Audience Engagement/Southeast Asian Reference Librarian

About the role

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

We seek highly talented professionals to join a vibrant and collaborative community. Your work here will have lasting impact on the Library and its users well into the future.

What you will do

• The position is for an Audience Engagement/Southeast Asian Reference Librarian who serves in the Asian Division within the General and International Collections Directorate (GICD), Researcher and Collections Services (RCS) within the Library Collections and Services Group (LCSG)at the Library of Congress (Library).
• The divisions in the GICD are the primary gateway to the collections and services under its purview, setting strategies for acquiring, developing, digitizing, and making discoverable the Library's collections; ensuring diversity in collections development, community engagement, and user services; implementing innovative onsite and online services that support traditional and evolving forms of research; and pursuing creative and practical channels for increasing public engagement with the Library, its staff, and collections.
• As the Audience Engagement/Southeast Asian Reference Librarian, you will: Collaborate with others to develop, promote, facilitate, present and evaluate programs to meet the expressed and anticipated needs of researchers and other user communities.
• Assist with research facilitation, book discussions, tours, workshops, orientation sessions, author talks, workshops, consultations, displays, tutorials, and other means of engagement.
• Assist in developing and editing content for traditional print outlets and social media platforms.
• Enable access, discovery, dissemination, and use of collections and resources, current and historical, analog and digital, for all users.
• Provide support for the identification and selection of sources for those engaged in routine research and maintain connections and life-long learning opportunities for casual users through the discovery and use of the Library's resources.
• Provide reference and instruction to individual researchers and groups where needs are relatively easy to determine from standard research interviews, in-person or virtually, and the bibliographic source materials are of limited technical complexity.
• Under the direction of senior staff, liaise with current and potential researchers and users.
• Identify domestic and international analog and digital resources in a field of specialty to address user needs that are easily determined from interviews or written requests.
• Develop knowledge of resources in other institutions to provide informed referrals.
• Provide support of limited technical complexity in evolving forms of digital scholarship.
• Assist users with specialized collections under the direction of senior staff and seek assistance for locating materials that are not readily accessible.
• Assist with reviewing a wide variety of brochures, catalogs, journals, and other sources for new items and sources for possible acquisition in order to develop collections in areas of subject or geographic responsibility.
• Assist other staff in determining the quality and usefulness of collection materials using one or more Southeast Asian languages (preferably languages of island Southeast Asia) Assist in developing strategies for the organization, storage, preservation, and service of materials.
• Monitor the condition of collection materials to ensure adherence to established preservation standards and specifications.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• The position description number for this position is 447805.
• The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.
• The incumbent of this position will work a Flexitime work schedule.
• This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
• Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Requirements

• Conditions of Employment Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana.
• The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library.
• In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Education

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: All librarians must meet the requirements for professional education in library science or possess equivalent experience and education. A. Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate study in library science in an accredited college or university, in addition to completion of all work required for a bachelor's degree; or B.

A total of at least 5 years of a combination of college-level education, training, and experience.

To qualify on this basis, the applicant must establish conclusively that the education, training, and experience provided knowledge and understanding of the theories, principles, and techniques of professional librarianship; a knowledge of literature resources; and the knowledge and abilities essential for providing effective library and information services.

In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have directly related education and/or specialized experience: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's in library science or equivalent graduate degree, e.g., LL.B. or J.D., related to the position.

You MUST submit a legible copy of your college/university transcripts to your online application.

Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts will be required if selected.

Failure to submit the required legible documentation at the time of application will result in disqualification of your application.

Foreign Education – Education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed equivalent to conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

If your college/university is outside the U.S., your transcripts must be accompanied by a report from a credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).

Failure to submit a foreign education evaluation report will result in disqualification of your application.

How you will be evaluated

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position.

To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview.

The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).
• Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position.
• The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.
• The program does not accept certification from health care providers.
• For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at *** or email ***.
• FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

What to expect next

Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade. The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see: Vetting Process This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ***.

The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position.

The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.

Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at *** or email ***.

FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement. The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans.

However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit. A “Not to Exceed" (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date.

However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints. Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim.

Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.