Librarian, Library Development Services

Shortgrass Library System is looking for a Librarian, Library Development Services to provide excellent library support services to 14 public libraries in Southeast Alberta starting February 2026.

Shortgrass Library System honours and acknowledges that we are situated on Treaty 7 and Treaty 4 territory, traditional lands of the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina as well as the Cree, Sioux, and the Saulteaux bands of the Ojibwa peoples. We also acknowledge and honour that we are on the homeland of the Métis people.

Shortgrass Library System is one of Alberta’s seven regional library systems. Covering the southeast corner of Alberta, and headquartered in the City of Medicine Hat, Shortgrass serves a population of 107,349 through a network of fourteen autonomous public libraries. 

We are looking for someone who will thrive working independently on a diverse range of projects, can balance competing priorities with ease, and believes in providing great customer services to library staff.

The successful candidate will join a small, innovative team of library service professionals and will work closely with staff in our member public libraries.

The City of Medicine Hat

Located in the scenic South Saskatchewan River Valley, Medicine Hat (population 63,260) gets 2,512 hours of sunshine per year! This makes it one of "Canada’s Sunniest Cities", and an attractive year-round playground for a wide variety of activities. 

The city is rich in local history and unique attractions, from the Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic District, the gaslight-themed downtown with over 200 shops and services, to the state-of-the-art Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre. Low property taxes, natural gas and electricity rates in Medicine Hat are well below the North American average. 

The City also offers reasonable housing costs, no provincial sales tax and some of the lowest income taxes in the country! For more information on relocating to Medicine Hat, please visit https://www.movetomedicinehat.ca/

The Position

The position is a permanent position with a salary range from $63,527 to $78,130 annually. The salary is supplemented by a generous benefits package of extended health and dental benefits, as well as Short & Long Term Disability and Life Insurance. The position is eligible to participate in the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) after one year of service. Shortgrass Library System staff also enjoy paid time off between Christmas and New Year’s every year. 

A moving allowance may also be provided.

Working from our office in Medicine Hat, you will provide in-person as well as remote support services to libraries. For in-person visits, you will use a Shortgrass vehicle to travel to the library locations. Shortgrass member libraries will rely on you to design and deliver training workshops on library skills and various resources available to both library staff and patrons.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the Summer Reading Program, including traveling to member libraries to run programs, handle collective prize ordering and distribution, and coordinate the summer shows for 14 member libraries;
• Create, maintain, and handle circulation of programming kits;
• Write grant applications;
• Manage an annual department budget;
• Create and distribute the organizational newsletter, and ability to support and train member libraries in developing their own newsletters;
• Create promotional/advocacy materials;
• Create engaging content for social media accounts and professionally respond to all inquiries and comments.

Required Qualifications:

• Master of Library Science/Master of Library and Information Science degree or equivalent from an ALA-accredited program;
• Experience in a public library setting.

Desired Aptitudes and Qualities:

• Self-directed; 
• Highly motivated; 
• Highly creative;
• Able to operate successfully with minimal supervision;
• Excellent computer skills;
• An affinity for learning new technologies;
• Experience designing and publishing advocacy materials;
• Writing grant applications;
• Experienced in the use of social media;
• Strong professional written and verbal communication skills.

If you are interested in joining a team that puts customer service above everything else and where variety in duties from day to day is the norm, we want to hear from you.

This is a full time (35 hours/week) position, and includes occasional evenings and weekends. The successful candidate will spend at least 90% of their time on project work in our regional office, with up to 10% of their time providing on-site support  to frontline staff at the member libraries. If you meet the educational requirements for the position, have a clean driver's abstract, are able to pass a criminal records check (including a vulnerable sector check), and are interested in becoming part of our team serving rural communities, we encourage you to apply for the position.