Sidwell Friends, a coeducational Quaker day school with campuses in Washington, DC and Bethesda, MD, seeks a full-time Librarian for the 2021-2022 school year in the Lower School division. 

The Lower School program seeks to foster a love of learning and provide children with a firm grounding in the core academic subjects. It is built around rigorous intellectual exploration and joyful discovery. Students are challenged to think deeply about concepts and ideas, to make learning personal and relevant, to ask questions and to look for broader truths and understanding. The library is at the “hub” of the learning in our School, and we are looking for candidates who demonstrate a student-centered approach to teaching and learning, attention to the “whole child,” a commitment to equity, justice and community work and a grounding in best practices in the library.

The Lower School librarian at Sidwell Friends School teaches every class PK-4th grades weekly, introducing children to new books and authors, as well as collaborating with classroom teachers to teach digital citizenship, information literacy and research skills. Risk-taking, collaboration, a positive community spirit, organizational skills and strong communication skills are essential characteristics of the candidate.

Responsibilities for the position include:

• Creating a vibrant, inclusive and learning-filled library space that encourages curiosity, joy, inquiry and collaboration
• Collaborating with our Educational Technology specialist and classroom teachers to support student research, information literacy and digital citizenship
• Fostering a community of readers and writers across the school
• Developing and maintaining a comprehensive, diverse digital and print collection for PK-4th grades
• Organizing author visits and other literacy events, including our annual Book Fair and Literacy Month
• Managing the library collection, including circulation, collection development, inventory, evaluation of materials and media/library subscriptions
• Managing the library budget

This position is campus-based; therefore, the job requires working in person and on campus.

Applicants must possess a Master’s in Library Science.