At the County of Marin, our employees overwhelmingly report feeling their work is meaningful, they like the work they do, and they are proud to tell people "I work for the County of Marin." Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture on the Department of Human Resources website. Read on to find out more about this opportunity.

The Marin County Free Library (MCFL) is a special taxing district that operates ten branch libraries in Marin under the authority of the Board of Supervisors. It provides public library services to the residents of the unincorporated areas of the County and the cities of Corte Madera, Fairfax, and Novato.
 
The Marin County Free Library is an innovative and dynamic civic institution that is committed to providing exceptional services to a community that cares deeply about the library and encourages the library to assume a critical role in supporting the community to be resilient, equitable, and progressive. MCFL is committed to racial equity and the inclusion of those with multiple perspectives and backgrounds in our decision making.

Located both within the Civic Center Library and a unique offsite map annex, the Anne T. Kent California Room is an archive dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and culture of Marin County.  In alignment with MCFL's goal  to actively celebrate diverse perspectives while promoting affirming environments that honor each individual's unique history and lived experience, The California Room is committed to documenting the history of all communities via exhibits, outreach, and programming, as well as acquiring books and collection materials representative of Marin County's diverse communities.     

We strive to . . .  

• be a premier resource for K-12 educators as well as universities and local colleges; 
• partner intentionally with our local arts & cultural heritage organizations, museums and historical societies;  
• engage researchers of all levels, as well as the merely curious;   
• be a place that is welcoming and accessible to all.  

• Performs reference work, general research, and reader advisory, assisting patrons to access and use physical and digital resources, including a large collection of unrecorded land surveys;
• Promotes the use of special collections at two sites through a variety of outreach and advocacy methods;
• Participates in collection maintenance and development, including processing and describing collections, managing digital repositories, and applying knowledge of best practices to accession, create, edit, describe, and preserve digital and physical objects;
• Plans or assists in planning and setting up displays and exhibits; plans and implements programs that connect users to specific collections and enhance their understanding of the value of primary sources for research;
• Learns technical skills and tools needed to prepare digital records and metadata, as well as transfer the records and metadata into an archive or repository for long-term preservation;
• Communicates effectively with a variety of stakeholders, team members, and archive users;
• May direct work of volunteers or paraprofessional staff;
• Assists in maintaining a pleasant and orderly atmosphere in the California Room and Map Annex; and
• Performs other duties as required.

Our Highly Qualified Candidate: The highly qualified candidate for this role possesses the following experience, competencies, and traits:

• Experience with and interest in working with local history collections and providing reference assistance with source materials. 
• Knowledge of archival management software and technologies.
• Skill with building relationships and working collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders.
• Experience applying records management principles and knowledge of current records management trends.
• Commitment to ensuring inclusive representation in the Library's special collections.

• Principles, practices and techniques of library science and information services.
• Reference sources and search techniques, including the use of on-line catalogs, databases and Internet sources.
• Techniques for organizing library materials to meet patron needs.
• Principles of collection development and materials selection.
• Automated library information systems software and hardware.
• If assigned as a children's' librarian, techniques and practices of children's services, including juvenile literature and story telling.
• If assigned as an adult services librarian, techniques and practices of adult services, including provision of readers' advisory services.
• If assigned to oversee a small community reading station, techniques of facilities and collection oversight; and techniques for assessing the needs of a specific community and meeting such needs.
• If assigned to technical services, principles, practices and resources of library cataloging; experience with integrated library system and major cataloging utility. 

• Advise patrons on reference sources and methods and perform detailed reference searches using on-line, print and other methods.
• Provide reader's advisory services and referrals to patrons of various age groups.
• Instruct patrons and staff in the use of catalogs and reference tools.
• Identify the needs of the public and assist with collection development by evaluating and recommending materials for acquisition.
• Represent the library system in the community and at professional meetings.
• Explain policies and procedures to patrons and staff.
• Use initiative and independent judgment within established procedural guidelines.
• Organize own work and set priorities.
• Maintain accurate records and files.
• Prepare clear and concise reports, educational materials and other written materials.
• Direct the preparation of effective displays.
• Use current automated library technology effectively.
• Establish and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• If assigned as a cataloger, apply cataloging skills to enhance public access to information in a text and/or web-based catalog.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Candidates selected are subject to fingerprinting by the Sheriff's Department and must pass a Department of Justice LiveScan background check prior to appointment.
 
All applicants will receive email notifications regarding their status in the recruitment process. Please be sure to check your spam settings to allow our emails to reach you. You may also log into your GovernmentJobs.com account to view these emails.
 Highly Desirable: 

BILINGUAL TESTING/CERTIFICATION: 
Bilingual skills in Spanish and English are highly desirable, but not required.
A bilingual proficiency exam will be administered to candidates who identify as bilingual to ensure the they possess the appropriate skill level to meet the requirements. 

Testing and Eligible List: Depending on the number of qualified applications received, the examination may consist of a highly qualified review, application screening, online assessment, written examination, oral examination, performance examination, or any combination to determine which candidates' names will be placed on the eligible list.  The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill the current vacancy, and any future vacancies for open, fixed-term, full-time or part-time positions which may occur while the list remains active.
 
Disaster Service Workers: All County of Marin employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.
 
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: If you have questions regarding equal employment opportunities, please contact Roger Crawford, Equal Employment Opportunity Director, at 415-473-2095.  If you have questions concerning this position announcement, please contact Alisa Samuel, alisa.samuel@marincounty.gov.