Library and Literacy Program Manager, West Philadelphia Alliance for Children

Posted by West Philadelphia Alliance for Children on April 23, 2018

The mission of WePAC is to promote childhood literacy by engaging volunteers in Philadelphia public schools through the re-opening and staffing of elementary school libraries. The vision is that every Philadelphia student will be empowered with the literacy skills vital to the success of the child and the prosperity of our community.

WePAC is an independent 501(c)(3) that has been serving the West Philadelphia community since 2003, and since 2009 has been running its flagship school library program. WePAC has transformed abandoned, unused spaces in Philadelphia public elementary schools into vibrant, functioning libraries staffed by teams of volunteers who read stories and help students check books in and out. During the 2017-2018 school year, WePAC libraries operated in 13 schools serving more than 4,500 children. In addition, WePAC runs a Library Buddies program in which literacy mentors are paired with individual students needing extra help with reading. WePAC has 170+ dedicated volunteers and the programs are well received by students, parents and other caregivers, teachers and principals.

WePAC’s goals are to re-open more school libraries and engage additional volunteers and community members to expand its locations, services, and number of children served. To achieve these goals WePAC seeks to enhance its partnerships and alliances within the community to augment and improve existing programming.

About the Position
The Library Program Manager is responsible for programming, implementing, supervising, and growing library-related programs for WePAC. The position reports directly to the Executive Director and will oversee a corps of 170+ volunteers. Programming currently includes WePAC’s flagship school libraries as well as the Library Buddies program. Such programming may evolve over time but will remain consistent with the organization’s mission.

General responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Volunteer and Program Management

· Recruit, onboard and orient new volunteers and provide ongoing support and training for existing volunteer teams.

· Measure and evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs and track progress toward meeting desired programmatic outcomes.

· Develop orientation and training curriculum for all volunteers; implement, monitor, assess, improve; develop materials to direct and guide volunteers’ implementation of WePAC programs.

· Manage the placement and organization of volunteers into Library Teams that meet school needs, or into special projects.

· Identify and design one-time project-based volunteer events (i.e. library cataloging, book sorting) for corporate groups and other related groups.

· Identify program challenges, and design solutions to improve student access to books, to improve volunteer effectiveness in the library/school setting, and to raise the quality of our offerings, including book collections that better meet the needs of students.

· Communicate regularly with library team leaders, Library Buddies, other volunteers, and school partners to identify material/programmatic needs and coordinate responses.

· Coordinate special programmatic events throughout the year (ex: financial literacy week, poetry month, author/illustrator visits, etc.) and for Library Café.

Community Engagement

· Identify events and activities where the library-related programs should be promoted, and represent WePAC in these settings.

· Plan and coordinate periodic educational and advocacy activities that invite volunteers, community members and experts to engage issues related to policy and best-practices in the fields of literacy, urban education, school funding, and other relevant topics.

· Help plan and support WePAC special events, such as annual school year kick-off meeting, volunteer recognition events, fundraisers, back-to-school nights, and National Library Week.

· Aid in the development of strategies to increase parent, grandparent and community involvement as volunteers and participants in local schools.

· Identify and communicate with area literacy organizations and groups working with Philadelphia youth to share resources and contacts.

· Maintain regular communication with partner schools and document all partnership agreements.

· As needed, support the ED in cultivating partnerships with School Advisory Councils (SAC’s), Home and School Associations (HSA’s), corporations and other organizations to support the development of the library-related programs.

Administrative Responsibilities

· Document program activities, including keeping records of contact information, hours, and communications.

· Maintain up-to-date records for all volunteers, including attendance, contact information, schedules, case notes, and background clearances.

· Collaborate with library team leaders and school partners to establish and communicate library schedules annually.

· Design, distribute, collect, and tabulate end-of-year evaluations for school and volunteers.

· Maintain regular communication with Executive Director and colleagues about programs.

· Attend selected Board of Directors meetings and provide reports as requested.

· Coordinate in-kind support for programs, including book drives that support WePAC’s goals and school supply drives that reduce program cost and provide resources for volunteers’ work with students.

· Support the ED in any and all initiatives in support of WePAC’s mission as requested.

Other requirements:

• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Must be able to use hand truck to transport books and other materials.
• Access to reliable transportation in order to visit schools, partners, Board, etc.
• Assume other responsibilities as needed or requested.

Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or higher, or equivalent, with education or library related degree preferred
• Three or more years literacy-related program experience in a school or with a nonprofit organization preferred
• Experience developing and implementing curriculum and training programs
• Strong organizational abilities including planning, program development and task facilitation
• Experience managing large groups of volunteers preferred
• Knowledge of developing and evaluating program outcomes
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to interface and engage diverse volunteer and teacher/administrator groups
• Ability to juggle multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment
• Experience using basic applications such as Microsoft Office, as well as ability to learn new programs (Destiny Library Manager)

All activities and behaviors of the Program Manager and must be professional, ethical, lawful and fall within the guidelines of WePAC By-laws and Policy.

https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-job/c120dd770bdb4ef3905b5b51c0c6b174-library-and-literacy-program-manager-west-philadelphia-alliance-for-children-wepac-philadelphia?