Sun glints off the creek, and you roll down your car window to breathe deep. Fresh morning air. It’s autumn in the Rockies. Aspen trees have transformed into golden swatches among towering pines. You’re on the US-550, headed toward Red Mountain Pass. Destination: to visit another library in southwest Colorado.
Feeling like a jackpot winner, driving on the Million Dollar Highway?! Welcome to your morning commute. You’re a “Colleague on Call” for libraries in Western Colorado, heading off to visit another small rural library in your role as a CLiC Regional Consultant. Your task might be to train a handful of library staffers on a topic related to public service, or it might be to talk with a third-grade teacher (newly appointed to manage the library 10 hours a week) about strategies for weeding the media center’s outdated collection.
This is you: eating, drinking and breathing library work, but still achieving healthy life-work balance. You’re serving in a teleworking, traveling, interactive role – promoting library cooperation and providing leadership to small and rural libraries. You may have specific knowledge and subject expertise. You’re not an expert in all things “library” but you ARE quick to learn, solve problems, and you’re particularly skilled at offering targeted resources and smart referrals.
Required
- Familiarity with challenges facing small and rural libraries. Passion about working with diverse individuals: the capable leaders and staff members of such libraries. Proven ability to play well with others and share toys. There’s no crying in baseball.
- Residence in western Colorado or willingness to relocate within the region: Wyoming up north, Utah to the west, New Mexico framing the south. Now draw a gently-arcing line from Walden to Pagosa Springs; that’s the eastern border of the territory.
- Three to five (or more) years of humane supervisory experience (non-library experience acceptable).
- Demonstrable experience communicating and using technology tools. If you dislike listening, talking, writing, interacting with people or using technologies related to communication, this job isn’t a good fit.
- A bias toward helping people, and for working hard to help small & rural libraries achieve greatness in their communities. Wax on, wax off.
Strongly preferred
- Multi-type library experience. If you’ve jumped the boundary between different types of libraries, we’re interested.
- Curiosity about the world. Interest in one or more topics not DIRECTLY “library” related (though in some regards, nearly everything in the world can be connected back to a library).
- Attention to detail. READ our application procedure. READ the full job description, too! If you find your professional library background is captured in the words above and in the official description on our web site, we’d love to receive your application.
- Willingness to tolerate random pop-culture references.
And this is us: CLiC. We’re seeking a library professional chomping for an opportunity to have his/her work impact many libraries across Colorado. We’re looking for YOU. While your coverage territory would include small and rural libraries throughout the western portion of the state, your playground would occasionally extend to other regions.
Apply by sending your material to HR Manager Andrea Pettegrew via email: apettegrew@clicweb.org. Professional references are not required for initial-stage applicants, but will be required of finalists for the position. Should you have any procedural questions, please address those to the HR Manager via email or call 303-422-1150. Application DEADLINE is Wednesday, October 30 at 10:12 am.
Please submit a non-form cover letter and a professional resume. If your letter begins with “Dear Hiring Manager,” then you’re already off to a bad start. Please include within your cover letter a story about a project you completed that addressed community needs through outreach, public service, technology, collections or any other library-based activity, INCLUDING the impact. Also, tell us about yourself as it relates to this job opportunity. Not all of the places you’ve worked (hello, that’s in your resume…), and not the trite “I’m a hard-working, dependable, enthusiastic, and experienced person who will make a positive contribution to your organization.” If you’re indeed such a person, believe us, we’ll ferret out those characteristics.