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Adult Services Librarian
Position Overview
The Wilsonville Public Library is seeking an engaging and innovative Adult Services Librarian to lead the delivery of high-quality, community-centered services.
This highly visible role blends leadership, project management, and direct public service. As the lead for adult services, you will guide staff, coordinate priorities, and help create a cohesive and welcoming experience for the community. You will bring people together, encourage collaboration, and contribute new ideas that keep services relevant, responsive, and engaging.
The position is responsible for planning and delivering programming that reflects community interests, building partnerships with local organizations, and contributing to outreach and digital engagement. You will also lead adult collection development, including selecting materials, managing book ordering, and maintaining the budget with careful stewardship of public funds.
Customer service is central to this role. You will provide advanced reference and reader’s advisory while supporting visitors with technology, research needs, and complex or sensitive situations. This work requires patience, empathy, sound judgment, and the ability to remain calm and solutions-focused in a fast-paced environment with competing demands.
The ideal candidate is a collaborative and adaptable team player who is energized by working with people. You are able to multitask effectively, navigate challenges with professionalism, and bring a positive, flexible approach to daily work. A bicultural perspective and Spanish language skills are strongly valued.
This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping library services and strengthening community connections in Wilsonville. Apply today to join a team committed to exceptional service and meaningful public impact. This is a full-time position within the Library. The schedule will include at least one closing shift and one weekend shift per week.
Please ensure you complete all sections of the application and answer all supplemental questions. Additional information regarding this position, including minimum qualifications and essential job functions, can be found below.
The Adult Services Librarian receives general supervision from the Library Services Manager and provides functional and technical guidance to staff supporting adult services. This position works in close partnership with the Youth Services Librarian to provide cohesive leadership across public services and to support the Librarian classification in daily operations.
This is the advanced journey-level class in the Librarian series characterized by a greater degree of decision-making and functional and technical direction responsibilities and with program development, administrative, and day-to-day operational responsibilities. Responsibilities require comprehensive knowledge of the development and provision of library services, the ability to organize and oversee the work of staff, and the ability to execute various administrative responsibilities with an emphasis on creating library programs and events. This class is distinguished from the Reference Librarian in that the Adult Services Librarian assumes a greater degree of decision-making responsibilities and exercises technical and function direction over programs and other staff. This class is distinguished from the Library Services Manager in that the latter is the full supervisory-level class in the series responsible for organizing, assigning, supervising, and reviewing the work of assigned staff involved in library services.
Responsibilities
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
The following tasks are representative and not to be considered all inclusive.
Leadership & Adult Services Coordination
- Serves as the lead resource for adult services, providing guidance, training, and support to staff delivering reference, reader’s advisory, and public service work
- Helps set priorities for adult services, balancing daily service demands with longer-term planning and improvement efforts
- Brings together employees across roles to deliver cohesive, people-centered service and foster a collaborative team environment
- Provides input into service quality, workflows, and employee performance related to adult services
- Plans, coordinates, and delivers innovative adult programming that reflects community interests, emerging needs, and inclusive public service values
- Manages program development from concept through evaluation, including logistics, promotion, partnerships, and scheduling
- Leads projects related to adult services, including new initiatives, service enhancements, and pilot efforts
- Builds and maintains partnerships with community organizations, agencies, and local groups serving adult populations
- Provides in-depth reference and reader’s advisory services to visitors
- Assists customers with digital resources, technology use, and access to information
- Responds thoughtfully and effectively to complex, sensitive, or difficult customer situations, using de-escalation skills, empathy, and sound judgment
- Provides highly personalized and responsive customer service that emphasizes relationship-building and individual patron needs.
- Leads adult collection development activities, including selection, ordering, evaluation, and weeding of materials in multiple formats
- Oversees ordering for adult services collections
- Maintains and monitors the adult services materials budget, ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds
- Develops displays, guides, and curated collections that increase access and discovery
- Supports the use of library technology, digital resources, and online services for adult patrons
- Contributes content and ideas related to adult services for the library website and social media
- Adapts services as technologies and community expectations evolve
- Serves as a Notary Public as needed
- Participates in committees, professional development, and system-wide initiatives
- Maintains awareness of trends in adult librarianship and public service innovation
- Performs other related duties as assigned
Customer Service Standards for Employees
These standards are to ensure the organization is focused on providing high quality service to the public and other employees. Employees are expected to meet these standards as part of their job responsibilities.
Communication
- Acknowledge customers when they enter a city facility by greeting them with a smile and positive tone of voice whether in person, on the phone or in email. Gather necessary information to assist the customer. Where possible, handle issues/questions/requests without transferring customer to someone else.
