Early Literacy Specialist

Description

Wage: $26.24 to $32.80/hour

Job Type: Part Time (~20 hours per week)

Closing Date: 05/25/2025

Purpose: The Early Literacy Specialist plans, develops, implements, and improves library services focused on developing, promoting, and supporting early literacy skills for young children and their caregivers, setting them on a path to be successful throughout their lives. This role has a clear understanding of principles and practices related to early literacy, and applies those practices to develop and deliver premium storytimes inside DCL branch libraries. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

75% Storytime Development/Delivery and Readers’ Advisory: 

• Performs live in-person storytimes for various ages between 0-5 several times each week using current ALA early literacy principles and DCL storytime competencies. 
• Serves as backup storyteller for the district if a substitute storyteller is needed.   
• Records virtual on-demand storytimes. 
• Coordinates virtual on-demand storytime process for home branch. 
• Engages with customers – both children and their caregivers – to show hospitality, build meaningful relationships, and promote the use of DCL youth services and facilities. 
• Demonstrates expertise in readers’ advisory services to assist children and their caregivers with identifying materials appropriate for diverse ages, interests, reading abilities, learning styles, and special-needs requirements.  
• Presents a friendly and welcoming face of DCL to customers and smoothly hands off customer account questions to trained public services staff.  
• Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of early literacy concepts and keeps current with new research and trends on teaching children to read, children’s learning styles, child development, and parenting styles in order to provide practical advice to parents and caregivers. 
• Coordinates with the branch playscape teams to align playscape activations with storytime and other early literacy services as needed. 

15% Collaboration through mentoring, peer support, and volunteer support: 

• Serves as an early literacy subject-matter expert within the branch, providing professional support to other storytellers. 
• Supports the Youth and Family Services Supervisor in mentoring and training new storytime staff through providing shadowing opportunities and supporting storytime planning.  
• Collaborates with the Learning & Development department, Youth Literacy Outreach Specialist, and other Early Literacy Specialists across DCL to provide expert knowledge and services inside library locations.  
• Works in partnership with branch Volunteer Services Coordinator to support youth literacy volunteers.  
• Participates in volunteer appreciation and recognition activities. 

10% Technical Performance:  

• Fluency in MS Office, and other industry related software. 
• Learns, uses and applies industry and organization-specific technology as needed.   
• Stays current on DCL emails, meetings, trainings, processes, procedures, and technologies required to perform work duties.  
• Engages in the DCL performance feedback system and completes the expectations outlined by your supervisor and department/division.  

Performs other work duties as assigned.

One DCL Commitment: It is an expectation of each employee that you will exemplify Douglas County Libraries Brand, Culture and Values of welcoming to all, continual growth and authentic relationships.

Benefits: Douglas County Libraries (DCL) is a Colorado PERA Member Employer, so you will be enrolled in Colorado PERA. For details on member benefits go to www.copera.org.

Elective DCL benefits include:

• Health Care Plans: medical, dental & vision
• Voluntary Plans: Accident, Critical Illness, Short Term, and Long Term Insurance
• Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage
• 401k & 457 plans (through CO PERA)
• Legal-ID Shield

Additional DCL benefits include:

• Holiday Pay
• Paid Time Off
• Sick Time Off
• Leaves of Absence for Qualifying Events

*Benefits are subject to change

Requirements

Experience and Qualifications:

Required  

• Bachelor’s Degree 
• At least three years’ experience working with child development and early literacy.  
• Knowledge of early childhood learning, literacy, and ALA’s philosophies, including Every Child Ready to Read. 
• Fluency in MS Office and other industry-related software.  

Preferred  

• Experience performing storytime. 
• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or other childhood-related field. 

A combination of experience and education will be considered.

Physical Requirements: Must have a reliable method of transportation between all DCL locations. Must have the physical ability, stamina, mobility and manual dexterity to support a 7-day a week operation. Stand, walk, bend to floor level, reach to a height over 70 inches, and read a minimum 8 point font, repetitively for extended periods. Handle materials, push/pull loads with a force of up to 35 pounds, carry 15 pounds, lift up to 35 pounds, and grip up to 15 pounds, repetitively. Kneel, squat, climb, and work at a computer workstation, frequently. Participate in meetings and events at various locations and at varied times throughout the day.