Youth Services Assistant - Elementary & Middle Grades

South Burlington, City of (VT); South Burlington (VT); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

South Burlington, City of (VT) seeks a Youth Services Assistant to engage school-aged youth, support families, and implement programs under supervision of the Youth Services Librarian. The role includes public desk duties, reader advisory, and creating welcoming spaces in KidSpace.

Ideal candidates have strong customer service experience, familiarity with youth literature, and ability to learn library procedures and Koha. English proficiency required; bilingual preferred.

Qualifications

• Minimum requirement: high school diploma or equivalent with two years customer service experience.
• Preferred: bachelor’s degree with one year of customer service experience or equivalent.
• Enrollment or willingness to enroll in Vermont Department of Libraries Certificate Program preferred.

Responsibilities

• Greets patrons and shares accurate information about library programs and services.
• Plans and presents activities and programs for school aged youth.
• Assists other staff with activities for children of all ages.
• Assist patrons in finding materials and information and maintain welcoming KidSpace.
• Handle routine circulation tasks and assist with technology needs.
• Enforce library policies in a positive manner and de-escalate when needed.

Skills

Customer service

De-escalation

Koha

Bilingual (preferred)

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Vermont Library Certificate (preferred)

Tools

Koha

Job description

The Youth Services Assistant is a member of the Youth Services team. They engage and develop relationships with school aged youth and assist families and children of all ages. They prepare, publicize, and implement drop-in and planned programs under the direction of the Youth Services Librarian. The Assistant creates engaging passive programs for a variety of ages and supports others in the department with programs and displays. They carry out routine Circulation Desk duties and assist patrons with technology needs. The Assistant provides a positive and welcoming experience to patrons of all ages.

1. Greets patrons and shares accurate information about library programs and services.
2. Plans and presents relevant activities and programs for school aged youth.
3. Assists other staff with activities for children of all ages.
4. Familiarizes themselves with trends in media and popular literature as it relates to school aged youth and incorporates this knowledge into collection recommendations, programs, and diverse displays throughout the KidSpace.
5. Assists patrons in finding materials and information.
6. Curates and manages a welcoming space for school-aged youth. Answers telephone and directs calls.
7. Shelves materials as needed and reads shelves to ensure materials are in proper order.
8. Performs routine circulation and processing functions as needed.
9. Enforces library policies and procedures in an appropriate manner.
10. May work independently in the KidSpace during daily operations.
11. Will be responsible for de-escalation in public interactions and enforcing behavior standards in patrons of all ages.
12. Performs other duties as assigned.

1. High school diploma or equivalent with two years customer service experience required, equivalency considered.
2. Experience working with school aged children required, grades K-8 is preferred.

1. Bachelor’s degree with one year of customer service experience, or equivalent, is preferred.
2. Enrollment or willingness to enroll in the Vermont Department of Libraries Certificate Program is preferred.
3. Familiarity with current school aged literature including graphic novels, series, and high interest non-fiction.
4. Strong communication skills.
5. Ability to learn library procedures and apply policies.
6. Ability to learn and apply new computer skills.
7. Experience with Koha preferred.
8. Ability to work independently with a high degree of accuracy, efficiency, and dependability.
9. Ability to handle difficult situations and use de-escalation techniques.
10. Fluency in a language other than English is preferred.