Librarian

Summary

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.

Duties

• This position is located in the Israel and Judaica Section, Asian and Middle Eastern Division, Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate, Discovery and Preservation Services. It is a hybrid position that combines major duties from both the acquisitions specialist and the cataloger. There is a foreign language requirement for this position depending on the geographical area for which cataloging or acquisitions functions are being performed. The incumbent uses a specific foreign language to perform the following duties in areas of Cataloging Services, Acquisitions Services, Analyzes and Organizes Information and Materials, Library Collections Development, Consultation and Liaison Services, and Librarian Training and Mentoring. As the Librarian, you will: Catalog variety of materials in an automated cataloging environment where the bibliographic characteristics of the material are relatively easy to determine, and cataloging decisions are made within established standards. Search entries in automated and manual catalogs. Assign headings to catalog entries. Select and assign classification numbers. Establish personal and corporate names and uniform titles for inclusion in the name authority file. Establish and recommend subject headings for inclusion in the subject authority file and classification schedule. Create and revise bibliographic records, authority records, and classification schedules. Perform content designation of bibliographic and authority records. Perform research in the cataloger's reference collection, online databases, the world wide web, and the collections of the Library. Recommend resolutions to problems and inconsistencies in the cataloging process. Provide services and deal with materials that are non-technical in nature, of limited technical complexity, or easily acquired. Coordinate proper purchasing information, correct bibliographic identification, and correct coding in the information system. Contact dealers, subscription agents, vendors, overseas offices, government agencies, and/or exchange partners to coordinate the order process. Consult acquisitions reference material to determine whether recommended item is appropriate for purchase, copyright claim, exchange, gift, loan, or other type of acquisition. Examine recommendations for acquisition to identify processing and custodial requirements and to identify acquisition of out-of-scope materials. Maintain liaison with recommending officials and subject specialists to understand their needs. Consult acquisitions reference material to determine whether recommended item is appropriate for purchase. Review and approve invoices for payment for all formats of material. Determine availability of funds. Obtain, analyze, and organize information using standard reference tools and established techniques and practices. Analyze and organize standard subject data to determine its relationship to the existing collections, for preferred access points and the need for additional access points. Analyze material to determine subject content. Apply standard rules, guidelines, and reference tools and established techniques and practices. Participate in formulating plans for changes and improvements to cataloging-related issues. Use standard methods, techniques, concepts, and principles to perform assignments related to collection development support, with review by supervisor, senior staff and/or recommending officers. Assist in examination of incoming shipments to select items appropriate for the collections, in accordance with established guidelines. Assist in examination of recommendations for acquisition to identify processing and custodial requirements, and to ensure conformity with established guidelines. Participate in formulating plans for changes and improvements to collection development policies. Work to maintain personal contacts and cooperative work relationships in order to provide or exchange information. Consult with the supervisor and cataloging policy staff to recommend changes and additions in descriptive and subject cataloging rules. Offer suggestions and advice to the supervisor on operational and technical problems. This position requires knowledge of Armenian and/or Georgian, and a highly desired knowledge of Russian. Additionally, a Master's of Library/Information Science (MLIS) or an advanced degree in a related/adjacent field is highly desired. Perform other duties as assigned. The position description number for this position is 457104. 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.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Ability to read, write, and communicate in Armenian and/or Georgian, in addition to English (and a highly desired knowledge of Russian). ** Knowledge of Armenian and/or Georgian culture(s), history(ies), and civilization(s). ** Knowledge of library acquisitions and/or cataloging rules, practices, and procedures. ** Ability to use integrated library systems, applications, or other information technologies. ** Ability to interact collaboratively with others to provide consultation and liaison services. Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment This position requires knowledge of Armenian and/or Georgian, and a highly desired knowledge of Russian. Additionally, a Master's of Library/Information Science (MLIS) or an advanced degree in a related/adjacent field is highly desired. 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.

How to apply

Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume and upload it to your profile in the "Resume" section. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers one option that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact [email protected] , no later than 4:00pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.