowers, educates, and embraces the community it serves. Our vision is to uplift, inform and grow the community through the library’s collections, programming and engagement strategies. The Highwood Library & Community Center is seeking a part-time candidate for an open position as a Circulation Assistant. This exciting opportunity will work at the circulation/reference desk, helping patrons navigate the collection and available technology, shelving materials, and making our patrons feel welcome at the library. This position will offer a high level of customer service to patrons in circulation and assistance with library resources.

Part time, non-exempt
Hours: 18 hours/week, including some evenings and Saturdays
Benefits include three (3) paid personal days.