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Volunteer > Site Manager

SITE MANAGER, STOREFRONT LIBRARY PROJECT, CHINATOWN, BOSTON, MA

(9/29/09: APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED.  VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.)

Positions available: two contract positions (morning and evening shifts), Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009.

Employer: Boston Street Lab (www.bostonstreetlab.org) nonprofit producer of the Storefront Library.

Hours:
Morning shift: Tue – Fri 8-10am, and Sat 10am-2pm. (12 hours/week)
Evening shift: Tue – Fri 4-7pm, and Sat 2pm – 5pm. (15 hours/week)
(The Storefront Library will be closed Sundays and Mondays.)

Compensation: Stipend of $12/hour

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Storefront Library Site Manager directs the day-to-day operation of the Storefront Library during its period of operation (October 1 through December 31, 2009). He/She is responsible for the facility, use of materials and equipment, and other public services and community outreach within the space during the hours of operation. He/She will also work in partnership with all interns and volunteers in the space, coordinated by Boston Street Lab. The Site Manager will be supervised by Boston Street Lab.

DUTIES:

  • Open and close library each day
  • Oversee facility; monitor library use; maintain the visual display of the library
  • Receive library visitors and patrons; act as first point of contact for the public on all issues
  • Provide support to library patrons in partnership with interns and volunteers (i.e., help people find books, use computers, locate community services, etc.)
  • Act as a point of contact for the Friends of the Chinatown Library, the Storefront Library’s presenting partner (http://www.cpaboston.org/cyi/librarycampaign.html)
  • Maintain equipment, computers, supplies
  • Maintain and clean-up space, including re-shelving books, and taking out trash; coordinate volunteers to assist.
  • Update Storefront Library Project Director, Boston Street Lab, on issues concerning Storefront Library usage, needs, and staffing.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be friendly and organized, have good communications skills, and excellent customer service orientation.
  • Must successfully complete a background check, including education, employment, criminal history (CORI).
  • Bi-lingual (Chinese/English) strongly preferred but not required.
  • Experience with library services or similar public program preferred but not required.

ABOUT THE STOREFRONT LIBRARY PROJECT
The Storefront Library (www.storefrontlibrary.org) will transform one of Boston Chinatown’s vacant, commercial, street-level spaces into a temporary installation featuring elements of a public library. Operating for approximately three months, the project will create a memorable event for Chinatown and a new destination for visitors to downtown Boston. It will also provide a selection of urgently needed services for a community that has been without a library since 1956, including books, newspapers, periodicals, internet access, a children’s reading area, film screenings, classes, and community events—all visible to passersby from the street.

Taking cues from a Program and Siting study commissioned by the City of Boston (http://www.bpl.org/branches/chinatown_library_study_final.pdf), the anticipated audience for the Storefront Library includes:

  • Elderly and adults with young children from Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood;
  • Visitors interested in readings, screenings and other programs;
  • Vistiors interested in the Storefront Library’s innovative urban design and program.

The Storefront Library is not a branch of the Boston Public Library, nor is it intended to be a substitute for permanent branch library. The goal is to demonstrate and test the potential impact of a permanent library in the neighborhood. The project also models how cities can move forward in tough economic times to activate urban space and serve communities.