Youth Services Position Open in Wisconsin's Beautiful Driftless Area

Are you looking for a challenging job working with a great team of people who aren't afraid to push the envelope to evolve service, programs, initiatives, collections and efforts to fit the community? Here it is!

You get to work in the La Crosse area, famous for its exceptional natural beauty. The city (metropolitan population 126,838 based on the 2010 census) is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River below towering bluffs. Abundant water and woodlands provide year-round recreation sites for hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities. La Crosse is also home to two universities, a technical college, a symphony orchestra, excellent theatrical and cultural events, and superb health care facilities. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a major flyway for migratory birds and boasts the longest river refuge in the continental United States.

Oh and we can meet for lunch anytime! Throw that hat in the ring!

Click for website Youth Services Librarian ad

Application Deadline

Monday, February 19th, 2018 to Thursday, March 8th, 2018

Brief Job Description:

Do you have your dream job? You could! If you're eager for a challenge, and welcome the opportunity to network within the community to create amazing results, love collaboration and trying new ideas, and are fearless in your approach to great service using tech and non-tech means, you may be who we are looking for. 

We seek a motivated, dynamic person to join our youth services team in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin - someone who loves to work with infants, toddlers and children of all ages—along with their families and caregivers; has outstanding customer service skills; is outgoing with a great sense of humor and flexibility and who has the ability to sell the library and literacy to everyone in our community. 

Strong skills in early literacy programming specifically but also programs, outreach and services for infants through teens, excellent collection development skills, and a finger on the pulse of innovative youth services, are key as is the ability to take things from big vision to real life implementation. 

The ideal candidate for this full-time position will have an MLS and at least two years experience working in public library youth services or the equivalent in education and experience.  In return, you will have the opportunity to work with a star team of professionals, receive an excellent benefit package, be in a strong professional development environment and transform traditional library services.  Salary starting at $50,900.

Electronic submissions only; interested applicants can submit a resume with references and cover letter to Youth Services Manager Dawn Wacek. Preference to applications received by March 8, 2018.  Position will remain open until filled.

Click for Full Job Description

Have We Got a Job for You!

Hey, come work with us!! We have a fabuloso-fulltime job opening here at La Crosse Public Library on our crack Youth Services team. Here's the ad. Now brush up that resume and throw your hat - or helmet - in the ring! But don't blink, it closes fast (we are eager to be back to full staffing)

Amaze us! If you’re hungry for challenge, and welcome the opportunity to network within the community to create amazing results, love collaboration and trying out new ideas, and are fearless in your approach to great service using tech and non-tech means, you may be who we are looking for!  We seek a motivated, dynamic ideas person to join our children’s services team in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin - someone who loves to work with kids and families; has outstanding customer service skills; is outgoing with a great sense of humor and has the ability to sell the library and literacy to everyone in our community.  Strong skills in programming, outreach and services for preschool through teen, excellent collection development skills - and a finger on the pulse of innovative youth services - are key as well as ability to create reality from blue-sky visioning.  Bonus consideration to those who can bend steel with bare hands! The successful candidate for this full-time position will have an MLS and two years experience working in public library youth services or the equivalent in education and experience.  In return, you will have the opportunity to work with a star team of professionals, be coached by the 2010 Wisconsin Librarian of the Year, receive an excellent benefit package, be in a strong professional development environment and transform traditional library services.  Salary negotiable from $46,000. For further information and necessary qualifications, please visit us at: www.lacrosselibrary.org. Electronic submissions only; interested applicants can submit a resume with references and cover letter to Youth Services Coordinator Marge Loch-Wouters. Applications accepted until May 2, 2014.

La Crosse is famous for its exceptional natural beauty. The city (metropolitan population 126,838 based on the 2010 census) is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River below towering bluffs. Abundant water and woodlands provide year-round recreation sites for hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities. La Crosse is also home to two universities, a technical college, a symphony orchestra, excellent theatrical and cultural events, and superb health care facilities. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a major flyway for migratory birds and boasts the longest river refuge in the continental United States.

Hiring Thoughts

My new co-worker, Brooke Rasche from Reading with Red blog and I both are on the Hiring Librarians blog today talking about our experience from each side of the hiring process. See you there!

We Have an Early Literacy Kid's Librarian Opening!!

Hey, come work with us!! Due to an upcoming retirement, we have a fabuloso-fulltime job opening coming up here at La Crosse Public Library on our crack Youth Services team. Here's the ad. Now brush up that resume and throw your hat - or helmet - in the ring!

Amaze us! If you’re hungry for challenge, and welcome the opportunity to network within the community to create amazing results, love collaboration and trying out new ideas, and are fearless in your approach to great service using tech and non-tech means, you may be who we are looking for!  Due to a retirement, we seek a motivated, dynamic ideas person to join our children’s services team in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin - someone who loves to work with kids and families; has outstanding customer service skills; is outgoing with a great sense of humor and has the ability to sell the library and literacy to everyone in our community.  Strong skills in early literacy/preschool programming and services are key as well as ability to create reality from blue-sky visioning.  Bonus consideration to those who can leap tall buildings in a single bound! The successful candidate for this full-time position will have an MLS and experience working in public library youth services or the equivalent in education and experience.  In return, you will have the opportunity to work with a seasoned team of professionals, be coached by the 2010 Wisconsin Librarian of the Year, receive an excellent benefit package, be in a strong professional development environment and  transform traditional library services.  Salary negotiable from $44,000. For further information and necessary qualifications, please visit us at: www.lacrosselibrary.org. Electronic submissions only; interested applicants can electronically submit a resume with references and cover letter to Youth Services Coordinator Marge Loch-Wouters at marge@lacrosselibrary.org. Applications accepted until November 16, 2012.

