LibraryJobline

The primary responsibility of the person in this position is to serve the general public in satisfying their informational needs. The Business Librarian’s primary focus will be in providing business reference to individuals and businesses, both in the library and through outreach. The individual in this position works the majority of the time in the presence of or directly serving people; this includes presentations, outreach, classes, assisting patrons in finding information, giving directions, troubleshooting technology and teaching patrons how to use paper and online resources. The successful candidate will have high energy, a generous nature and be calm under stress. As the only public library in the county, the library’s service population includes toddlers through senior citizens, elementary school children to GED candidates to PhD students – in other words, all citizens who live in Laramie County and numerous visitors from all over the world. They may be seeking help with finding a book for a school paper, finding a stock quotation, locating a recipe, instruction on use of the library’s catalog or assistance in beginning a research project. In addition to assisting patrons in the library or by outreach, the individual in this job does a variety of other tasks including various clerical duties that ensure Reference and Collection Services runs smoothly. LCLS business services have been minimal in the past. This is a new position for LCLS and will give the manager, assistant manager and Business Librarian the opportunity to plan, design and implement the services from the ground up. As a high-profile position in the community, the Business Librarian will be expected to develop relationships and be visible as an expert in business research. The successful candidate will be comfortable with concepts and vocabulary used in finance, business, banking and marketing. The individual in this position will cultivate partnerships for the promotion, development and implementation of business services for Cheyenne, Burns and Pine Bluffs – essentially anywhere in the county where the library has a facility. This will include joining Kiwanis, speaking to Rotary, being active in the Chamber of Commerce, and meeting clients at their business to train and teach owners and their employees about the resources the library offers. The success of the individual in this position will hinge on understanding the needs of businesses, meeting business owners and their employees at their point of need, and being seen as a strong partner in the success of a business. The Business Librarian will teach and develop classes on job searching, developing a business plan or other business related courses in concert with other courses available in the community. The Business Librarian reports to the Assistant Manager/Special Collections Librarian. The manager, assistant manager and Business Librarian are positions that require an MLS or equivalent. All other positions within the division are non-MLS degreed professionals. Although the Business Librarian will be a peer to the non-MLS degreed professionals, the individual in this position is expected to be professional and model exceptional service. The successful candidate will be a team player who is comfortable taking a leadership role in their area of expertise. As an exempt employee, the Business Librarian is expected to work outside regular library hours and as many hours as needed to accomplish their job. The Outreach Librarian in the Youth and Outreach Services division is also considered a peer and is the only other MLS librarian not in management at LCLS. LIBRARY INFORMATION LCLS serves a population of more than 92,000 through Laramie County Library (LCL) in Cheyenne, two rural branches, and a bookmobile. The library system has a staff of 52 FTE, an annual budget of almost $4.5 million, circulation of 847,000 annually and a collection of 338,000 volumes. As a county entity, LCLS is governed by a citizens’ Board of Directors appointed by the County Commissioners. The library receives strong support from the community. The Commissioners provide the library with 2 mills, corresponding auto license fees, and 10% of the County’s share of the 5th Penny Tax. LCLS celebrated 125 years of continuous service in 2011. The Cheyenne facility will be five years old in September 2012. The building has many notable features including Gold LEED certification, self-check stations over three floors, automated sortation for returned items, wireless access, five meeting rooms, eight small study rooms, 50 work stations in the public Computer Center, a Special Collections Room and Reading Room, and a silent reading room complete with fireplace. LCLS has seven divisions focused on providing exceptional service to the public. The divisions are Administrative Services, Circulation/Branch Services, Community/Media Relations (CMR), Computer Center/Cataloging Services, Information Technology, Reference/Collection Services, and Youth and Outreach Services (YOS). Each division is headed by a manager. Some divisions have assistant managers. The managers and assistant managers, together with the Chief Operations Officer, the Deputy County Librarian and the County Librarian, make up the Management Team. Known for a mix of a western “Live the Legend” attitude and consciously positioning itself to be a 21st century, sustainable community, Cheyenne – the capital of Wyoming – is the most-populated city in the nation’s least-populated state. Located in Laramie County (just a 90-minute drive from Denver), the high plains and great mountain ranges provide outdoor recreational opportunities. While the major businesses of Laramie County are government and service/retail trades, historically the Union Pacific Railroad, F. E. Warren Air Force Base and agriculture shaped the community. The efforts of strong economic development entities has resulted in the creation of three business parks that contribute to diversifying the economy and making Cheyenne one of the most desirable destinations for companies and corporations, big and small. Cheyenne is best known by many as the home of the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. However, Cheyenne also has thriving arts and recreational opportunities that include a professional symphony orchestra, active community theater, strong support of visual arts, nationally known botanic gardens including a children’s village, a civic center that brings in national traveling performances, various small museums, year-round farmer’s markets and well-organized free summer activities for families. Laramie County Community College provides other venues for cultural, entertainment and educational pursuits. Laramie County Library System (LCLS) enjoys stable funding due to support from the people of Laramie County and the Laramie County Commissioners. Laramie County funding does not experience significant boom and bust cycles (like those found throughout much of Wyoming). Almost all county residents have library cards. The library is truly a community hub and a destination well used by all. The diverse population (which includes diversity in age, income and education) sees the library as a true equalizer for our community.

Carey Hartmann at chartmann@lclsonline.org.Cover letter, resume and Laramie County Library application form (http://www.lclsonline.org/opportunity/work ) due to: Search Committee at chartmann@lclsonline.org by noon on Monday July 2, 2012. If attending ALA, please include your cell phone number on your resume.