The posting
Half-Time (0.5 FTE) Founding Position · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s in Library and Information Science (American Library Association accredited) preferred, or coursework toward it · Illinois School Librarian or Library Media Specialist certification a plus · School-library, academic-library, or research-library experience preferred · College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you a librarian who builds libraries rather than keeps them? Do you believe a great school library is the busiest room in the building: systems humming, collections alive, students finding what they need and what they did not know they needed? Are you excited to help stand up a brand-new library from its first catalog record? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
THE DREAM TEAM
Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college-preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state-of-the-art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture-builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator https://www.davischicago.org/idealeducator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.
To thrive here you are:
- Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
- You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
- A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
- Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
- Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
- Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro-Israel school.
WHAT DAVIS CHICAGO NEEDS
Davis Chicago is hiring a half-time (0.5 FTE) Librarian / Library Media Specialist to help build the school’s library right from day one: collections, systems, digital resources, and research support that a founding class can actually use. This role works alongside the Head Librarian & Capstone Chair so the library of tomorrow gets built while the research and Capstone program gets led. If you are interested in a full-time role and are ready to lead the library and the Capstone program, Davis School Chicago is also hiring a founding Head Librarian & Capstone Chair https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/davischicago/6a67f251-02ff-424f-824e-efb661e80001. This role builds the library of tomorrow and chairs the school’s signature Capstone program.
WHO THRIVES IN THIS ROLE
- Warm, Relational, and High-Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
- A Builder of Libraries – Systems, collections, and spaces that actually get used.
- A Research Ally – Teaches students to find, judge, and use information well.
- An Entrepreneurial Builder – Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
- A Curious and Courageous Thinker – Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
- Rooted and Forward-Looking – Honors tradition while embracing innovation, technology, and AI.
- Committed to Jewish Life and Community – Values Jewish identity, the diversity of Jewish thought, and meaningful engagement in Jewish life.
- A Collaborative Culture-Builder – Balances accountability, care, and results while elevating everyone around them.
THE ROLE
The Librarian / Library Media Specialist stands up and runs the operational heart of the founding library: cataloging and systems, collection development, digital resources, and day-to-day research help for students and faculty. Working alongside the Head Librarian & Capstone Chair and reporting to the Principal, this educator helps make the library a true library in the classic sense, books worth loving and real research help, that is also a makerspace, a home for learning games, and a space students actually want to be in.
The successful candidate will build the systems that make everything findable and the collection that makes the room worth visiting, and will teach students to find, judge, and use information well. As a founding staff member, the Librarian / Library Media Specialist will help establish the systems, traditions, and habits that make the library the school’s academic town square.
1. LIBRARY OPERATIONS AND COLLECTIONS
- Stand up and maintain the catalog, circulation, and library systems.
- Build the opening-day collection, print and digital, in partnership with teachers and department chairs: whole works, wide browsing, and books worth loving.
- Manage digital resources, databases, and the college-level access behind them so they are actually used.
- Keep the library space organized, welcoming, and busy across its zones, from quiet study to making to play to public conversation.
- Support the makerspace and learning-games program with the training, safety, and equipment systems they depend on.
- Apply the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National School Library Standards in daily practice.
2. RESEARCH AND INFORMATION LITERACY
- Provide day-to-day research help to students and faculty.
- Teach and co-teach information literacy: finding, evaluating, citing, and using sources with academic integrity, aligned to the AASL Shared Foundations (Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage).
- Support the research demands of the school’s Capstone program as students carry original work toward presentation and defense.
- Integrate educational technology and emerging research tools, AI included, into instruction and research support.
3. COMMUNITY AND CULTURE BUILDING
- Contribute actively to the vibrant culture and mission of Davis School Chicago.
- Help create programming that makes the library a center of school life: author visits, reading culture, learning games, and public conversation.
- Cultivate a reading culture built on complete works and wide browsing.
- Participate in faculty meetings, professional development, and community events as scoped for a half-time role.
- Help moderate student clubs and activities where scope allows.
4. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION
- Communicate clearly with students, faculty, and families about library resources and services.
- Collaborate with colleagues across academic departments on research-rich, interdisciplinary assignments.
- Partner with faculty and school leadership to advance school goals, curriculum development, and student success initiatives.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s in Library and Information Science (ALA accredited) preferred, or coursework toward it.
- Certification: Illinois School Librarian or Library Media Specialist certification a plus.
- Experience: School, academic, or research library experience preferred.
- Craft: Evidence of a library, collection, or system that worked better because you built it.
CORE COMPETENCIES
1. Systems: catalog, circulation, and digital access that hum.
2. Collections: print and digital resources students actually use.
3. Research Support: information literacy in daily practice.
4. Community: the library at the center of school life.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
This is a half-time (0.5 FTE) founding position. The anticipated annual compensation is $36,260–$68,550, reflecting half-time placement on the school’s established Faculty Salary Schedule (full-time equivalent $72,520–$137,099). Placement within the range is determined by a combination of relevant experience and educational attainment, including Bachelor's, Master's, Master's + additional graduate credits, Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctoral (Ed.D./Ph.D.) degrees, in accordance with the school’s step-and-lane compensation structure. Paid leave and paid sick leave accrue as required by law; this position is not eligible for the school’s benefits package.
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
HOW WE HIRE
Our process is thorough and we believe that hiring is a dual decision-making process; you are vetting us as much as we are vetting you. Our process includes focused conversations with the people you would work with, a battery of assessments we use for your development as much as for selection, and interview rounds both in-person and virtually. We move quickly, and we tell you where you stand.
IS THIS YOU?
This isn’t for everyone. If it’s you, it may be the best work of your life. Read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator https://www.davischicago.org/idealeducator, then apply.
