City of Palo Alto

  • Supervising Librarian

  • City of Palo Alto
  • Palo Alto, California United States View Map

Job Description

Description

Are you a dynamic library professional who is looking to move up in your career with a cutting-edge library system?

The Palo Alto City Library is looking for a skilled, experienced, and passionate professional to serve as Supervising Librarian in our Community Engagement & Support Services division. This position will supervise the daily operations in Collections and Acquisitions, including managing staff; overseeing all collections and technical services operations across our five branch system. Self-directed, highly analytical, process-minded and innovative library professionals are encouraged to apply.

Supervising Librarian in Support Services roles and responsibilities:
  • Supervises Support Services staff
  • Member of library management team
  • Duties include:
  • Assisting in the development of collection budget and allocations; monitors expenditures
  • Working with vendors and contracts as needed
  • Overseeing acquisitions/processing work by associates, specialists and clerks
  • Overseeing management of collections at five locations
  • Assisting Cataloging Librarian with tasks as needed

The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented library professional with acquisitions, collection development, cataloging and supervisory experience.

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Manage day-to-day operation of one or more branch libraries.
  • Assess and respond to customer needs: oversee and evaluate the provision of service in the program or operational area. Answer questions and provide information to the public; investigate complaints and recommend corrective action as necessary to resolve complaints.
  • Supervise, train and evaluate subordinate library staff in on-going program/facility operation.
  • Represent library in cooperative library system committees and/or user groups, task forces and professional associations.
  • Develop overall plans and priorities, prepares budget requests, develops procedures and evaluates performance.
  • Coordinate staff schedules to provide adequate coverage.
  • Demonstrate positive public relations with others and trains staff to do the same.
  • Supervise meeting room bookings.
  • Must have knowledge of computer technology and specific library applications integrated library system, interlibrary loan module, and online reference databases.
  • Communicate with all library staff regarding status of program plans.
  • Develop written procedures and policies in area of responsibility.
  • Ensure that appropriate statistical records and reports of activities are prepared, maintained, and distributed.
  • Participate in formulation and implementation of library goals and objectives.
  • Plan and participate in activities to promote community contacts, including making presentations, organizing book sales or other fundraising activities, conducting needs assessments and responding to community requests for service.
  • Must have ability to connect positively with library and community constituencies including the local governing authorities, community leaders and organizations, library staff, library patrons and the general public.
  • Must foster the development of a cooperative work environment.
Related Functions:
  • Evaluates patron needs and preferences for library service.
  • Chairs or participates in city and library system committees.
  • May be assigned special projects to fulfill library goals and objectives.
  • Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.
  • Performs related duties and responsibilities as required


Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:
  • Master's Degree from an ALA accredited Library School of Information and Science program or equivalent graduate degree. Substantial completion of a graduate library education degree program and demonstrated successful professional library experience for a minimum of three years may be considered in lieu of a Master's degree.

and
  • Three years full-time professional library experiences relevant to position.

Special Requirements:
  • Possession of a valid California Driver's License
  • Physically capable of operating a vehicle safely and conducting site visits to observe conditions


Supplemental Information

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

See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 11/6/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
City of Palo Alto

City of Palo Alto

650-329-2376

The Community


The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-News

City Government

Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.

Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.

Join an Award Winning Team 

Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.

Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."

Contact Us

Phone: 650-329-2376   

Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov   

Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map

 

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