Public Information Representative I/ II - Library Department

About the role

The award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) consists of more than 550 employees and has a 23% bilingual workforce, with 24 branch libraries across San José, in addition to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the city’s main library jointly operated through a unique partnership with San José State University. SJPL currently has more than 760,000 members and serves a diverse community of roughly one million residents. Last year, SJPL attracted nearly 4 million visitors and circulated over 7.7 million items.

In recent years, SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience dedicated to public service and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core.

In addition to providing library services to the community, SJPL proudly leads two citywide initiatives - the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and the SJ Access digital equity initiative, which has become the number one provider of free public access to Wi-Fi connectivity, tech device lending, and multi-lingual digital literacy programs and support.

SJPL is led by Jill Bourne, City Librarian, nationally recognized as Library Journal’s “Librarian of the Year” in 2017.

SJPL enriches lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and information. The library department is a place where people do great work and make a difference in our community.

San José Public Library (SJPL) is looking for a Public Information Representative (PIR) I/II to join the library’s award-winning Marketing and Communications Unit. This position reports directly to the Senior Public Information Representative and is part of the library’s Public Engagement division.

The Public Information Representative I/II will develop and implement strategic marketing and communications plans to promote library services, including programs, announcements, events, membership, and systemwide initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have excellent English writing, verbal, and editing skills, with experience researching, gathering, and verifying information to develop accurate communications. The Public Information Representative I/II will use products such as Adobe Creative Suite and Canva to create accessible digital and print materials, including flyers, posters, banners, signs, and other promotional designs. The candidate will also coordinate department-wide translation requests, vendor orders, track expenses and inventory, and ensure timely delivery of materials to library locations.

Strong project management, storytelling, and event planning skills are essential. The successful candidate will be organized, proactive, reliable, flexible/adaptable to change, and committed to upholding SJPL’s brand. The Public Information Representative I/II will collaborate with a large, diverse staff, the San José Public Library Foundation, elected offices, and other partners to engage San José’s diverse communities, as well as stay current with marketing, local, and library trends.

Additional responsibilities and skills include but are not limited to

• Create, edit, schedule, organize, and publish digital content, graphics, photographs, and videos using tools such as Lnk.Bio, Flickr, Microsoft SharePoint, Hootsuite, and Constant Contact.
• Manage, publish and write engaging content for blogs, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, and YouTube, platform analytics to monitor engagement and inform content strategies. Review and ensure digital content meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements and WCAG 2.1 standards.
• Support media relations by preparing public information materials and coordinating responses to media inquiries, ensuring accuracy and consistency with SJPL messaging.
• Apply marketing, branding, and project management principles to deliver campaigns; use Excel to analyze metrics, evaluate promotional strategies and recommend improvements.
• Provide excellent customer service to staff, partners, vendors, and the public.
• Support press conferences and special events with photography and visual storytelling, including editing videos, both long form and short form for social media and YouTube.

The Public Information Representative I/II will work independently as well as part of a team to increase awareness of SJPL’s free services, programs, and collections. A passion for libraries, education, digital inclusion, and public service is essential. The candidate must also be creative, outgoing, and reliable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities. Bilingual candidates with fluency in Spanish or Vietnamese are encouraged to apply. This position may be required to work evenings and weekends to support public meetings and events.

Public Information Representative I

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or closely related field. No minimum experience required.
• Acceptable Substitutions: Additional years of professional experience in public relations, public information, or other related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis up to two years.
• Public Information Representative II

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in journalism, communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, public administration, or closely related field and two years of progressively responsible professional public information, marketing, or public relations experience. No substitution for education.

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of, experience with, or ability to learn applicable professional/technical?principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures and policies, and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Multi-Tasking - Demonstrates successful performance under a complex workload, and able to manage multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; uses work plans, timelines, milestones, and similar tools for carrying out strategies and performing recurring tasks; has experience in handling a wide variety of assignments.
• Communication Skills - Demonstrates excellent writing skills communicates and listens effectively and responds in a timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; delivers written reports and correspondence that are professionally clear, accurate, complete, current, and well-organized.
• Customer Service - demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently in a timely, accurate, respectful and friendly manner.
• Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results during major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.
• Project Management - ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
• Problem Solving - approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem(s); collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Initiative – Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives, anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Selection Process

• The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions.
• Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process.
• Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise.