Storytime Specialist

SLC Public Library; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 36,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid vacation

Utah Retirement Systems benefits

Job summary

Salt Lake City Public Library is seeking a Storytime Specialist to design and deliver multilingual storytimes across nine locations and in public spaces. The role emphasizes early literacy, outreach, and community engagement with volunteers and partners.

You will work full-time in a dynamic Programming and Outreach team, leading community programs, training volunteers, and evolving storytime experiences to reflect Salt Lake City’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Library and Information Science, Child Development, or related field, plus experience facilitating early childhood or multilingual programs.

Responsibilities

• Program design and delivery of multilingual storytime programs for young children and families across library locations.
• Prototype new programs quickly, run pilots and small tests, iterate before scaling.
• Maintain advanced knowledge of early literacy and multilingual programming; mentor staff and volunteers.

Skills

Spanish fluency

Experience leading literacy programs

Education

Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education

Job description

Storytime Specialist

Salt Lake City Public Library | Programming and Outreach

Location: System wide, based at our Main Library

Salary: $31.36/hour - Depending on Qualifications

Grade: 17

Posted: November 6th, 2026

Closes: November 16th, 2026

Interviews: November 16-20, 2026

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt/Full Time

Union Status: Represented (AFSCME Local 1004)

Reports to: Storytime Manager

Eligible For Hire: Internal Employee, Regularly Scheduled Applicants

About the Library

The Salt Lake City Public Library connects all people to free resources, knowledge, and one another to build a thriving community. Across nine locations and through outreach citywide, we are working toward a Salt Lake City where everyone belongs, where knowledge and opportunity are shared by all, and where our connections to one another make the whole community stronger. Guided by our 2026–2034 Strategic Plan, staff advance this work through four priorities: creating belonging through access, reading and literacy for all, strengthening civic life, and building the capacity to sustain our impact.

Library employees are stewards of this vision in every interaction. They bring joy to their service, treat every person with dignity, act with courage and good judgment, and work as one team across the system. People who thrive here believe a library is more than a place to find information; it is a place where a community comes to know itself.

Click here to learn more about what makes The City Library a great place to work and why Salt Lake City is a great place to call home.

Important Note:

The City Library is currently engaged in strategic planning implementation. This position may evolve in the future based on organizational needs and strategic priorities.

About the Position

Storytime Specialists design and deliver storytimes across the system. This position will have an emphasis on multilingual storytime expansion and delivery. They own a portfolio of programs from first rough idea through delivery and evaluation, bring genuine subject expertise, and direct the work of volunteers in their programs. Specialists spend most of their time in front of people, not at a planning table. This role mirrors the Librarian role in Public Services.

Every role on the Programming team is a teaching role. We’re looking for people who enjoy helping others learn, who learn best by doing, and who get energy from working with the public. We try new ideas early and at a small scale, watch how participants respond, and improve from there. When a program doesn’t work the way we hoped, we treat that as useful information and adjust. Programming staff work in and from our nine locations, but they are also excited and willing to take programs outside the library's walls to other places where people gather across the city. We work with residents and partners to bring library programs into shared public spaces and help make them places people want to spend time.

Strategic Plan Alignment

This position directly advances the Salt Lake City Public Library’s 2026–2034 Strategic Plan, specifically driving the core priorities of Reading and Literacy for All and Creating Belonging Through Access. By designing, expanding, and delivering engaging multilingual storytimes across our nine locations and within neighborhood public spaces, the Storytime Specialist helps ensure that early literacy experiences celebrate reading in all its forms and reflect the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Salt Lake City. Through active community outreach, rapid prototyping of programs, and partnerships that remove barriers to access, this role plays a vital part in building foundational literacy journeys that last a lifetime and fostering a deep sense of belonging for multilingual families system-wide.

Primary Responsibilities

• Program design and delivery. Designs and expands a system-wide portfolio of multilingual age-appropriate storytime programs and outreach for young children and their families. Seamlessly incorporates early literacy development into all storytime programming, setting clear learning goals and delivering engaging, high-energy sessions across all library locations and community settings.
• Rapid prototyping at the direction of the Storytime Manager. Gets new program ideas in front of participants fast. Runs pilots, one-off tests, and small versions before scaling anything. Keeps planning light and iteration frequent. Expected to launch several new experiments each quarter and to retire programs that stop working.
• Subject expertise. Maintains advanced knowledge of early literacy, early childhood development, and multilingual programming practices. Serves as a go-to resource for staff and the public, modeling early literacy strategies and speaking confidently to caregivers about child development.
• Welcoming environment. Creates a safe, inclusive space where participants feel they belong. Handles difficult interactions and solves problems, escalating to a supervisor when needed. Excels in serving a diverse population.
• Working relationships. Fosters good working relationships with diverse people including staff, participants, volunteers, vendors, and community partners. Accepts and completes assignments from the supervisor or other Library staff in a professional and timely manner.
• Partnerships and community presence. Cultivates active partnerships with diverse community members, cultural organizations, language specialists, and neighborhood groups to co-create and deliver rich multilingual storytime programs. Spends time in the community learning directly from families and partners.
• Activating public spaces. Designs and delivers storytime programs in parks, plazas, and other public spaces across the city, working alongside Salt Lake City departments, events, and neighborhood groups. Adapts programs so they work outdoors and for people passing by, not just people who signed up. Helps identify underused spaces where library programming could bring people together.
• Leadership and mentoring. Directs the day-to-day work of volunteers in programs. Mentors staff. Helps with program coverage.
• Program materials and equipment. Supports the Storytime Manager with the curation and maintenance of multilingual storytime kits, early literacy props, and resource collections Recommends language and literacy materials for purchase and manages the assigned supply budget.
• Collects attendance, outcome, and participant feedback in simple, quick ways. Uses it to improve the next program with support from the Storytime Manager.
• Takes on a leadership role when participating in committees or workgroups on activities outlined in the Strategic Plan.
• Other duties. Performs other duties as assigned or required. Actively supports other teams on the Programming and Outreach division as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Completion of a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Library and Information Science, Child Development, or a related field, and experience facilitating early childhood or multilingual programs; or an equivalent combination of education and experience which demonstrates the knowledge and skill to perform the primary responsibilities.
• 1 year of experience leading and mentoring other experts in literacy programming aimed at children.
• Fluency or advanced proficiency in Spanish.
• Demonstrated knowledge of early literacy development and early childhood development principles, with the ability to communicate concepts effectively to caregivers.
• Enthusiasm for teaching people of all ages and a genuine pull toward working with the public.
• Comfort learning by doing: trying a new idea quickly, watching how people respond, and adjusting on the spot.
• A record of launching new programs or activities and improving them through repetition rather than upfront planning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills, ability to work with teams, and the ability to motivate and negotiate with diverse individuals and groups.
• Experience taking a leadership role on a workgroup, task force, or project.
• Experience mentoring other employees or volunteers.
• Intermediate knowledge of operating a computer and common software applications, including digital tools used in early learning and programming.
• Required to maintain professional knowledge and skills through reading professional journals, viewing related webinars, and attending training or professional conferences.
• Ability to work days, nights, or weekends as scheduled and to travel between library locations and community sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing programs with clear learning goals.
• Experience delivering programs in a public library, museum, school, or community setting.
• Experience delivering programs in parks, plazas, or other public spaces, or partnering with a city or public agency.
• Desire to serve all age ranges: children, teens, and adults.
• Other language skills.

Working Environment

• Work is performed inside library locations and outside them in public and community settings such as parks, plazas, schools, shelters, public spaces, and partner sites. A significant share of work happens outdoors and in shared public spaces.
• Regular travel between library locations and community sites. Must have transportation. If using a personal vehicle, must maintain state required insurance.
• Subject to repetitive movement; standing, walking, bending, reaching, and lifting of objects. May be subject to standing or sitting for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to lift/carry program materials and equipment, up to 50 lbs, and push/pull carts.
• Must have good hand mobility and coordination.
• Subject to intermittent periods of inclement weather during outdoor programs and outreach.

Schedule

• Full-time, 40 hours per week. Evenings and weekends will be required based on program schedules.

Other Information

• Completion of criminal background check will be required if the candidate is over eighteen (18) years of age.
• The City Library participates in the federal Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). Employment is contingent upon confirmation of your employment eligibility through the E-Verify system.
• The City Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.

Compensation

• Starting Range Grade 17; Minimum $31.36/hr. Compensation is commensurate with experience.
• This is a full-time position and includes excellent benefits such as paid vacation, health and life insurance, and Utah Retirement Systems benefits.