Library Associate - Children's Services

JOB INFORMATION

• Middletown Branch Library; 28 hours per week
• Myersville Branch Library; 20 hours per week

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment (pro-rated accrual rate)
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover (pro-rated accrual rate)
• 11 paid scheduled holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (pro-rated accrual rate)
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance benefit
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Participation in the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System
  • Vesting after 5 years of service (effective 07/01/2024)
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc
• Other employee paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, etc.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under direction, develop and present innovative age-appropriate programs for children and outreach activities as assigned
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the children's collection and current literature
• Participate in implementation of system-wide programs, events and outreach for children
• Assist patrons of all ages with reference questions or readers' advisory requests
• Assist patrons in using computerized and manual information sources and/or direct patrons to other appropriate sources
• Perform basic bibliographic searches related to inter-library loan requests and reserves
• Explain FCPL policies and procedures to patrons and train patrons on the use of library resources
• Assist with the maintenance of the branch collection in an assigned area
• Working with the Supervisor, assist in planning and implementing marketing activities that communicate the mission and goals of the library and the value of library products and services to the public, organizations, businesses and other community entities
• Actively seek out and engage in opportunities to promote the library in the community
• Establish and maintain working relationships and partnerships with community businesses, organizations, groups and schools, including outreach and programming
• Prepare displays and develop programs to promote reading and other library services
• May perform duties as a Notary Public, to include witnessing the signing of documents and verifying their authenticity.
• May perform duties as a Passport Acceptance Agent, to include executing passport applications
• Recommend materials for acquisition and/or withdrawal
• Participate in department, branch and system-wide work teams
• Attend workshops, meetings and learning opportunities
• Perform other related duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

The qualifications / requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical demands or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university
• Minimum 6 months work experience working with children aged birth to 5th grade (internships may be considered)
• Minimum 1 year of customer service work experience in retail, education or any other high traffic customer service setting

• Ability to obtain and maintain Library Associate certification from the MD State Department of Education, plus willingness and ability to attend training sessions as applicable
• Working knowledge of public library practices and procedures
• Working knowledge of children's literature, developmental stages, and interests
• Knowledge of research techniques and available research materials, as well as general readers' interest, authors, books and other formats of library materials
• Knowledge of standard computer applications and devices including tablets/mobile devices, software applications, and downloadable e-format materials
• Knowledge of age appropriate literature, development stages, and interests
• Working knowledge of social media tools and techniques, and ability to effectively communicate in an online environment to engage customers via social media
• May require the ability to become certified as a Passport Acceptance Agent from the U.S. Department of State within 180 days of hire and maintain certification.
• Ability to develop and conduct age appropriate programs, events and activities and perform effectively in front of children, their parents and caregivers
• Ability to effectively access and utilize FCPL's computerized systems and the Internet, and to effectively provide related instruction for patrons
• Ability to learn and integrate emerging technologies and STEM-related educational tools in programming
• Ability to create and market high-quality programming in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment
• Ability to effectively organize work, determine priorities, make decisions and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task and effectively manage time in a busy environment
• Ability to demonstrate creativity, flexibility, positive attitude and good judgment
• Ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with patrons, co-workers and the general public, with particular skill in working with children
• Ability to effectively build relationships and partnerships with community organizations, businesses, schools and similar entities
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills,

• 1 or more years of recent (within the last 5 years) experience working in a library (not volunteer experience)
• 1 or more years of work experience developing and presenting programs for children aged birth to 5th grade
• Additional work experience providing direct customer service

• While working in this position, the employee is required to constantly reach; frequently walk, occasionally sit, stoop and lift up to 20 pounds
• While working in this position, the employee is required to frequently work indoors
• During outreach programs and events the employee is frequently working outdoors; working in hot temperatures (above 100 degrees) working in cold temperatures (below 32 degrees) and walking on uneven ground.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / EXAMINATION PROCESS

• Ability to provide own transportation to meetings/workshops and to various branch Libraries as needed
• Available for varied workdays and hours within the FCPL operating schedule

• An evaluation of training and experience
• One or more interviews
• A pre-employment fingerprint supported background investigation

Retirement Plan:
Library regular employees who qualify are required by state law to participate in the Maryland State Teachers' Pension System. For further information go to: http://www.sra.state.md.us/
Other regular Library employees who qualify will participate in a defined benefit retirement plan is provided for all regular County employees. Employees are automatically enrolled in the Non-Uniformed Plan. The majority of support for the plan is provided by the County; however, employees are required to make a mandatory pre-tax contribution towards their benefit. Retirement benefits are payable at normal, early or delayed retirement. Retirement benefits are also payable upon termination and in the event of death or disability.
Flexible Spending Accounts:
The Flex Spending plan allows employees to pay health and day care expenses with pre-tax dollars. Employees may set aside part of their salary in a special account that can be used throughout the year to reimburse themselves for out-of-pocket medical expenses. The maximum contribution is $2,700 per year for Health Care Spending and $5,000 for Dependent Care Spending (work-related day care expenses). Examples of expenses that can be reimbursed for Health Care Spending include, but are not limited to: deductibles, co-payments, dental fees, chiropractors' services, and eyeglasses / contact lenses.
Life Insurance:
Employees are insurance for 2 times their annual salary in case of death plus 2 times their annual salary for accidental death. Employees do not contribute to the premiums for this coverage. A Voluntary Life Insurance Program is offered to regular County employees. The plan allows employees to purchase individually owned term life insurance for themselves, spouses and dependents.
Savings Plan - Deferred Compensation:
The County offers a Section 457 Plan. Deferred compensation plans allow participants to save for retirement in either pre tax or post tax (Roth) investment account. Contributions are invested at the employee's direction into one or more of the variety of investment options offered by the plan. Changes may be made to the contribution levels, investment options, etc. at any time.
Employee Assistance Program:
This confidential assessment, referral and counseling service is available at no cost to all employees who may need help with a personal or job-related problem.
Leave
Annual Leave – Employees are eligible to use Annual Leave after their 6 month probationary period. Annual Leave accrues as follows:
Years of Service Days per Year
0 – 2 years 11 days
2 – 10 years 17 days
10 + years 24 days
Sick Leave accrual rate is as follows based on length of employment and the following schedule:
0 - 2 years 10 days
2+ years 12 days
Sick Leave may also be used for illness of an employee's child, dependent, spouse, parent or parent-in-law. There is no limit on the amount of sick leave accumulated. Unused Sick Leave may be used for additional credit in the pension plan at the time of retirement.
Regular benefited part-time employees earn annual and sick leave on a pro-rated basis based on their actual number of hours worked biweekly up to their assigned number of regularly scheduled work hours.
Other available types of leave include, but are not limited to, Family Medical Leave, Bereavement, Jury, and Military.
Holidays:
The County observes 10 holidays every year and 11 are observed on years of General Elections.
For additional information on Frederick County Governments benefit package, please visit the Division of Human Resources website at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov

Educational Reimbursement Program:
County employees who have successfully passed their probationary period may take up to two job-related courses per semester at any accredited educational institution. The benefit also covers the costs of job-related non-credit courses. If the employee receives a grade of at least a C, or successfully passes a non-credit course, the County reimburses the employee 75% of the costs of tuition, fees and books. The plan requires that employees remain employed with Frederick County Government for a minimum of two years after the last class is taken.

All hires before January 1, 2012, will follow the all benefit and leave rules as described in the Personnel Rules amended October 3, 2013.