Children's Program Coordinator

Description

Statement of Duties: The Children’s Program Coordinator is responsible for creating, budgeting, scheduling, promoting, and evaluating Junior Library programs. They work closely with members of other departments to develop and execute children’s programming and outreach that promotes library services and supports the library’s mission.  The Children’s Program Coordinator plans the annual summer reading program for pre-school through fifth grade. They participate in off-site programming and outreach to Danbury elementary schools, nursery schools, and community organizations serving children and families.  Maintains open communication with schools to keep them informed of library services and develop partnerships for collaboration.  

Supervision Required: Under general supervision of library administration. The employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative to carry out recurring assignments independently, with specific instruction. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult, or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee is expected to recognize instances which are out of the ordinary and which do not fall within existing instructions; in such cases, the employee is expected to seek advice and further instructions. Reviews and checks of the employee’s work are applied to an extent sufficient to keep the supervisor aware of progress, and to ensure that completed work and methods used are technically accurate and that instructions are being followed.

Supervisory Responsibility: The employee, as a regular and continuing part of the job, is not required to supervise other employees.

Confidentiality: The employee has access to some confidential information, not department-wide, that is obtained during performance of essential functions, where the effect of any disclosure would probably be negligible or where the full significance of the overall confidential matter would not be apparent in the work performed.

Accountability: The nature of work assures that errors are usually detected in succeeding operations.  Consequences of errors, missed deadlines, or poor judgment may include time loss caused by back checking by others and slowdowns in the processing of the work.  Errors are generally confined to a single department, such as billing or accounting errors.

Judgment: Numerous standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and, in some cases, may require additional interpretation. Judgment is needed to locate, select, and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation, or guideline.

Complexity: The work consists of the practical application of a variety of concepts, practices, and specialized techniques relating to a professional or technical field.  

Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of a public library setting. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.

Nature and Purpose of Relationships: Relationships with co-workers and the public involving frequent explanation, discussion or interpretation of practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines to render service, plan or coordinate work efforts, or resolve operating problems. Extraordinary courtesy, tact, and diplomacy may be required to resolve complaints or deal with uncooperative or uninformed persons. Employee may furnish news media or the public with routine information such as department operating procedures and practices regarding use of print or electronic resources. 

Occupational Risk: Duties of the job present little potential for injury to the employee.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

1. Responsible for presenting and coordinating children’s programming from birth to fifth grade. Plans, coordinates, and implements programs and events, both ongoing and special or one-time events. Researches, makes contact with, and negotiates with potential program presenters and performers, with a focus on programs that support the goals of the library.
2. Regularly participates in community events and outreach opportunities. Works collaboratively with other library departments, particularly the Program and Outreach Coordinator and Community Relations Coordinator, to attend outreach events as appropriate. Consults with other departments to help develop family-focused, library-wide events that are relevant to the Danbury community.   
3. Develops programming for children, parents/caregivers, educators, and other members of the community who work with children throughout the year.  
4. Works with local educators in the Danbury school district, as well as daycares and other organizations, to develop and implement programs and activities for children both in the library and as outreach events. 
5. Conducts story times, class visits, library tours, and other programs for children.
6. Works closely with the Teen Librarian and Children’s Librarian to plan the annual summer reading program, including planning, promoting, and advertising. 
7. Creates engaging and inviting displays for the Junior floor that promote library services. 
8. Actively participates in community events and outreach opportunities with the school district and other community agencies.  
9. Implements programs that support existing library services, furthers the library’s long-range goals, responds to stated needs from library patrons and the community, and enhances the library’s partnership activities with other community agencies. Helps develop programming concepts based on feedback from staff and administration.
10. Participates in monthly Junior department meetings. 
11.  Speaks to community groups and gives presentations about the library and its services as needed.
12. Provides in-person library service at a public service desk. Utilizes library technology, including online databases and the internet as well as traditional library resources, in answering patron queries.   Instructs and guides patrons in the use of library resources.
13. Engages in professional development appropriate to youth services, including reviewing current professional journals, attending professional workshops and meetings, and communicating with peers in library settings.   Represent the Danbury Public Library appropriately at workshops and educational meetings relating to Youth Services.
14.  Maintain budget records, keep statistics, and compile evaluations for programs, events, and exhibits. Works with performers/presenters to ensure their requirements are provided for, including furniture arrangement, AV equipment, refreshments, etc.
15. Actively engages in self-directed professional development, incl. technology, library trends and issues.
16. Assists with room set up or accommodations for groups using the meeting rooms as needed.
17. Maintains budget records, keeps statistics, and compiles evaluations for programs, events, and exhibits. Works with performers/presenters to ensure their requirements are provided for, including furniture arrangement, AV equipment, refreshments, etc.
18. Actively engages in self-directed professional development, incl. technology, library trends and issues.
19. Assists with room set up or accommodations for groups using the meeting rooms as needed.
20. Ability to travel independently to community outreach events.