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Alexandria is a historic city located in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.  Distinct neighborhoods including Old Town, Del Ray and the West End offer something for everyone.  Headquarters to several prominent organizations, including the Patent and Trademark Office and the National Science Foundation, our city of nearly 160,000 residents is a diverse community—a distinctly urban area that retains a small town atmosphere.

Alexandria Library celebrates equity and diversity within our community and staff by:

  • Offering programs and resources that reflect our uniquely multicultural community.
  • Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
  • Fostering an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
  • Providing opportunities for all staff members to grow and excel.

Alexandria Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer and invites applications from all qualified individuals. Proficiency/fluency in Amharic, Arabic or Spanish is highly desired, but not required for these positions. These positions require the successful completion of pre-employment background checks, including a criminal background screening.

Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities at Alexandria Library!

 

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

Processing & Digitization Internship

Intern / 20 Hours Per Week 
LOCAL HISTORY/SPECIAL COLLECTIONS BRANCH LIBRARY


The Alexandria Library is seeking an intern for 38-42 weeks. This is a 20 hour a week internship funded by the NHPRC to work on rehousing, preservation assessments, and digitization of select portions of four archival collections and select microfilm reels related to early Civil Rights history in Alexandria, Virginia. The internship is funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Archival Projects Grant program. The selected intern will be responsible for rehousing, basic preservation assessments, scanning, Qualified Dublin Core metadata description, handwriting recognition using Transkribus software, name authority records for portions of the Alexandria Library Company Records, Alexandria Library Records, Armistead Boothe Papers, and the Mary Powell Scott Papers. The intern will also gain experience with the ingest process for Preservica and software integrations between Preservica and ArchivesSpace. The internship will end with a culminating project to present to key stakeholders and summarize the learning experience. 

Qualifications
Ideal candidates will be enrolled in a graduate degree program in Library & Information Science or no more than 2 years post-graduation. There is no guarantee that interns will be hired for future employment. The ability to read cursive writing is preferred.

Additional qualifications for interns include:

  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Outstanding customer service skills
  • Ability to work independently and with a team
  • Organized and detail oriented
  • Dependable and punctual
  • Basic computer skills
  • Interest in Virginia history, early Civil Rights (1930s onward), and /or community history
  • A basic awareness of various descriptive standards and digital asset management software, such as ArchiveSpace or Preservica, is preferred.

All interns will also need to complete a successful reference and background check.

Pay:                       $18.21 per hour

Benefits:              This position is not eligible for benefits.

Schedule:            20 hours a week for 38-42 weeks

Location:             Local History/Special Collections Branch – 717 Queen Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

 
Contact:
Click here to apply attaching one document containing a cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references, preferably supervisory. Address Cover Letter to HR Manager, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA  22304. Contact with questions: 703-746-1799, or careers@alexlibraryva.org .


Alexandria Library Company
The Alexandria Library Company (ALC) was founded on July 24, 1794, at the home of John Wise as a subscription library for the Alexandria community. A week later the members elected officers and first Librarian, Edward Stabler in Wise’s long room, part of today’s Gadsby’s Tavern. On January 9, 1799, the Alexandria Library Company was chartered by the General Assembly of Virginia. The Company joined the City’s efforts to create a free public library in 1931 and contributed its holdings toward the modern-day Alexandria Library. Today, those holdings form the nucleus of the Local History/Special Collections Branch.

Alexandria Library
Alexandria Library is rich in history located in Alexandria, an historic city located in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.  Our city of nearly 150,000 residents is a diverse community—a distinctly urban area that retains a small-town atmosphere.

The Library proudly reflects that diversity, with 22 different languages spoken by our 102 staff members.

The Local History/Special Collections Branch (LH/SC) is co-located with the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library in Old Town Alexandria. The LH/SC Branch contains resources focused on Alexandria and Northern Virginia which cover genealogy, local history, and rare books.  Archival collections focus on the local community and represent organizations, families, and architecture.


Open until filled.

 

Reference Librarian II
Full-Time / 40 Hours Per Week 
LOCAL HISTORY/SPECIAL COLLECTIONS BRANCH LIBRARY

The Local History/Special Collections (LH/SC) Branch Library is seeking enthusiastic, tech-savvy candidates with knowledge of genealogy, historiography, and local, regional, and state history for a Reference Services Manager position. The ideal candidate will have exceptional customer service skills, the desire to contribute to a dedicated, specialized branch library, and a keen eye for equity, diversity, and inclusion. This position focuses on reference services, along with training staff, volunteers, and researchers on all materials in the collection. The position also works closely with the Branch Manager to develop grant proposals, technology initiatives, plan and implement innovative programs and projects, and assists with collection development and the improvement of descriptive access. 
 
