Community History Coordinator, Boyle County Public Library
307 W. Broadway Street, Danville, Kentucky 40422

The Community History Coordinator is responsible for community engagement, outreach, and programming to fulfill the Boyle County Public Library (BCPL) Story Center’s objective of preserving and sharing stories of local life in Boyle County. This position supports the BCPL Story Center through cultivation and collection of community history resources and collaboration with local organizations and members of the community. The Community History Coordinator empowers individuals and organizations to be active participants in discovering, preserving, and telling stories from the past to the present, and facilitates opportunities for the community to collaborate and share their histories and collections with a wide variety of audiences. 

As a member of the Story Center team, the Community History Coordinator provides local history services, assists with department administration, conducts collections research and exhibition development, facilitates programming, and assists with special projects.

The Story Center is part of the Boyle County Public Library and supports the library’s mission by inspiring our local community to engage with the history of the county through individual and community-led material culture preservation efforts, exhibitions, and programming. 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Work closely with the public and the Local History Librarian to seek out materials of local value and importance that enhance and expand the Library’s Special Collections and Archives. 
• Work with the community to raise awareness of the scope of BCPL’s Special Collections and Archives with the goal of positioning the library as a trustworthy and reliable repository for Boyle County history
• Contribute to building a center that collects, centralizes, and promotes local history in Boyle County and be prepared and willing to grow the department substantially.
• Act as a liaison between the library and community entities whose purpose relates to the documenting, collection, and presentation of local history information; maintain connections with all historical entities in the county and encourage cooperation between these organizations
• Coordinate the Story Center’s Oral History initiatives, offering professional and technical assistance to encourage best practices in oral history creation and preservation (coordination of the oral history studio and oral history kits, as well as active oral history collection)
• Coordinate the Story Center’s community-centered initiatives (outreach, Community Collections rotating exhibitions and Community Curators initiative)
• Develop and lead programs, workshops, and outreach initiatives for the public (adult, family, and school audiences); programming to include local history as well as best practices in research, interpretation, collections care and access
• Assist with building, curating, and sharing more inclusive collections and exhibitions; assist with exhibition research, design, and installation
• Assist with developing evaluation tools and implementing the evaluation of programs and exhibits as needed.
• In conjunction with the Digital History Coordinator, help create digital experiences and exhibitions that encourage community conversations and engagement
• In conjunction with the Digital History Coordinator, assist and instruct patrons in the use of databases, physical and digital collections, and other informational and digitization tools, including the Memory Lab
• In conjunction with the Local History Librarian and the Digital History Coordinator, evaluate and recommend appropriate means of storage, organization, digitization, and presentation of local history materials (including the special collections, library materials, subject files, and databases of use to researchers, historians, and future generations)
• Keep and report statistics as required
• Respond to local history and genealogy research questions as needed
• Attend meetings, events, and professional development as required to enhance your knowledge of Boyle County history, community outreach, and museum best practices
• As a member of the Library staff, work will take place in both the Story Center and the Library’s main building, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with all library functions and activities
• Familiarize yourself with the library’s special collections and archives
• Open and close buildings and exhibits as assigned
• Ensure a clean and safe environment for all patrons and staff
• Perform other duties as assigned

Additional Information:

Full time position (40 hours weekly); non-exempt; requires some evening and weekend hours; requires flexibility in scheduling; requires ability to adapt to a busy, changing, work environment; ability to push, pull, lift, and navigate stairs, and otherwise manipulate sometimes heavy equipment and materials by hand and by cart. Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and an ability to interact in a pleasant and effective manner with a diverse group of patrons and staff; requires thorough understanding of library/museum-specific and other software; ability to lead both short and long term projects simultaneously; ability to handle delicate records and materials with care using best practices. Must be a self-starter with the ability to multi-task, problem solve, and prioritize; ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team. Must pass a background check, must possess a valid driver’s license and means of transportation to fulfill job responsibilities.

Qualifications (Education, Skills, Training):

Bachelor’s degree in history, public history, museum studies, or other directly related field required, Master’s degree in history, museums studies, or library science highly preferred. Experience with local history research and material culture interpretation and analysis or equivalent education required. Demonstrated working knowledge and familiarity with public programming for various audiences and community engagement strategies necessary. Familiarity with digital technologies, electronic records, databases, and the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions necessary.

Compensation and Benefits: Base salary $21.50/hour. Benefits include Health Insurance; Personal Leave and Holiday Leave; Life Insurance; TIAA-CREF retirement plan (matched by the Library) after one year of employment; Optional insurances (paid through employee payroll deduction) include Dental, Vision, Long-Term Disability, and Accident/Critical Illness; Additional Supplemental Retirement plan option (unmatched by Library); Optional Flexible Spending Plan for unreimbursed medical expenses.

The Boyle County Public Library is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Application Process and Deadline: Submit cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@boylepublib.org by 11:59pm on July 22, 2024. Please enter “Community History Coordinator” in the subject line.