About Our Job

The Denver Public Library (DPL) isn't just a place to borrow books; it's a vibrant, essential hub for our diverse city. As a growing urban library system with 28 locations and over 4 million annual visitors, we're deeply woven into the fabric of Denver.

Join a team where your values align with your work. At the Denver Public Library, we're not just serving our community; we're building a culture guided by values that empower both our staff and the public.

Welcoming: We make our resources, services, and expertise accessible for all, recognize the inherent dignity in each person, and provide safe places where everyone can be themselves.
Curiosity: We foster a culture of exploration, innovation, and forward thinking by creating environments that support learning and growth.
Connection: We are neighbors. We foster relationships, listen and act to build and strengthen our community. We bring people together to share information, ideas, and experiences.
Equity: We work to change inequitable practices, structures and policies, and attitudes that drive them, to provide opportunities for every person in our community to thrive. As we do so, we actively examine our roles in perpetuating oppressive systems.
Stewardship: We are accountable to our community, using our resources responsibly. We lead with honesty and integrity, protect privacy and preserve and share the full history of our Denver community.

If you're passionate about service, community engagement, and creating positive change, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us. Come join a team that believes in the power of knowledge, connection, and equity.

Unrivaled Benefits

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but is not limited to: 

Four (4) Medical Plans, Dental, Vision Insurance 
Pension Plan for Life (employee contributes 8.45%, employer contributes 17.95%) and 457 (b) Retirement Plan 
PTO (over 3 weeks in your first year), quarterly wellness hours, and 12 paid holidays
CARE Bank, Family Leave Benefits 
Enhanced Work/Life Balance: Employee Assistance Program (6 counseling sessions per year, legal assistance, financial counseling, discounted recreation center passes), Employee Volunteer Program
Professional Learning and Development Opportunities; Courses and Career Development Resources ; Education Refund Program
EcoPass (unlimited free RTD bus/train rides) 
For more information please visit our website.

About Our Team

The Special Collections and Archives (SCA) unit at Denver Public Library comprises two archival repositories: at the Central Library, and the African American Research Library at Blair-Caldwell Library. Our team of over thirty librarians, archivists, and paraprofessionals are committed to exceptional access, preservation, and customer service for our world-class collections.

About Our Position

DPL is hiring 2 Archives Assistant 2-year limited-term position. In this position you will improve customer experiences by providing behind-the-scenes support for the library’s growing collection of 6,000+ archival collections. You will work with and shape archival collections by accessioning (recording and describing material to officially transfer newly acquired collections to the library) papers, photographs, and born-digital collections. You’ll gain expertise organizing and searching for records in our institutional archives. Your focus will be accessioning and describing an unprocessed backlog of archival material in the African American Research Library collection. Tasks may include reviewing papers, photographs and objects and creating descriptive inventories. You will contribute to museum inventory projects such as rehousing and identifying physical objects within existing collections, in addition to improving upon descriptions within the ARL collection. You will work with museum and library collections specialists to help care for physical objects and paper-based collections to make them accessible to the public. This role will occasionally travel between the two SCA repositories in downtown Denver.

This position is an excellent opportunity for someone considering library, museum, or archives work as a career, or for someone in the early stages of obtaining higher education in those fields.

Some of the tasks and abilities required by this position include:

Ability to organize, arrange, and describe unpublished materials comprised of various formats.
Knowledge of and interest in African American history and the history of the American West with emphasis on Denver and Colorado.
Contribute to museum inventory projects such as rehousing and identifying physical objects within existing collections, in addition to improving upon descriptions within the ARL collection.

This position will enable you to practice: arrangement and description of collections; best practices for housing, storage and preservation; considering end-user needs in preparing collections for researchers; and employing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion lens in the work we do to collect and make available archival collections for users now and in the future.

What You Would Bring

Do you have a passion for libraries, archives or museums? Are you passionate about public service? Do you have a strong sense of inquiry and excitement to share the story of our region’s history? Are you a team player with a strong track record of collaboration and problem-solving.

Our ideal candidate has:

An interest in archives and special collections work in a public library setting
Ability to creatively problem-solve, negotiate, and handle stressful situations in a positive manner. Ability to demonstrate innovation and flexibility.
A passion for archives and special collections work in a public library setting, knowledge of the history of African Americans in the American West with an emphasis on Denver and Colorado.
Skill at managing multiple projects at once
Strong organizational skills
Strong writing and communication skills
Finds following workflows satisfying and thrives on attention to detail
Strong customer service skills
Ability to use workplace technology effectively including email, calendar, internet, video conferencing, searching databases, creating spreadsheets
Excellent problem solving skills
Ability to teach and assist volunteers with technology and new processes
Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines
Ability to demonstrate initiative, innovation and flexibility, including proposing process improvements
Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, positive attitude, cultural sensitivity and a sense of humor in working with customers, coworkers and community members

Minimum Qualifications:

Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate.
Three (3) years of full performance office support/clerical work

Substitutions:

One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of posthigh school education.

Preferred Qualifications:

Three (3) years of work experience in a customer service-driven, detail-oriented environment.

Don't let a "checklist" hold you back! Research shows that women and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups often self-select out if they don't meet every qualification. If you're reading this and feel a true passion for making an impact, we wholeheartedly encourage you to apply, as an equal combination of education and experience will be considered for all applicants. Your excitement for this work matters just as much as your resume.

Work Environment & Location

The Denver Public Library's branches are the arms to the community—each a unique reflection of the dynamic, diverse communities we serve. At DPL, we pride ourselves on showing up and providing support whenever there is a need.

While you may be hired for a specific location, please know that we are hiring with the expectation that at any time, you may be required to work at any one of our branches based on operational needs. This allows our staff to experience the full breadth of Denver's communities and ensures we consistently deliver the highest level of service across our branches.

Additionally, DPL employees may be redeployed to work in other locations or capacities to support core functions of the library system during branch closures or other emergencies.

This position is termed-limited and ends 2 years following your start date. There is no guarantee that the position will be extended beyond the two year period.

Application & Additional Info

Ensure that the 'Work Experience" section of the application is complete and contains all relevant work experience related to the position that you are applying for. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. Job postings will close at 12AM on the posted ending date. If interested in this opportunity, please apply as soon as possible.

Offer of employment contingent upon successful completion of criminal history and employment verification

All Denver Public Library employees must apply through their internal profile.

Ready to learn more and see how you can contribute? Visit us at denverlibrary.org and connect with our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.