Bilingual Library Outreach Specialist (Arabic, Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese): Library on Wheels Van

Beaverton City Library is seeking a community-focused connector to join our team in a new Bilingual Outreach Specialist position. We’re looking for a person who speaks Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese and who’s excited to help get our new grant-funded Library on Wheels (LOW) van service up and running. This service will start in spring 2023 with a brand-new van that will be similar to a mini-bookmobile and provide weekly visits to sites around Beaverton, bringing books and activities to the community.
 
Do you want to help us connect the underserved parts of the Beaverton community to all that the library has to offer and represent the library to our community as a welcoming place for everyone? Does the idea of helping start a program from the ground up sound exciting to you?
 
If the answer to those questions is yes, we want to hear from you!
 
The two primary focus areas of the LOW van are serving people whose first language is not English, including immigrants, and children and teens living in book deserts and attending schools with high levels of poverty. You’ll build partnerships with community organizations who work with these groups and help us determine the initial van route and specific services offered along the route. Depending on when the van is delivered, you will also pilot the route and services. Until we take delivery of the van, the person in this role may also help with other Community Engagement tasks. While this position will not be extended past 10 months, the person in this position will have the opportunity to apply for a regular/permanent Outreach Specialist position that will start after the grant funded position ends.
 
Our Outreach Specialists are a part of the library’s Community Engagement Team. Our team enthusiastically provides outreach in the Beaverton area, striving to be both welcoming and responsive to the dynamic needs in our community.
 
A week in the life of a Library Outreach Specialist
This is a new position to BCL, but a week in the position will look something like this:  

• Contacting community partners and setting up meetings to discuss how we can support them, especially with the LOW van service.
• Researching local organizations we haven’t worked with before and reaching out to them.
• Follow-up phone calls and emails with community partners.
• Researching van/bookmobile services at other libraries.
• Meeting with the Community Engagement Supervisor to work on the plans for the LOW Van materials.
• In-library work including meetings, collaborations, and other projects.
• Supporting fellow Outreach Specialists as needed.

This is a part-time (20 hours per week), limited-duration, non-exempt, SEIU-classified position. This position may include evening and weekend hours. There is one vacancy.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree and at least one year of work experience in a library setting or with an organization that has as its primary focus outreach or related services, such as program coordination experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience enabling the incumbent to perform the essential functions of the position. 
• Experience working successfully with Arabic-speaking, Chinese-speaking, Korean-speaking, or Vietnamese-speaking communities. This may be demonstrated by knowledge of the traditions, values, and customs of the community being served and the ability to identify specific examples of experience working with and building trust with individuals and families who identify with this community. Requires speaking, writing, and reading fluently in both English and Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese.
• Valid driver's license and the ability to meet city's driving standards; the ability to lift boxes of books up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to pass a written test as part of the selection process.
• Ability to pass a reference check, background check and drug screen.

Beaverton is a diverse city, boasting a large population of qualified persons, including women, veterans, Black, Indigenous and people of color, persons with disabilities, generational groups, persons who speak many languages and are of diverse national origins.
 
It is widely stated—and supported by studies—that candidates, especially women, are less likely to apply for a job unless they believe they meet 100% of the hiring criteria. The city’s talent acquisition goals include hiring the candidate who is best able to meet the performance objectives of the role. We therefore encourage persons with non-traditional skill sets and experiences to apply, even if you believe you do not meet 100% of the qualifications and hiring criteria described.