It's a labor of love.



If someone were to ask why you love being a youth librarian, would you tell them that you love making a difference in children's lives? Would you say you love the fact that one minute you may be helping teens in the tech lounge and the next minute you may be doing a Black storytime for a group of small children? Or, would you talk about how you enjoy recommending African American children's books to kids and parents and have a dedication to all young readers, particularly Black readers?



If you answered yes, then we'd like to talk with you.



Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon is looking for a compassionate, dedicated, forward-thinking Youth Librarian, who has experience and a passion for working with the African American community. You must be creative, culturally competent, and customer service-focused. We're committed to providing the best possible traditional and cutting-edge library services to children and young adults, both in our buildings and in the community, and we seek someone who shares that commitment.



As the Youth Librarian, you will draw on your expertise in youth literature and development when providing excellent customer and informational service to children, teens, families, educators, and care providers. You'll be responsible for connecting internal and external patrons, particularly African Americans, with the information they seek as well as delivering a variety of professional-level library services. You will assess the needs of the community and plan, prepare and implement programs (including Black storytimes) and outreach for your service area, as well as build and maintain professional relationships with patrons and surrounding organizations. Not only will you develop programs for youth, you will also collaborate with your manager to identify opportunities and develop adult programs for the African American community as well. You will work closely with fellow branch staff as well as the Youth Services team. You will help ensure that branch continues to be a welcoming space for the community.



To be successful in this role, you must have excellent interpersonal, organizational, leadership and communication skills to help the library develop innovative services for the 21st century. You're experimental and a risk-taker who is willing to try new things. You will be comfortable working with all youth of all ages, particularly African American youth and be able to shift with ease between storytime, school-age programs, and teen volunteer recruitment and mentorship. You don't shy away from technology; you actually embrace it and understand the importance of and know how to use various types of social media. You will occasionally serve as the person-in-charge of the branch.



If you have a love for providing library services to African American kids and teens and want to be a part of a dynamic and rapidly evolving organization, this job is for you.



Learn more about the library's services for very young children, for kids, and for teens.



Diversity and Inclusion: At Multnomah County, we don't just accept difference; we value it and support it to create a culture of dignity and respect for our employees. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.