Employment Opportunity: Head of Children and Family Outreach Services

Job Title: Head of Children’s and Family Outreach Services
Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Summary:  Oshkosh Public Library seeks an energetic and customer-focused librarian to lead its Children’s and Family Outreach Department. Join a committed staff of 61 (40 FTE) as we champion values of literacy and lifelong learning in the midst of rapid change. Oshkosh Public Library provides a full range of services to 82,000 area residents from a beautifully restored and historically significant building. Circulation for 2009 was 1.1 million items. Oshkosh Public Library is the resource library for the Winnefox Library System, whose members number 30 libraries in 5 counties. Oshkosh is situated in east-central Wisconsin, on the western shore of Lake Winnebago.

Principal Duties: 
The Head of Children’s and Family Outreach Services manages 5 employees (3.5 FTE) and is responsible for the successful direction of all activities that support literacy and learning in children, including programming, collection development, reference and reader’s advisory services.
Outreach responsibilities include serving as liaison to schools and community groups that serve children and families. Active participation in these groups is expected.

The successful candidate will develop and maintain collaborative outreach programs that increase awareness of the library and will advocate for underserved populations in the community. In addition, the department head serves as the children’s services resource for the Winnefox Library System.
As an integral member of the library’s management team, the Head of Children’s and Family Outreach Services participates in planning and budget sessions, and serves on the Public Services Improvement Team.

Knowledge & Skills:  Knowledge of child development and children’s literature are critical for success in this position, as is enthusiasm for helping children and families learn and grow together. Candidates are expected to possess team-player and leadership skills, strong supervisory and motivational skills, effective communication and organizational skills and knowledge of current library and technology trends. Evidence of successful grant applications and project administration will be viewed favorably. Applicants must invite and embrace positive change.

Education & Experience: 4 year college degree and an MLIS from an ALA-accredited program (graduate master's degree). 3-5 years of professional level library experience with an emphasis on children’s literature and services desired. 1-3 years of management and supervisory experience preferred.

Starting Salary and Schedule: Full-time position with some nights and weekends. Flexible schedule required.  $52,944 with excellent benefits.

Closing Date for Applications:  Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 current references with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses in Word format by March 15, 2010.

Applications may be mailed, e-mailed or faxed to:
Julie Schmude
Oshkosh Public Library
106 Washington Ave, Oshkosh WI 54901
E-mail: Schmude@winnefox.org
Fax #: (920) 236-5228

Your Account - access your account to see what's on your card, renewals, holds, etc.

Holds - Information about problems placing holds, holds for on order items, local holds only, specific issue or volume holds, and no postage fees.

Problems Accesing Your Account

If you are having problems accessing "Your Account", the following suggestions may help to access this feature:

• Make sure you are using a current browser.
• Internet Explorer 5.5 or highe
• Netscape 7 or higher
• Mozilla 1.5 or higher
• To determine which version you have, click on the Menu option "Help" at the very top of your browser (not the Help next to Community Info in the Catalog). Then click on "About."
• Make sure you have javascript enabled.
• In IE, click on Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, scroll down to Microsoft VM, box next to "JT compiler for virtual machine enabled" should be checked.
• In Netscape, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, box next to "Java enabled" should be checked.
• In Mozilla, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, box next to "Enable Java" should be checked
• Make sure you clear your cache
• In IE, click on Tools, Internet Optoins, at General tab and Temporary Internet Files box, click on delete files.
• In Netscape, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Cache, Clear Cache.
• In Mozilla, click on Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Cache, Clear Cache.
• Make sure you are not using old bookmarks or shortcuts Link to "Your Account" has changed with the new software
• Pop-up blocker software might cause a problem accessing "Your Account"
• Pin numbers should be the last four digits of your current phone number. Stop at the Circulation Desk or Information Desk or call 236-5202 to have a pin number changed.

If none of these suggestions help, please contact the Reference Desk, 236 - 5205 or send us an email via our AskAway form (email will be sent to OPL Reference Desk).

