Job Description

Posting number: 2026.39.714

Department: Hedberg Public Library

Division: Hedberg Public Library

Job classification: Head of Access Services

Posting type: Open

Categories: Administration, Community Services, Library, Management, Professional, Miscellaneous, Safety, Human Services, Customer Service, Organizational Development, Records Management, Community and Social Services, Program Management

Summary

CITY OF JANESVILLE DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

The residents of Janesville choose this community, not just as a place to live, but as a place to realize life’s opportunities. We strive to sustain a community culture where differences are recognized, understood, and appreciated. As such, the City of Janesville recognizes the importance of developing an environment where diversity is not merely accepted but embraced and celebrated. As public servants, we believe everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. To this end, we will diligently recruit and retain the most talented employees in an environment that fosters maximizing one’s potential. Therefore, we encourage individuals from all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to consider employment with the City of Janesville and serve the residents of “Wisconsin’s Park Place”.

OBJECTIVE:

Under general direction of the Library Director, the Head of Access Services is responsible for the development, delivery, and evaluation of the library’s circulation and access services. The position plans, directs, and assesses daily operations; establishes work priorities; plans improvements; delegates responsibilities; and ensures reliable, welcoming, equitable, and secure access to library collections and services. The Head of Access Services supervises Public Services Assistants, Shelvers, and volunteers; develops procedures and recommends policies; models exceptional customer service; guides staff through workflow and service-model changes; serves as a member of the library’s four-person Security Team.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Reports to: Library Director

Has regular work contact with Library management and staff, City employees, Janesville Police, SHARE consortium staff and member libraries, vendors and service providers, community partners, volunteers, and the general public. Collaborates closely with Adult Services, Youth Services, Collection Services, Bookmobile & Outreach Services, Information Technology, Marketing, Administration, members of the Security Team, and employees assigned Person in Charge responsibilities.

Supervises: Public Services Assistants, shelvers, and volunteer shelf readers.

Examples of duties

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. This list is illustrative only and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by the incumbent. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Directs and evaluates Access Services operations, including circulation, patron accounts, holds and returns, materials handling and shelving, remote returns, self-service technologies, payments, and public service points.
2. Supervises Public Services Assistants, shelvers, and volunteers, including hiring, onboarding, scheduling, training, coaching, evaluation, performance management, and work assignments.
3. Develops and maintains departmental procedures, staffing plans, and service standards to ensure consistent, efficient, and high-quality service during all library open hours.
4. Provides leadership in customer service, resolving escalated patron concerns, account issues, complaints, policy questions, and requests for exceptions using sound judgment and de-escalation techniques.
5. Serves on the library Security Team, trains new Persons in Charge, serves as Person in Charge as scheduled, and supports staff during security incidents and emergencies.
6. Models exceptional customer service and resolves escalated patron questions, account disputes, complaints, policy interpretations, and requests for exceptions using tact, de-escalation, sound judgment, and established authority.
7. Uses service data, patron needs, and staff feedback to improve operations, recommend policy or workflow changes, and plan departmental goals, technology, equipment, staffing, and other resources.
8. Participates on the library management team and assigned committees, contributing to strategic planning, policy development, organizational priorities, and communication between administration and Access Services staff
9. Follows all safety regulations, policies, and procedures; reports all unsafe conditions and acts to supervisor; reports all accidents to the supervisor immediately whenever possible; follows recognized safe work practices.
10. Performs other special projects and job duties as assigned or required during regular and non-business hours.
11. All employees may be assigned by the City Manager or their designee to perform duties and assume responsibilities outside the scope of their regular work duties when the City Manager has declared a City disaster or the City Emergency Operations Center has been initiated.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

1. Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
2. A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in public library circulation or access services, customer service operations, or a comparable public-facing service environment is required.
3. A minimum of five years of supervisory experience, including responsibility for scheduling, training, coaching, and performance management, is required.
4. Access to personal or public transportation for job-related duties is required.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

The qualifications listed below are preferred but not required to perform the essential duties of the position. The absence of these qualifications on a candidate’s application does not preclude them from consideration.

1. A master’s degree in library and information science, public administration, business administration, management, or a related field is preferred.
2. Experience managing public library circulation or access-services operations, including patron accounts, materials handling, shelving, service-point staffing, and workflow improvement, is preferred.
3. Experience working with a shared integrated library system or public library consortium is preferred.
4. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, including the ability to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patrons, is preferred.

A combination of equivalent experience and/or education as determined by the Human Resources Office may be considered in lieu of minimum requirements.

COMPETENCIES

For successful performance in this position, the incumbent must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors.

