Current Job Openings

Open Positions

Education and Public Programs Manager  

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Part-time Education Coordinator (vacant) and high school and college/university interns

Status: Full-time; exempt salaried employee, 40 hours/week, with occasional evenings and weekends. 

Salary/compensation: The starting salary range for this role is $55,000-$58,000. Pequot Library Association (Pequot Library) provides a competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance as well as employer-contributed pension plans and generous paid time off. 

Pequot Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer and recruits, hires, and trains without discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, age, place of birth, gender identity, mental disability, physical disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, or veteran status. Pequot Library is committed to diversity and inclusion in its workplace. 

Overview

Pequot Library is searching for a dynamic and enthusiastic nonprofit arts and culture professional to provide leadership, coordination, and evaluation of a variety of interpretive public programs for all ages, especially adults, which are inspired by the circulating collection, rotating schedule of Special Collections and visual art exhibitions, Children’s Library initiatives, and innovative multi-disciplinary learning opportunities. The position will ensure that all programs are designed for a broad and diverse audience and support the Library’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA.) 

Exhibitions and Programs

• Working with the Chief Librarian, Special Collections Librarian, and Education Coordinator, develop and manage a robust schedule of on-site and virtual public programs involving artists/authors, musicians/performers, historians, scholars, and other presenters in the form of gallery talks, panel discussions, music concerts, dance and theatrical performances, book discussions/signings, and other programming related to the Library’s Special Collections holdings, especially its Early Americana collection.
• Collaborate with the Library’s Meet the Author volunteer committee and community partner Music for Youth as well as other peer community groups like Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts and Fairfield Public Library. 
• Work closely with colleagues to curate a changing schedule of innovative, high-caliber learning experiences for a diverse audience, including film series, day art /history trips, scholarly presentations, hands-on art-making and writing workshops, inter-generational learning opportunities, life-long learning opportunities for older adults, and other experiential opportunities inspired by the Library’s circulating collections and Special Collections exhibitions.
• Assist with the development of exhibition related support/interpretive resources like label writing, gallery guides, online exhibition development, and educator pre/post-visit materials, in close collaboration with the Special Collections Librarian and Education Coordinator. 
• Develop interactive exhibition components, as needed. 
• Conduct in-person and virtual public tours for all ages of the historic neighborhood, Library building/history, and Special Collections exhibitions.   
• Assist with Special Collections and other on-site exhibitions installation, as needed. 

Marketing and Communications

• Work closely with the Marketing and Communications Manager on drafting press releases and program descriptions and designing invitations and related material.  
• Manage the preparation of content for the quarterly public program brochure, website, and social media outlets, as applicable to preK-12 school and public programs/education. 
• Working with the Education Coordinator, cultivate community civic and cultural partners to cross-promote and leverage resources. 
• Evaluate preK-12 school and public programs/education and build awareness and participation, being aware of community interests and needs. 
• Collect and maintain audience surveys and participant/visitor demographic data. 

Children/Families and preK-12 Schools/Educators

• Working with the Children’s Librarian and Education Coordinator, develop and implement a schedule of preK-12 school after-school, summer, and break programs throughout the year, including the Books for Teachers program. 
• Working with the Education Coordinator, manage the Library’s community outreach with school administrators, educators, and peer organizations throughout the area, including developing educator workshops and trainings, serving as an advocate for the Library’s field trip learning experiences using the Library’s collections of primary sources.  
• Working closely with the Education Coordinator and Special Collections Librarian, train, mentor, and evaluate volunteer tour guides and contracted educators. 
• Working closely with the Children’s Librarian, support the Library’s annual family and community events including the Fourth of July Bike Parade, Holiday Caroling Party, Miss Susan’s Campout, Autumn Festival, and other similar community events.  
• Develop a strategic school programs plan that seeks to expand preK-12 and college/university student visitation with the goal of making the Special Collections more accessible to students and researchers. 

Administration

• Maintain the preK-12 school programs and college/university mailing lists and public program attendance statistics. 
• Working closely with the Chief Librarian, schedule after-hours and weekend program support staff.  
• Develop and manage all speaker/performer contracts.
• Draft youth and adult program related grant/fundraising project descriptions and contribute to the Library’s overall social media presence. 
• Prepare, monitor, and evaluate all public programs, including preK-12 school programs and college/university intern annual operating budgets. 
• Prepare regular written reports on school and public programs for Board of Trustees. 

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, a humanities subject, or a related field with at least five years of professional experience working in a public, private, or university library, nonprofit arts and/or culture organization, preK-12 school, and/or art museum/historical society. 
• Knowledge of Early Americana, American history, and/or New England history. 
• Proven track record of developing innovative education opportunities and public programs for learners of all ages, especially school groups, related to a variety of humanities fields and current events, especially American history (Colonial Period to Progressive Era.)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for a variety of audiences and ages, including the ability to deliver engaging public presentations in person and virtually. 
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment that supports teamwork and collaboration among library staff, volunteers, and high school/college interns. 
• Prior supervision of professional staff and volunteer management experience.
• A spirit of teamwork and collaboration with a mindset that is rooted in flexibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Actively involved with peers working in the museum/historical society or library fields.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven record of working well with colleagues, nonprofit supporters, and other key stakeholders. 
• Wide knowledge of local arts and culture organizations, current informal education methodologies, and trends in informal learning. 
• A demonstrated interest in public libraries and/or Special Collections a strong plus.

Interested candidates are encouraged to send a confidential letter of interest, c.v./résumé (in one document) by Monday, March 9, 2022 with the subject heading Education and Public Programs Manager to jobs@pequotlibrary.org. Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted. Applications will be received until the position is filled.

For all open positions:

Background Check Requirements

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check which can include a criminal history.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties by the Executive Director.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Pequot Library Association provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

2022 Dillon Fellowships

Pequot Library in Southport, CT is pleased to announce the first year of the Dillon Fellowship program, which will provide support to researchers working on the library’s collections for projects lasting between one week and one month. The Dillon Fellowship, supported by a generous donation from the Dillon Fund, will provide a stipend and living expenses for fellows, not including housing, for two fellows a year. Dillon Fellows will conduct research that draws on any aspect of our holdings. We are particularly interested in proposals focused on the history of libraries, but any projects that incorporate Pequot’s rare books and archival materials will be considered. Among the library’s noted strengths are its collections of Americana, local history, fine arts press, and historic children’s books, as well as its well-preserved pamphlets and printed ephemeral materials from the late eighteenth through the nineteenth centuries.

Click here for details and to apply.