Apply here: https://www.pingry.org/about/employment?gh_jid=5471550003
The Pingry School, a K-12 coeducational, independent country day school, is recognized throughout the United States for its academic excellence, Honor Code, arts, athletics, and community and civic engagement. The school’s mission is to foster in students a lifelong commitment to scholarly exploration, personal growth, and social responsibility while preparing them to be global citizens and luminaries of the 21st century. Dr. John F. Pingry founded the school in 1861 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and today there are three campuses: Grades K-5 in Short Hills, Grades 6-12 in Basking Ridge, and a shared campus for Grades K-12 in Pottersville that focuses on experiential education. The diverse student body is composed of more than 1,100 students from nearly 100 towns in New Jersey and New York. For more information visit the school’s website, pingry.org, or follow The Pingry School on Facebook and Twitter.
Position Summary (12 months)
Reporting to the Director of Research and Academic Innovation, the Upper School Librarian promotes scholarly practices, fosters a culture of reading, and approaches collection development through an equity lens. The position is also charged with collaborating with the Educational Technology team to leverage existing and emerging technologies to foster innovation, creativity, and curiosity. The successful candidate will be motivated and team-oriented with broad experience in library leadership, innovative technology tools, pedagogical best practices, and library programming. This position is based out of the CB Newton Library at the Basking Ridge campus but will also collaborate with colleagues at the Short Hills campus.
Responsibilities
Duties include, but are not limited to:
Empower all members of the learning community to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, curators, and ethical users of information
Create welcoming physical and digital library environments that promote collaboration and inclusion
Provide supervision of students within the library and coverage of the circulation desk as needed
Create engaging Upper School book displays in support of teaching, learning, and DEIB needs.
Provide support to faculty and students on the use of Opals, Noodletools, electronic databases, and electronic print materials
Maintain databases and proxy server, review usage statistics, make recommendations for addition/removal of digital resources to support Upper School curriculum
Collaborate with Upper School faculty to create and carry out projects within the curriculum that integrate the use of research skills and technologies
Creation and maintenance of Upper School Research Guides (LibGuides)
Develop and maintain a comprehensive collection of print resources for grades 9 to 12, meeting the needs of different levels of maturity and learning styles at each grade level
Provide the community with accurate information regarding copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property
Teach information literacy classes as needed with specific emphasis on digital research and citation management using NoodleTools
Foster an interest in books and a love of reading through readers’ advisory, book talks, book clubs, author visits, and related activities
Plan and provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff
Actively participate in the Upper School community, including division and department meetings
Collaborate with the K-12 library team to promote and grow library services within the larger community
Collaborate with the Educational Technology and Innovation Coordinators to leverage existing and emerging technologies to foster innovation, creativity, and curiosity among students
Contribute to interdisciplinary collaborations that cross grades and divisions
Support the work of the department as assigned and required.
Qualifications
MLS from an ALA-accredited institution or equivalent advanced degree
3+ years experience working in a school library, preferably supporting grades 9-12
Extensive knowledge of library and media literacy best practices and expertise in book selection, collection development, and collection management
Demonstrate a passion for reading, research, and information literacy
Experience working with digital media and emerging technologies
Teaching experience in library-related instruction such as media literacy, academic integrity, and research resources and strategies
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to listen actively, speak and write clearly, and effectively present information and ideas to groups
Demonstrate a high level of professionalism, flexibility, and collaboration in working with others
Skilled in navigating the Google Suite of applications (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc.)
Commitment to the mission, vision, and pillars of the Pingry School includes a commitment to DEIB and the requisite skills to work cross-functionally with diverse constituency groups across the organization.
The Pingry School aspires to be an anti-racist community and is committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Pingry is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Pingry School’s employment policy is that individuals will receive equal opportunity in all matters pertaining to recruitment, employment, salary, promotion, and assignment, regardless of race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy status, genetic information, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran, or other basis proscribed by federal, state, and local law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.