Knowledge:

1. Thorough knowledge of public library Access Services, including circulation, patron accounts, customer service, service-point operations, materials handling, shelving, and collection access.
2. Thorough knowledge of supervision and leadership practices, including hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, delegation, performance management, team development, and change management.
3. Thorough knowledge of integrated library systems and related technologies, including consortium operations, patron databases, self-service equipment, barcode/RFID applications, payment systems, and data practices.
4. General knowledge of library policies and public service practices, including patron privacy, confidentiality, accessibility, records management, equitable service, and Person in Charge responsibilities.
5. General knowledge of security and operational management, including de-escalation, incident response, emergency procedures, planning, budgeting, statistics, performance measurement, project management, and process improvement. Interacts proactively and professionally with local law enforcement agencies.
6. Working knowledge of library classification, shelving, inventory, and materials-retrieval systems.

Skills:

1. Organizational and time management skills to prioritize duties and accomplish a high volume of work product while adapting to constant changes in priority.
2. Exceptional communication skills, both verbally and in writing, paired with a strong customer service background, and effective interpersonal skills.
3. Collaboration skills to effectively work with others to achieve common goals through communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
4. Project management skills to guide, manage, and direct projects in alignment with the Library’s strategic plan.
5. Critical thinking skills to effectively analyze situations and solve complex or technical problems in a timely manner.
6. Accurate record-keeping and data-reporting skills to prepare and present standard reports.
7. Intermediate level of technical proficiency skills, including computer applications and software such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.

Abilities:

1. Ability to compose routine correspondence and routine reports in a clear, concise, logical, and effective manner, utilizing proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and tone.
2. Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations, including the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals, and to compute percentages.
3. Ability to effectively make presentations to small and large groups of individuals, manage public speaking obligations, and successfully communicate with the general public.
4. Ability to make decisions according to applicable laws, regulations, established procedures, and the directives of the Library Director and Library Board.
5. Ability to comply with all safety policies, practices, and procedures, and report all unsafe activities or conditions to supervisor.

Behaviors:

1. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with Library management and staff, City employees, Janesville Police, SHARE consortium staff and member libraries, vendors and service providers, community partners, volunteers, and the general public. Collaborates closely with Adult Services, Youth Services, Collection Services, Bookmobile & Outreach Services, Information Technology, Marketing, Administration, members of the Security Team, and employees assigned Person in Charge responsibilities.
2. Exhibit exceptional professionalism, tact, and decorum in all areas of work duties.
3. Strong ethics base built upon integrity, honesty, initiative, and respect; maintain strict confidentiality.
4. Interact positively with a diverse group of individuals, and work effectively both as part of a team and independently.
5. Embrace and actively promote an inclusive and equitable work environment.
6. Conduct all business and working relationships in an accurate, fair, equitable and highly ethical manner.
7. Work with the public in a fair and consistent manner, maintaining objectivity and excluding personal bias while performing job duties
8. Reliable, timely, and proactive in the completion of duties, meeting deadlines and responding to inquiries.
9. Work with others in a positive and supportive manner to solve problems, generate ideas, and accomplish division and Library goals.

Supplemental information

EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS, AND MACHINES:

Machinery and equipment, including personal computer, printer, telephones, fax machine, copier, scanner, 10-key calculator, standardized office equipment, and library materials sorting machine.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL FACTORS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in an office environment. An individual in this position is frequently active throughout the workday and regularly stands, walks, bends, twists, reaches, and moves between work areas while performing job duties. This position walks, stands, stoops, kneels, crouches, crawls, and exerts up to 40 pounds of force by lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling objects. The employee is frequently required to see/observe, talk/speak, and listen/hear; use their hands to finger, handle, feel, or operate objects and equipment; repetitive arm, wrist, hand, and eye movements are included. There is frequent twisting, reaching, wrist turning, and grasping. The employee may be required to climb or balance. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Hand-eye coordination is necessary to operate computers and various pieces of equipment. Employee is required to use cognitive ability to reason, analyze, and verbalize thoughts and ideas. Requires the ability to recognize and identify similarities or differences between characteristics of colors, shapes, and sounds associated with job-related objects, materials or tasks.

The employee may, on occasion, be exposed to outside weather conditions, including extreme heat and extreme cold. The employee may work near moving mechanical parts in precarious places; and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes, or airborne particles, toxic, or caustic chemicals, and vibration. The working conditions in the office environment are comfortable. The noise level in the office environment is generally quiet to moderately noisy.

A regular 40-hour work schedule is required, generally Monday through Friday, including one evening per week and occasional Saturdays. Additional evening meetings and special events may also be required.

For purposes of drug and alcohol testing, this position is not classified as safety sensitive.

DISCLAIMER

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position, or is responsive to the needs of the City of Janesville.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

The City of Janesville, Wisconsin, is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.