TEEN SPECIALIST I bei St. Louis Public Library

St. Louis Public Library’s Julia Davis Branch (currently undergoing restoration!) is seeking a Teen Specialist with a passion for working with teens to join our Library team! Our ideal candidate is committed to serving the St. Louis community, helping us advance our primary mission as a forward thinking and customer-centered public library providing vital services to the people of St. Louis. This position is responsible for developing and implementing engaging teen programs that respond to community needs, representing the Library through outreach, and ensuring all young people have a positive experience at the Library.   

In this role you will:

• Foster a Library environment where all young people, especially teens, who visit feel welcomed and experience belonging. 

• Ensure that youth and caregivers who visit the Library have a positive experience and find resources that meet their needs. 

• Provide circulation assistance, including checkouts and card applications, and assist customers utilizing Library equipment, such as computers, printers and copiers to complete homework assignments, research topics and utilize online databases.

• Implement and shape key Library initiatives that impact teens and youth, including our Summer Challenge reading program.

• Develop and implement engaging in-person and virtual programs for all ages of youth--especially teens, including arts programs, STEM programs, video gaming, and more. 

• Work actively with the Youth Services team within your region and across the system to ensure St. Louis Public Library is meeting the needs of youth in our community. 

• Establish and maintain working relations with schools and other community organizations to promote library services to students, teachers and parents.

• Provide reference and reader’s advisory assistance for customers via face-to-face and telephone interactions.

• Maintain a knowledge of services for teens and children, including teen and children’s literature.

• Represent the Library at outreach events in the community. 

• Create opportunities for teens to express their needs and interests in a non-judgmental and welcoming environment. 

• Support teen volunteers and interns to have a successful experience. 

• Promote the new Creative Experience resources, including the Mobile Makerspace offering.  Incorporate technology resources and the Library makerspace in teen programming. 

You will need to be:

• Friendly, outgoing, and able to build relationships at all levels. 

• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to work with competing tasks and priorities.

• Familiar with Zoom and Google Meet platforms and capable of running online events.

• Able to speak publicly in order to execute unique and exciting events.

• Able to work independently and collaborate as part of a team. 

• Enthusiastic about the mission of public libraries and making a difference in our community.

• A dedicated professional who shares a genuine love of working with children and teens with a passion for building a love of reading and lifelong learning.   

• An innovative individual who is inspired about empowering teens to become  creative critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers and skillful researchers.

• Aware of current teen cultures, including use of digital tools, language and popular media.

• Committed to serving St. Louis Public Library’s diverse customer base and developing your own cultural awareness 

• Able to utilize Google Workspace (Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail)

You will need to have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Education, or related field; or one to two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• Customer service experience

• Experience working with youth in a professional setting

• Strong communication, writing, and speaking skills

• Strong organizational and time management skills

• Strong technical skills and an understanding of how technology can be incorporated into learning opportunities  

• A familiarity with current gaming systems and popular games 

You will earn:

• Competitive salary range starting at $38,924   

• Medical, dental, and life insurance

• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick days

• Pension plan through the Employees Retirement System of the City of St. Louis

• Professional Development Opportunities 
  
  

Schedule

40 hours per week; Combination of mornings and evenings;  Weekends Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Hours are subject to change.  Willingness to work at other locations as assigned.

About SLPL: 

St. Louis Public Library is a true urban library, representing the historic center of the St. Louis region: the City of St. Louis. With its roots in the mid-1800s, St. Louis Public Library has a long history of innovation and service, a large and historic collection including rare books and extensive special collections, and a diverse and dedicated staff. Our technology is a major resource throughout the City and beyond, and the Library makes an enormous investment in technology annually to keep them state of the art. We operate 17 locations in a relatively small city of 61 square miles. These range from the magnificent Central Library – one of the world’s great public libraries – to regional and neighborhood libraries that vary in size and design but are centerpieces in their communities. St. Louis was an early, passionate supporter of library services to children, and that remains a core value and mission. Outreach into our varied communities, marketing the Library’s remarkable strengths, and working with civic and cultural partners to benefit St. Louisans are all closely held values and goals at the Library. 

About the Julia Davis Library:

• Originally opened in 1974 at 4666 Natural Bridge Avenue.  The branch was relocated to a brand new facility at its present location in September 1991.  

• The Library broke with tradition by dedicating the branch in 1991 in honor of a living person, local educator and activist Dr. Julia Davis. 

• 15,000 square foot facility with 2 meeting spaces (one auditorium & one computer lab)

• Collection size approximation is 50,000 (includes juvenile, adult, and audio-visual materials)

• The Branch houses one of the Library’s Creative Experience technology centers! 

• The Julia Davis Branch is currently undergoing restoration following localized damage from the May 15th tornado with reopening date TBD.

About the neighborhood:

The Julia Davis Branch is located north and slightly west of Downtown St. Louis City on Natural Bridge Avenue, a major thoroughfare in North St. Louis.  The library is within the Penrose neighborhood.  The Julia Davis Branch has a special connection to the community it serves.  In 1961, local educator and activist Dr. Julia Davis donated funds for the creation of the Julia Davis African American Collection.  This collection explores the unique contributions of African American literature, history, and culture.  Her initial contributions have been carried on by the St. Louis Public Library and today feature more than 3,000 items, including biographies, literature, music, and films. 

To apply:

If you are interested in this opportunity, please visit slpl.org and click on the Careers link, and submit both your cover letter and your resume with your application. Thank you!