Under the direction of the Branch Manager, this position is responsible for managing and staffing the LH/SC Branch’s Reference Services desk. Primary responsibilities include assisting researchers in using relevant resources related to genealogy and Virginia history, programming, and outreach. Reference Services staff in the Local History/Special Collections Branch also create and maintain collaborative relationships with all historic organizations and City agencies, as well as educators and independent researchers.     
 
Duties: 

Programming: 

  • Schedules speaker events as well as creates workshops for the public, especially on basic to intermediate genealogy and research methods, incorporating the diversity of Alexandria’s residents and history on topics of interest to both the general public and professional/academic audiences
  • Provides orientations to the branch as needed 
     
    Outreach:
  • Works with community partners to engage with audiences from K-12 to Seniors. Outreach efforts will engage with all aspects of Alexandria’s community
  • Represents the LH/SC Branch as a judge for regional National History Day events
  • Participates in the Library system’s outreach efforts 
     
    General:
  • Manages LH/SC staff in the absence of the Branch Manager
  • Stays informed on current technology and GLAMS trends
  • Utilizes library and online resources to respond to patron inquiries, especially complex genealogical, regional history, and house history questions
  • Oversees reference operations for the Branch, including reviewing email and phone requests/responses and fulfilling/assigning image and photocopy requests to staff
  • Monitors use of rare books and archival materials, and alerts appropriate staff to preservation or conservation needs
  • Creates displays, subject guides, and bibliographies which highlight specific areas of the collection
  • Selects materials in a variety of formats that reflect the diversity and needs of the community
  • Uses appropriate selection and weeding techniques for a special collection
  • Serves on a variety of committees each year such as City commissions, system-wide Library committees, and professional associations
  • In collaboration with other LH/SC staff, develops and implements projects and goals for volunteers and interns, including onsite and online projects
  • Trains new staff in library and branch procedures and city policies
  • Reviews professional periodicals and book reviews
  • Fulfills image reproduction requests from customers
  • Educates customers on the copyright status of requested images

Skills and Abilities:

  • Excellent customer service, communication skills, and ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers, partner organizations, and the public.
  • Knowledge of integrated library systems, digital asset management systems, subscription databases, DSLR cameras, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, and MS Office software.
  • Ability to learn and provide reference assistance to varied rare, unique, or specialized materials related to genealogy and local history.
  • Ability to provide access to and navigate archival, print, database, and online materials, including the online library catalog and archival finding aids
  • Ability to maintain accurate usage statistics, both physical and digital
  • Ability to use genealogy databases such as Ancestry and Fold3, historic newspapers and microfilmed records for genealogical research
  • Awareness of national, state, and regional-level websites relevant to genealogy, historic preservation, and history, such as Chronicling America, Umbra, Library of Congress’s HABS/HAER Collection, and Virginia Memory, and the ability to train others on how to use the websites. 
  • Ability to use MS 365 software (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and virtual meeting software (Zoom and Teams)
  • Practical working knowledge of access, description, security, and handling needs for library and archival materials
  • Ability to learn, stay current, and develop programs related to genealogy, history, emerging technologies, including promoting the use of technology in staff trainings and meetings.
  • Ability to build and maintain productive partnerships with local organizations.
  • Knowledge and ability to understand and do minimal work with Dublin Core.
  • Familiarity with reference services using a variety of print, archival, and electronic resources.
  • Knowledge of library programming trends and experience developing and presenting programs.
  • Experience conducting outreach and working with diverse communities.
  • Some management or supervisory experience preferred.
  • Willingness to learn new software 

Minimum Requirements:

  • Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA accredited library school required
  • Virginia professional library license within 3 months of hire
  • At least 3-5 years of professional special collections library experience at the level of Librarian I.

 
Schedule: Hours are scheduled to meet the needs of the LH/SC Branch Library and will include evenings and rotating Saturdays. 

Location: Local History/Special Collections Library, 717 Queen Street, Alexandria VA, 22314 

Salary Range: $64,563.98 - $108,209.40 annually

Application Instructions: 
Click here to apply attaching a cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references, preferably supervisory. Address Cover Letter to Linda Wesson, HR Manager, Alexandria LIbrary, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304. Contact with questions: 703-746-1799, or careers@alexlibraryva.org. 
 
Position Open Until Filled

Last updated June 18, 2024