Instruction and Outreach Librarian

Regular Full Time Professional Chicago, IL, US

Salary: $50,618.88 Annually

ABOUT THE NEWBERRY: The Newberry collection-some 1.6 million books, 600,000 maps, and 5 million manuscript pages is a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the Middle Ages to the present. We connect researchers and visitors with our collection in the Newberry's reading rooms, exhibition galleries, program spaces, classrooms, and online digital resources.
Since its founding in 1887, the Newberry has remained dedicated to deepening our collective understanding of ourselves and the world around us. As individuals engage with Newberry collections and staff, they discover stories that bridge the past and present and illuminate the human condition.
The Newberry's community of discovery is driven by a shared commitment to promoting research, inspiring learning, and using inquiry across the humanities as a tool to engage critically in a vibrant democratic society.

SUMMARY :
Reporting to the Director of Reader Services, the Instruction and Outreach Librarian schedules and manages instructional activities for Collections and Library Services, Public Engagement, and Research and Education staff, including coordination of presentations of library materials; leads presentations, orientations, and tours; develops and implements outreach activities to promote Newberry collections to a variety of potential user groups, in collaboration with reference librarians, curators, and Research and Education staff;

and provides reference assistance to library patrons in person, on the phone, and via email.

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manages and leads instructional activities for Collections and Library Services and Research and Education staff.
  • Receives internal and external collection presentation requests;
  • Manage complex requests for class visits, including scheduling;
  • Maintains the collection presentations log and shares a weekly class visits list.
• Leads hands-on and virtual collection presentations with Newberry collection items.
  • Leads orientations and tours for visiting groups, in collaboration with other Reader Services staff;
  • Collaborates, coordinates, and partners with other library departments and staff on pedagogical uses of the Newberry's collections;
  • Co-convenes the Newberry's interest group for instruction, and participates in planning and implementing professional development activities for teaching at the Newberry;
  • Develops instructional activities, guides, and other resources for Newberry staff and external instruction leaders;
  • Ensures that instructional opportunities and procedures are well represented on the library's website, and;
  • Participates in efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices related to instructional activities.
• Coordinates presentations of library materials and other library instruction activities.
  • Responds to group visit requests, in collaboration with appropriate curators and reference librarians;
  • Coordinates retrieval of library materials for instructional activities with Reader Services staff;
  • Encourages use of materials previously not highlighted in collection presentations to avoid repeated use of the same items and to foster new perspectives;
  • Collaborates with reference librarians and curators within Collections and Library Services, other library departments and staff, and visiting instructors, to ensure safe and successful hands-on instructional activities involving rare books, manuscripts, and other materials;
  • Trains new library staff on proper handling of library materials in instructional activities;
  • Reviews, implements, and oversees enforcement of library policies and guidelines related to instructional activities;
  • Advises on appropriate technology for virtual or "hybrid" instructional activities, and liaises with Information Technology department as needed to achieve activity goals, and;
  • Maintains and reports statistics related to instructional activities.
• Identifies and reaches out to potential classes and other groups, and develops outreach activities encouraging interpretation and use of the Newberry's collections and staff expertise, in collaboration with reference librarians, curators, and Research and Education staff.
• Provides effective reference assistance to library patrons in person, on the phone, and via email.
  • Responds to reference and genealogy correspondence;
  • Serves at the library's reference…