- Seek out answers to questions first; if unsuccessful provide name/contact information of someone who can assist.
- Listen, understand, and clarify to gain in depth understanding of the needs to ensure they are being met.
- Address difficult or contentious issues in a constructive manner. Be positive and enthusiastic when speaking with customers.
Respect
- Be courteous and polite.
- Treat customers with dignity and respect.
- Understand customer's expectations and treat them as a priority. Actively listen and give customer undivided attention.
- Appreciate differing perspectives, opinions, and needs.
- Demonstrate integrity and build trust through credibility, reliability, commitment, and ethical behavior.
Responsiveness
- Provide prompt and reliable service. Respond to phone/email as soon as possible.
- Follow through in a timely manner on commitments made to customers and provide estimated timeline for completion.
- Change voicemail and email when out of office/unavailable and provide alternate contact person for customers.
- Demonstrate a "can-do" approach.
- Exhibit problem-solving skills leading to sound judgment and quality decisions.
Qualifications
Education & Experience: Master’s degree in Library Science and three (3) years of progressively responsible professional library experience emphasizing adult services, including one (1) year of experience providing lead direction or coordinating services.
- OR -
An equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Certifications: Must possess, or obtain within six (6) months of hire, a Notary Public Commission.
Language Skills: Spanish language proficiency is highly desirable.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
Knowledge
- Knowledge of principles and practices of adult public library services, including reference, reader’s advisory, programming, and outreach
- Knowledge of collection development practices, materials selection, and evaluation across multiple formats
- Knowledge of budget monitoring and responsible stewardship of public funds
- Knowledge of customer service principles in a public-facing environment, including working with patrons experiencing stress, frustration, or barriers to access
- Knowledge of incident response, conflict resolution, and de-escalation techniques in a library setting
- Knowledge of community engagement practices and inclusive service approaches
- Knowledge of library technologies, digital resources, and online service platforms
- Knowledge of public service values and the role of libraries in supporting civic life and community wellbeing
- Skill in providing lead direction and professional guidance to staff without formal supervisory authority
- Skill in project management, including planning, prioritizing, and coordinating multiple initiatives simultaneously
- Skill in delivering highly personalized, responsive customer service requiring patience, empathy, and sustained engagement
- Skill in navigating difficult or sensitive customer interactions with sound judgment and emotional intelligence
- Skill in building collaborative relationships with coworkers, community partners, and the public
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
- Skill in adapting services, programs, and approaches to changing conditions and community needs
- Skill in balancing structure and flexibility in a dynamic service environment
Abilities
- Ability to exercise independent judgment in complex or ambiguous service situations
- Ability to multitask effectively in a fast-paced, interruption-driven public environment
- Ability to remain calm, professional, and solution-oriented under pressure
- Ability to lead by example and contribute positively to team cohesion and workplace culture
- Ability to think creatively and bring new ideas and inspiration to adult services
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a public-services leadership team
- Ability to understand, articulate, and uphold the value of public service and equitable access
- Ability to engage respectfully and effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences
Additional Information
Work Environment:
Work for this position is performed primarily in an indoor public library setting with frequent and direct interaction with the public. The work environment is active and service-oriented, with regular interruptions, competing priorities, and high customer visibility. The Adult Services Librarian works at public service desks, in shared staff workspaces, and in program and meeting areas. The position may involve evening and weekend hours based on operational needs and programming schedules, as well as occasional off-site work related to outreach, meetings, or community engagement.
Physical Requirements:
While performing the duties of this position, the employee must possess mobility to work in a standard office and library setting and use standard office and library equipment, including a computer; to operate a motor vehicle and to visit various city, meeting, and outreach sites; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person, before groups, and over the telephone. This is primarily a sedentary classification, although standing in work areas and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or similar devices and to operate standard office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally require bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, pushing, and pulling to retrieve and handle materials. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to forty (40) pounds.
Cognitive Functions:
Work is performed in a fast-paced, public-facing environment requiring sustained concentration, adaptability, and independent judgment. The Adult Services Librarian must manage frequent interruptions, shifting priorities, and complex service interactions while maintaining professionalism, patience, and a welcoming demeanor. The position requires emotional intelligence and the ability to respond thoughtfully and effectively to a wide range of patron needs and situations.
Tools/Equipment Used:
The position regularly uses library management systems (ILS), computers and standard office software, online research databases, digital resources, content management systems, and standard office equipment such as printers, scanners, and copiers. Use of audiovisual equipment, presentation tools, program supplies, and assistive technologies is also required.
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