First off, YALSA would like to thank Allison Tran for her leadership as The Hub’s member manager since 2013. Allison will be leaving her role as manager of The Hub when her term ends on August 14, 2015. As a result, YALSA is seeking a new member manager to begin in August 2015. Interested in the job? Read on after the jump to see the position description and qualifications and find out how you can apply. Applications are due to alam@ala.org by June 1, 2015. The deadline has been extended through July 1, 2015.
YALSA is seeking a Member Manager for its blog, The Hub. Beginning this August, the Hub will expand its focus to materials of all kinds for teen library collections, including but not limited to books, graphic novels, graphic nonfiction, comics, periodicals, visual and audio media, digital resources and more.
The re-envisioned Hub will provide timely information about emerging and new practices for evaluating, selecting and curating materials; raise awareness about appropriate YALSA tools to facilitate innovation in teen collections; and provide resources for members and the library community to support their efforts to continuously improve their teen collection.
The Member Manager will lead an advisory board and together the group will be responsible for the site, including recruiting bloggers and soliciting content submissions from the YALSA community.
List of Qualifications:
- Strong project management and organizational skills
- Ability to delegate work and to manage a variety of contributors and volunteers
- Dynamic, self-motivated individual
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills, in order to develop content and communicate with potential content providers
- Experience in web publishing with responsibilities including but not limited to: utilizing video clips, audio, and social media, maintaining a high standard of writing, and ensuring compliance with policies created for the maintenance of the site
- Knowledge of HTML and WordPress, which YALSA uses for administration of blog sites; as well as knowledge of plugins, tagging, categories, and other WordPress tools
- PHP knowledge a plus
- Ability to set and meet deadlines
- Knowledge of best practices and current trends in collection development for and with teens in libraries
- Ability to work well in a team environment
- Ability to work well in a mostly virtual setting, including using tools such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Skype, etc. to coordinate work and communicate with others
- Personal membership in YALSA
- A commitment to advancing the recommendations YALSA outlined in its recent report, The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: a Call to Action.
- High ethical standards and no real or perceived conflict of interest with YALSA or its portfolio of print and web publications
General Member Manager Responsibilities:
Oversight & Coordination
- Communicate with the Advisory Board and YALSA’s Communications Specialist on a regular basis in order to generate ideas for content, assign tasks, discuss marketing and sponsorship strategies, and discuss site management
- Work with the YALS and JRLYA editors and YALSAblog manager as appropriate to coordinate dissemination of information to members and the library community.
- Maintain communication with YALSA member groups whose work relates to collection development
- Follow all established policies and guidelines, enforce them as necessary and periodically conduct a review of them to ensure currency
- Direct questions about sponsorships, advertising, etc. to YALSA’s Executive Director
- Develop a calendar for content, based on YALSA events and activities as well as those going on in the larger community related to library materials for teens
- Write reports prior to the Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting for submission to the YALSA Board of Directors
Seek Out & Manage Content & Contributors
- With the Advisory Board review and edit content submitted to the site to make sure the quality is acceptable and that it includes YALSA branding prior to posting, when appropriate
- With the Advisory Board manage postings regularly to guarantee quality of content and appropriate tagging and category identification
- With the Advisory Board recruit contributors on a regular basis, which may include but is not limited to: YALSA members, publishers, authors and teens
- Communicate regularly with bloggers to solicit content, share news, motivate bloggers, develop a blogging schedule, etc.
- Interact with and provide any necessary training to contributors as needed, including at ALA’s Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting and via virtual means
- Effectively motivate, support and manage a large and fluctuating group of contributors and volunteers
- Manage comments and spam daily in order to guarantee that the blog content is appropriate
Promotion
- Attend Midwinter and Annual to recruit contributors and inform member groups about the site
- Answer questions and inquiries about the site in a timely fashion
- Work with the Website Advisory Committee and the YALSAblog Member Manager to create cross-promotion of all YALSA’s web presences
- Utilize social media to increase awareness of the Hub and its content
Technical Maintenance
- Work with YALSA’s Communications Specialist as appropriate to update and manage blog software
- Monitor new technologies as they impact the site: add-ons and plug-ins to blog software, widgets or applications for hand-held devices, etc.
Role of the YALSA Communication Specialist
- Communicates regularly with Member Manager to provide support and facilitate work
- Works with ALA IT Dept. to maintain the template for the blog
- Handles all financial transactions for the blog
- Works closely with the ad rep to ensure that ad revenues meet targeted goals
- Promotes the blog through appropriate venues
- Coordinates efforts and facilitates communication among all YALSA publications, including the blogs and journals
- Manages the blog software, including keeping track of add-ons and plug-ins and liaising with ALA’s IT Dept. to troubleshoot technical issues
The Member Manager will be selected by the YALSA Executive Committee by July 15, 2015. The term of the appointment is one year beginning August 15, with an option to renew for a second year, based on performance. The Member Manager will receive an honorarium of $500 per year plus $500 towards travel to each Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting while serving as Member Manager. Candidates must send a cover letter and resume, which includes management, writing and web publishing experiences to alam@ala.org. All resumes, etc. must be submitted via email. The deadline for submission is June 1, 2015. Please note that this is not a salaried staff position, but a member volunteer opportunity.
To learn more about The Hub, visit http://yalsa.ala.org/thehub. Please direct questions to Anna Lam at alam@ala.org.