Career Opportunity

Conservation Technician I - Preservation Unit - San Francisco Public Library (3620)

Recruitment: RTF0117359-01073569

Published: January 24, 2023

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About:

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Application Opening – January 23, 2023
Application Deadline – February 3, 2023 (11:59 PM PST)
Compensation Range: $78,780 - $95,758
Recruitment ID: REF0117359-01073569

San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning and the joys of reading for our diverse communities. The library system includes the architecturally significant Main Library in the city’s Civic Center, 27 neighborhood branch libraries, two administrative buildings and four bookmobiles. With a collection of more than 3.7 million items, and circulation exceeding 11 million each year, SFPL serves more than 6 million visitors annually. The library system has extraordinary political and fiscal support that mandates an annual funding allocation from the city’s property tax revenues, resulting in a budget of $171.2 million in FY 22. With a strong budget, SFPL has approximately 900 employees committed to outstanding public service.

In June 2018, the Library was named Library of the Year by Gale/Library Journal for its active promotion of San Francisco’s values of inclusion, diversity, and equity and its ability to create programs and policies that support those democratic values. The library embraces its role as the most democratic of institutions, providing safe and welcoming facilities for all. Through a robust array of services and programs, the library places an emphasis on literacy and learning, digital inclusion, social justice, equity and healthy communities. To learn more about SFPL, please visit https://sfpl.org/.

Role description

Under general supervision, the 3620 Library Conservation Technician I maintains the circulating collection and performs conservation treatments on books and other library materials from the Library’s core collections, including the Library’s special collections and the City and County of San Francisco Archives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Evaluates the condition of materials from the library’s permanent and circulating collection including photographs, books, reference collections, and other materials;
• Designs an appropriate treatment plan in accordance with established best practices;
• Treats library’s permanent and circulating collections including photographs, books, reference collections, and other materials, according to the treatment plan;
• Prepares books for commercial bindery including, but not limited to photocopying and reattaching damaged/missing materials, reinforcing sewing, and tape removal;
• Performs photograph and paper conservation treatments including aqueous treatments and tape removal;
• Designs and makes a variety of custom-fit enclosures for fragile or unique materials;
• Documents workflow for each treatment performed on the Library’s special collections and City and County of San Francisco archives, and other materials as needed;
• Maintains the lab and workspace by keeping tools and equipment clean and in working condition;
• Participates in disaster recovery of materials; and may assist staff on how to proceed with emergency salvage of Library materials;
• Researches new methods and materials used for treatments based on professional industry standards;
• Provides assistance in training on basic treatment and conservation methods to staff and interns;
• Inputs and retrieves data information from a computer; and
• Answers inquiries from staff and makes appropriate referrals as needed.

How to qualify

These minimum qualifications are to be used as a guide for establishing the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license which may be required for employment in the class. Although these minimum qualifications are typical of the class, additional minimum qualifications and special conditions may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the job announcement.

Experience:
Two (2) years of experience in the conservation of library books and paper.

Substitution:
Completion of a formal bookbinding or conservation program may substitute for two (2) years of the required experience.

Possession of an Associate's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Library Information Technology may substitute for up to one (1) year of the required experience.

Important Note: Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications listed above. Applications that do not appear to meet the minimum qualifications will not move forward in the recruitment process.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-educationrequirements

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following: 

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: Qualifying):  
Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: 100%):  
Candidates who met the minimum qualifications will be emailed the supplemental questionnaire to the address listed on the candidates’ online application. Candidates will be required to respond to the supplemental questionnaire in the time frame indicated and must submit the completed questionnaire as directed in order to have it evaluated. Responses cannot be changed once submitted. Candidates will be evaluated based on their supplemental questionnaire responses. Candidates must achieve a passing score on the supplemental questionnaire in order to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score. After the confidential eligible list is adopted the department may administer additional selection procedures to make a final hiring decision. The supplemental questionnaire has been designed to measure knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas which may include, but not be limited to: knowledge of conservation principles and established methods and materials used to treat and conserve paper, books, and other printed media; knowledge of the purpose, use and care of the tools and materials used in book and paper conservation; knowledge of proper handling of papers and storage of books, maps, sheet music, photographs, and other related objects; working knowledge of book and paper conservation chemistry including chemical deterioration of paper and photographs, adhesives and solvents, potential chemical responses, and health and safety standards; follow direction is the ability to follow oral and written instructions; attention to detail is the ability to thoroughly and accurately perform dexterous tasks in to treat and conserve paper, books, and other paper-based materials; ability to safely operate specialized tools, and equipment, and including 50-inch board shear and electric guillotine; ability to work independently and exercise initiative and judgement in implementing and carrying out treatments and lab functions; ability to learn historical book structures; and recognize historical and cultural value of books and other library items; time manage time is the ability to allocate time to complete tasks and prioritize projects; and communication is the ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing in courteous and diplomatic manner.

Eligible List/Score Report: 
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be twelve (12) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at 
https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ .] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules. 

What else should I know?

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco

Information About The Hiring Process
Conviction History
Employee Benefits Overview
Equal Employment Opportunity
Disaster Service Worker
ADA Accommodation
Veterans Preference
Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
Right to Work
Copies of Application Documents
Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ and begin the application process.
 
• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow instructions on the screen.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the Senior Human Resources Analyst, Raymond Wang, via email: raymond.wang@sfpl.org.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.