Holds

Problems Placing a Hold

After trying to place a hold, if you receive an error message or the hold doesn't show on your account, this may due to several reasons:

• The pin number you are entering may be different than what is currently on your patron record or needs to be reactivated.
• Your card could be expired. Library cards expire once a year. No date appears on the cards. Staff needs to verify address information and telephone number to renew the card. An expired card may keep a borrower from placing holds or renewing items. This must be done at the Circulation Desk. If your card is about to expire and you try to renew items online, they will only be renewed until the card's expiration date.
• Your account is blocked due to fines and overdue items in excess of $5.00.
• If you have placed a hold on a specific issue or volume/part, your hold will not appear immediately on Your Account information.

Local Holds Only

If other libraries have set their new items to accept only holds from their residents and Oshkosh does not own it or have a copy on order, an Oshkosh attempt to place a hold will fail. Call 236-5202 to request that we purchase it.

Specific Issue or Volume

Generally use the "Place Hold" button at the left of the item record, rather than "Place Hold on a Specific Issue or Volume". Save the "Specific Issue" link for multipart things like Part 2 of a 3-part series or a specific volume (ex. Volume 2 of an Encyclopedia), or a specific issue (ex. The January issue of a magazine). Issue specific holds will not appear immediately on the "Your Account" list. If the list is missing things you did place on hold, before or after the switch, please call 236-5202 for assistance.

No Postage Fees
The Oshkosh Public Library Board has eliminated the postage fee for printed mailed hold notices.

Continue to Report Problems
We appreciate your willingness to let us know when things are not working for you. The information you provide is what we need to diagnose and fix problems. Sometimes the first solutions create new difficulties, so let us know if your problem continues or changes. Call 236-5202 or 236-5205 to report a problem and give us the opportunity to get you what you need another way. Thank you.

Who can get a card:
To be issued an Oshkosh Public Library card a person must be physically present in an Oshkosh Public Library facility, provide adequate identification and complete an application. The first library card for an individual is free.

The Library reserves the right to determine the library privileges each borrower will receive and reserves the right to limit such privileges. Most limitations are in response to the borrower's abuse of privileges. If more information is needed, please contact the Circulation Librarian at 236-5203.

The Oshkosh Public Library provides equal opportunity for service without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation or mental or physical handicap. Exceptions to the "physically present" requirement are made for children whose parent is getting a card for them, for people with disabilities who are unable to come to the library, and for school groups getting cards in advance of tours. There are no age restrictions - library cards are issued to infants as a way of stressing the importance of reading aloud to young children. There are no residency requirements but ID confirming your current address must be presented. Wisconsin's 17 public library systems have agreements on funding and reciprocity which are the basis for this broad eligibility for service. An Oshkosh library card can be used to obtain borrowing privileges at all Fox Valley public libraries and most other public libraries in Wisconsin.

Public library cards from various area libraries are interchangeable because these libraries share a computerized circulation system. The libraries honor each other's cards and borrowing rules. Restrictions at one library will be enforced at all libraries in the system. The same bar-coded library card will work at all of the libraries. Acceptable identification: One or more of the following forms of identification that list BOTH the name and current address of the person applying for the card:

• Driver's license
• Wisconsin state ID
• Student ID from an educational institution
• Printed check, utility bill or postmarked envelope.
• Hunting and fishing licenses are NOT acceptable.

People under age 18 may present their own identification or the identification of a parent or legal guardian. If a person's identification does not list a current address or if the parent's or legal guardian's identification is not available, the library card will be mailed to the person, or in the case of a child, to the parent or legal guardian, to verify residency. Five items may be checked out on an unverified card. A patron is not required to present the library card in order to check out material if the registration has been completed and the patron can verify his or her identity through other ID or information. Patrons are responsible for all material checked out on their library card until the library card is reported lost or stolen.  There is a fee for replacement cards:  $1.00 for individuals 18 and older, $.50 for individuals younger than 18.

How to Renew Your Card:
My library card is about to expire, what do I do? Call your local library. What you need to do to renew your card varies from library to library. Some libraries may require you to verify your current address in person, others may accept renewals over the phone. Some libraries may require you to pay part or all of your fines before renewing.

Library card privileges expire every 12 months and must be renewed. The card itself does not need to be replaced, nor is there a fee for renewing your card. Having cards expire helps us keep our database current and insures that all library correspondence goes to the correct address.

If your card is about to expire and you try to renew items online, they will only be renewed until the card's expiration date.