Job title: County Librarian
Employer: Louth County Council
Location: Louth
Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 17th April 2025
Salary: Starting at €78,593
About the Employer:
Louth County Council is the authority responsible for local government in Louth. The county of Louth is divided into the three municipal districts of Drogheda, Ardee and Dundalk. There are five electoral areas in Louth: Ardee, Drogheda Rural, Drogheda Urban, Dundalk-Carlingford and Dundalk South to which 29 county councillors are elected.
The Council provides a diverse range of services across the county. Key services areas include housing delivery, planning and development, fire and emergency services, physical development and place-making, library and cultural services, community services and facilities, economic development and tourism promotion, and supporting local indigenous businesses via the local enterprise office.
About the Role:
The role of County Librarian is a professional senior management position in Louth County Council, reporting to the Director of Service. The County Librarian is responsible for the development of an expanding library service and has responsibility for the development of cultural services, including the Arts Office and the Creative Industries. They will be expected to contribute to the development and implementation of forward-thinking strategies in Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Development and to work closely with other staff and teams to deliver high quality library and arts services to the public. The County Librarian will implement national and local library and arts development plans, as well as fulfilling objectives around digital technology, STEAM initiatives, and engaging with local community groups and organisations. Louth County Council wishes to recruit a County Librarian to lead on the future development of the Library Service and Cultural Services offering.
Reporting to a Director of Service, the County Librarian in Louth County Council is charged with the responsibility for the planning and management of the Culture Services Section. This includes Library Services, as well as the Arts Service, County Museum, Archive Service and Creative Ireland Programme. This is a senior management role within Louth County Council which includes determining the organisational framework of the library in what is a very challenging, but also very rewarding, environment.
About You:
1. Satisfactory relevant experience at an appropriate level.
2. Experience of planning strategically to manage and implement initiatives to enhance services, infrastructure and library collections.
3. Experience of planning strategically to manage and implement initiatives to develop and enhance arts & cultural services including archival and museum services.
4. Experience of leading, managing, motivating and encouraging staff in a library and cultural services setting.
5. Experience which demonstrates a commitment to achieving maximum benefit from financial resources while operating at all times within budget.
6. Experience of networking effectively and forming links with national and community organisations in the context of future library and cultural services development.
7. Experience of engaging with and leveraging emerging technologies in library services and operations.
8. A demonstrated commitment to modern and innovative service delivery.
9. Possess an ability to initiate a comprehensive programme of public library information, learning cultural services for communities and individuals.
10. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
11. An ability to foster and develop a library and cultural service for the local authority in the spirit and practice of universal access for all.
12. A thorough knowledge of local government in Ireland or a demonstrable ability to quickly acquire same.
13. A thorough knowledge of national public library policy and strategy or a demonstrable ability to quickly acquire same.
14. An understanding of the changing environment in which Louth County Council operates and be capable of adapting to change in order to deliver quality services to our citizens.
15. Good knowledge and awareness of Health and Safety Legislation and Regulations, the implications for the organisation and the employee, and their application in the workplace.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 17th April, 2025.
We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
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