La Crosse is famous for its exceptional natural beauty.  The city (metropolitan population 126,838 based on the 2010 census) is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River below towering bluffs. Abundant water and woodlands provide year-round recreation sites for hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities.  La Crosse is also home to two universities, a technical college, a symphony orchestra, excellent theatrical and cultural events, and superb health care facilities. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a major flyway for migratory birds and boasts the longest river refuge in the continental United States.

P.S. We know the webpage is ugly right now. Please forgive us. The new one is coming along nicely and will replace the current beast shortly!

School-Schmool/Masters-Schmasters - Ya Need the Big Picture!

A great post from Mr. Library Dude questions whether it really matters exactly what MLIS school program you go through to get your degree and be employable.  My favorite paragraph: " I’ve never looked at anyone’s resume/cover letter and thought: “Wow, she graduated from X library school!” Library school is what you make of it. The MLS is just the basic requirement for the job. If all you do is take the required courses, but get no work experience, then you are setting yourself up for failure." He advocates instead making sure you have some work experience; get with mentor(s); be willing to move; learn to market yourself and your skills among other direct advice.

As someone who has worked with many people from various graduate schools, both at the libraries I've worked at and professionally on a state and national level , I agree with Joe.  It ain't the school -and I would add, it ain't the degree.  It's the passion, the ability to look at the big picture of serving our communities and making information, literacy and books (in whatever format) touch those communities in a meaningful way. You can have a string of letters after your name, but if you can't see the forest for the trees, you'll never make a great librarian.

I have worked with amazing and less-than-amazing folks over my 36+ year career and have been humbled by the amazing work of lots of non-degreed library staffers. I have also been underwhelmed by any number of MLSed blessed professionals who have the letters but are clueless on how to really bring great service to the table.

Having just gone through the hiring process, I agree with Joe.  I didn't care what school someone went through. I was looking for the telltale signs that spoke to the person's passion, energy and ability to see beyond Library Practices 101 and think about the real world of library work.  I was happy to see so many great candidates who fit that description but it was still a distinct minority of our applicant pool.  Folks who hire assume you can do the work.  The real issue is whether you can dream, imagine and then create the new reality that looking at the big picture of library work demands.

Looking Out at the Great Job Market

Abby the Librarian has a wonderfully helpful post for people thinking about going to library school or in the midst of their graduate work.  In it she talks in a very practical way about what a person should consider and how to increase one's marketability.

I want to second her suggestions.  As a mentor for three new librarians on ALAConnect, it is the advice I give again and again.  Finding meaningful volunteer/internship work that relates to the field you want to enter is worth gold. 

It is an opportunity to get practical experience as well as suggest projects that can enhance a library's resources ("Would you like me to develop a booklist on read-alikes for Diary of a Wimpy Kid?"; "I could develop a little book of coupons to give out to families between storytime sessions that encourage them to return to the library in the interim ['Get a hug from the librarian'; '$.50 off your fines';  'Come in for a sticker and a personal book suggestion form your librarian']; "Would you like a resource list of books and websites for that program you are doing on organic gardening?"; "Would you like me to update/redesign that flyer?"). Library staffers just might take you up on it and you get golden experience that translates into a money job search.

We are in the midst of searching for a new children's librarian to join our team and Abby's post reads like a roadmap that all our top candidates seem to have followed.  Taking the extra time to learn, work and play in the stacks and among librarians makes job searchers more valuable to future employers.  And you know you all can do it!!

Image: 'Free 3D Business Men Marching Concept' http://www.flickr.com/photos/22177648@N06/2136948367

Getting That Children's Library Job - Being Your Own Fabulous You!

There has been a surprising and pleasing rash of job openings for children's librarians in our state over the past year.  Boomers retiring or heading to greener pastures; children's librarians stepping up into directorships and overall shuffling happening.  A number of young librarian colleagues I know have been honing their resumes and interviewing and are on the hunt (or just finished with it).  Eva at Eva's Book Addiction;  the New York Public Library; Meredith Farkas over at Information Wants to Be Free all have posted some sound tips for job seekers over the past few weeks.  Please take them all to heart.

I don't have alot to add other than to know yourself; know your work and think about how to convey the essence of your skills.  The interview goes deeper than your resume and cover letter.  Be ready to say just what skills you bring to the tech table (web 2.0 savviness; RSS feeds ease; favorite blogs/listservs that enhance your skills; blog; etc); the program table (early literacy work thru storytimes, outreach and projects; partnerships you've forged and innovative events you have invented; etc); the leadership table (projects you have spearheaded; groups you have chaired or organized; staffers/volunteers you have managed-officially or unofficially); the vision table (what are the five most important pieces that make a great children's services department; how do you approach change; how do you effect change; etc) and the strength table (what are those more elusive qualities that make you the right candidate: great listening skills; consensus building; morale booster; nurturer; etc).

Be sure you know about your potential employer - it's easy to track down online board minutes; community characteristics; budgets; staffing.  At the interview, find out what their goals and challenges are.  Remember, you are interviewing as well as being interviewed.  Is this really the right job for you?  I used to joke at my former job when the director would say "I hired you!'; I would invariably reply: "And I chose you!" It shook him up, but it's true.  Most important, if you know yourself and feel confident in the match to the job, you will feel much stronger and calmer in the interview process. Now, all you good children's librarian candidates, go out and shine!

Image: 'Resumes from Scratch'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/7759477@N05/4502690115