Position: Intermediate School Library Specialist; 200 Days Per Year / 8 Hours Per Day / MEA/NEA Unit I Secretarial position
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Administrative Functions
- Assist students and staff in locating and selecting books of high interest and appeal to students.
- Curate and maintain a high-quality library collection with high interest titles and relevant content at reading levels of the student population served in their school with new titles and series.
- Checks library materials in/out, shelve returned materials.
- Prepare new titles – add, place barcode, spine and genre label if applicable, dust jacket or protective cover.
- Mend books through approved repair standards or replace if appropriate.
- Maintain an automated library system (record keeping, inventory and checkout procedures, overdue reports, etc.)
- Contact vendors, order books and supplies and process new library books for shelf and circulation.
- Establish negotiated service contracts with library vendors to obtain best pricing.
- Weed outdated/unusable items in current collections based on the District’s Collection Development Guide.
- Develop and maintain knowledge of MARC record formats and library operating software systems.
- Input information into library software for new books using MARC record format to establish bibliographic records for all library materials and Dewey Decimal System classifications.
- Establish library budget level annually using district formula per pupil based on student enrollment.
- Coordinate and submit purchase paperwork within the business office guidelines.
- Develop a library class schedule for all homerooms or ELA classes.
- Enter and maintain current patron records for staff and students in the automated library system.
- Maintain and design a checkout procedure, preparing library cards as needed.
- Plan and prepare a daily schedule and lesson plan of materials to be presented to each class.
- Develop and maintain a substitute folder.
- Create a year-end report to chart material usage and circulation statistics.
- Train, organize, and supervise volunteers/substitutes to support library functions such as book prep and repair.
- Prepare and distribute overdue notices to families and collect payments for damaged or lost books.
- Serve as a resource for classroom teachers in finding library books that support their instructional needs.
- Assist staff with displays or collections of materials to support curriculum as time permits.
Optional Functions
- Host Book Fairs during in-person parent-teacher conferences
- Serve as a member of All School Read Committee or other March is Reading Month events.
- Support Reading Initiatives your school in coordination with school Reading Resource Teachers.
- Find incentives for students to participate in reading goals.
Library Media Skills
- Encourage and promote literacy development through read-alouds, book talks, and book selection.
- Demonstrate to students use of online catalog, library organization to locate books, rules of library use, indexing systems and circulation procedures.
- Interest in optional activities that complement reading initiatives such as author visits, new book promotion, hosting a book fair, or assisting with reading events.
- Teach library etiquette and proper book care and library usage, structure and layout to access titles.
- Highlight new titles through displays and discussion.
- Learn and apply library methods, procedures, terminology, and related technology;
- Teach Library catalog skills--identifying title, call number, spine label, and book location.
- Support classroom teachers in instruction of district identified research and library skills.
- Direct teachers to guide student’s library selections.
- Foster an environment that creates enthusiasm in students for literature and reading.
Note
These duties and responsibilities are judged to be "essential functions" in terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act or ADA. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The statements below are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by a person in this position. They are not constructed as an exhaustive list of all duties that may be performed by such a person.
Minimum Qualifications
- High School Diploma.
- Passionate about books and reading.
- Desire to instill love of reading in students.
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Requires working knowledge of district collection development guide policy and procedures.
- Ability to plan and make presentations sharing literature with students in the library.
- Ability to use independent judgment and demonstrate initiative to act without being asked.
- Ability to use computers and software proficiently.
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret information.
- Oral and written communication skills.
- Basic mathematic skills consistent with duties of the position.
Preferred Qualifications
- Eighteen (18) units of course work in library science is desirable.
- Experience with libraries and library automation software (currently Destiny).
- High level interest and knowledge of books at the K-4 and 5-6 grade levels.
- 1-3 years of previous library experience.
- Understanding of Dewey Decimal and standard alphabetical library filing systems.
- English usage, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
- General interest and enjoyment in books and reading.
- Knowledge of children’s literature.
- Bachelors or advanced degree in the area of education, literacy, libraries or child development.
The employee shall remain free of any alcohol or non-prescribed controlled substance in the workplace throughout his/her employment in the District.
Grand Ledge Public Schools District shall provide equal opportunity and shall not discriminate in matters of employment or enrollment on the basis of age, religion, race, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, color, national origin, gender/sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, height, weight or marital status in its programs, services or activities.