Librarian 1

Tennessee Department of State

Tennessee State Library & Archives

Public Services Section

Mission: The mission of the Office of the Secretary of State is to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and accountability in a customer-centered environment.

Supervisor: Librarian 3 - Supervisor

Summary: Assist the General Assembly staff and the public -- in person, in writing, via e-mail and by telephone -- by answering reference questions of simple to moderate difficulty. Individuals in this classification demonstrate curiosity, patience, and an eagerness to work with a diverse patron base via a variety of modes of communication.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Performs informative services at the Public Services desks and via virtual reference, including a minimum of one Saturday per month.
• Assists patrons with questions related to general orientation to the research rooms, history, genealogy, legislative records and other subjects.
• Answers phone, e-mail, and online chat reference requests by searching for the materials, producing required reproductions, corresponding with researchers, and mailing materials, and preparing written responses.
• Provides reference assistance for online institutional resources, such as the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL), Ancestry, Fold3, HeritageQuest, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, and related content; keeps current with new databases added and navigational changes within TEL.
• Researches projects of historical or genealogical interest to TSLA patrons.
• Reshelves books located in the Tennessee Room and retrieves books and vertical files from closed stacks requested by patrons.
• Reconciles daily financial reports against monies collected.
• Works on assigned projects with other sections in TSLA.
• Performs other duties as required.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience

• Possess a Master's Degree in Library Science or Information Science from an ALA-accredited college or university and/or master’s degree in public history or a related field.
• Experience in genealogy or Tennessee history desired.
• Knowledge of legal research and legislative history research desired.
  
  

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Possesses intermediate to advanced skills in researching library, archival, and microfilm sources, websites, and online databases and resources.
• Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills, by phone, mail, e-mail, and with the public.
• Experience with website page construction and social media platforms considered a plus.
• Communicates complex information clearly to individuals and to small groups.
• Applies sound analytical thinking to problem-solving.
• Proficiency in current and emerging technologies is especially desired, combining past and present research tools to devise search strategies in response to research requests and project assignments.
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Perform some work while standing, including walking with individuals and groups to locate materials or orient them to the Public Services Section.
• Possess the ability to lift a minimum of twenty (20) pounds.
  
  

Health, Safety, and Collections Security:

• Assist the organization to create a safe and healthy working environment by working safely with the equipment provided.
• Follow instructions given for health and safety purposes and immediately report any unsafe working practices or hazardous working conditions.
• Take whatever measures are necessary to protect the collections from loss, mutilation, or theft.
  
  

Salary: $47,000 annually plus the State of Tennessee benefits package.