Events Coordinator at The Library Shop

Title: Events Coordinator

Reports To: Library Shop SD Manager

Employment Status: Full-time, Non-Exempt

Schedule: Flexible schedule totaling 40 hours/week

Location: Library Shop SD’s Central Library and Mission Hills locations

Compensation: $22-$25/hour depending on experience

Benefits: Paid time off (PTO) and paid holiday schedule, employer-sponsored health and dental plans, 401 (K) program with employer match

Organization Overview:

The Library Foundation SD strengthens communities by supporting excellence in the San Diego Public Library (SDPL) system through philanthropy, advocacy, and outreach. Library Foundation SD supports the entire system of 36 library branches across the City of San Diego. Our team of 16 staff members is based at the downtown Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common.

Library Shop SD is a well-curated nonprofit book & gift shop catering to librarians, library lovers, literary obsessives and book nerds owned and operated by the Library Foundation SD. We are located inside the Downtown Central Library and will soon be opening a full-service bookshop in the Mission Hills neighborhood. Proceeds support the San Diego Public Library system.

The Library Foundation SD is an equal opportunity employer and embraces a philosophy where diversity and inclusion are core values.  As the San Diego Public Library serves every citizen in the City of San Diego, so, too, does the Foundation.  A broad understanding of diversity is employed that includes, but is not limited to: race, ethnicity, national origin, class, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion.  Library Foundation SD acknowledges that personal identity is complex and various. It is a goal of Library Foundation SD to facilitate broad participation, particularly by historically underrepresented groups, throughout the organization’s staffing and activities.

Position Overview:

• The Events Coordinator will work closely with the Library Shop manager to expand and further develop Library Shop SD’s already existing author event program as we add and activate a second stand-alone, full-service bookstore in the Mission Hills neighborhood. 
• General duties for the Events Coordinator position include but are not limited to:
• Working closely with national and local publishers and authors, San Diego Public Librarians, library events staff and our many community partners, to coordinate a robust schedule of author appearances, book related programs, and community events, primarily at our Mission Hills location but also utilizing the San Diego Central Library’s world-class event spaces and the 36 neighborhood library branches and other offsite venues as appropriate.
• Submitting grid requests and proposals to publishers via Edelweiss
• Researching books and authors and soliciting publishers and publicists directly to advocate for the importance of bookstore-hosted events on behalf of the community
• Communicate, as necessary, with publicists, publishers, authors, library staff and community partners through every stage of the event from planning to completion, including post event follow up
• Collecting and maintaining metrics on all events, including book sales and attendance numbers
• Handle all incoming event inquiries, including from local authors
• Work with the Library Shop Book Buyer to place event book orders
• Supervising during events as needed including setup, breakdown, author handling and general hosting duties including public speaking and signing line management
• Working closely with Library Foundation SD’s marketing team to develop and execute on event promotion strategies including providing copy and graphics for emails, press releases, and social media posts
• Assist San Diego Public Library staff as needed in coordinating logistics and communication for author events, including school visits, at branches where Library Shop SD will be onsite selling books
• Managing event pre-sales, pre-orders or event ticketing (if requested by publisher) via Library Shop SD’s Point-of-sale and ecommerce platforms
• Assist in planning of larger library system or city-wide events Library Shop SD is a stakeholder in, including SDPL’s Where’s Odi Scavenger Hunt, the San Diego Book Crawl, One Book One San Diego and local book festivals

Additional duties may also include:

• General day to day bookselling duties (on-site or off-site) such as handselling, cashiering, merchandising and receiving especially when staff is short-handed due to vacation, illness or seasonal factors, including but not limited to the Holiday season, Independent Bookstore Day and Comic Con

Qualifications:

Required

• An abiding appreciation and love for Libraries as essential institutions
• Empathy and compassion for people from all backgrounds and walks of life
• A high level of ability to prioritize, delegate, and manage your time
• A high level of written and verbal communication (including public speaking), and interpersonal skills
• Availability and willingness to work a mix of days, nights and weekends 
• A passion for books and the written word
• Previous experience in bookselling, publishing or events planning

Preferred

• Previous Retail Experience, especially bookselling
• Previous experience planning and coordinating public events
• Basic Familiarity with Edelweiss, Canva and MS Office
• Comfortable articulating the Library Foundation’s mission to customers, patrons, publishers and community partners

Being part of the Library Shop SD Team is not just a retail job- we’re also brand ambassadors for the Library and the Library Foundation SD’s mission and often staff pop-up shops at important community outreach events such as Comic Con, San Diego Pride Festival, or occasionally at Library branches across the city.

How to apply:

Please send a resume and cover letter to the email address below.  In your cover letter, please let us know how you learned of this opportunity and answer the question: How has the Library impacted your life?

Scott Ehrig-Burgess
Public Engagement Manager
[email protected]