Legal Reference Librarian

Duties

The incumbent of this position is exempt from flextime and compflex time and is assigned to work a special fixed/rotational schedule (8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) that involves day, evenings, weekends and holiday schedules; and the selected incumbent "must be consistently able and willing to work evenings, weekends and holidays based on the operational and service requirements of the Law Library as a condition of employment."

Responds to United States legal and legislative reference inquiries from Members of Congress, congressional committees, the White House, federal and state courts and agencies, libraries, the bar, and the general public. Inquiries may be received by telephone, in person, in writing, and by electronic means. Locates information, often of a specialized or technical nature, from a wide variety of published and unpublished legal and legislative information sources and electronic databases. Advises researchers on research methodologies. Directs users to the proper specialists, resources, or services within the Law Library and other areas of the Library of Congress.

Conducts legal and legislative research, and produces written responses to U.S. federal and state legal and legislative reference and research inquiries requiring tailored responses. Prepares reports, bibliographies, letters, memoranda, finding aids, informational brochures, research guides, and other written products. Gathers information from a wide variety of sources, both electronic and in print or other media. Identifies, examines, and evaluates major publications and trends in the law.

Provides online and in-person instruction to Law Library users and staff on the content, nature, and use of Law Library print and electronic resources, as well as legal research methodologies. Assists in the development of instructional offerings that educate users on legal research sources and strategies. Delivers orientations to groups and individuals on Law Library operations and services, and conducts briefings on the U.S. legal system, and functions and inter-relationships of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government under the U.S. constitutional scheme. These orientations and briefings may be delivered to Members of Congress; their staffs; U.S. federal and state jurists and attorneys; legal scholars; representatives of U.S. federal and state, foreign, and international governments; dignitaries; and students.

Provides training for junior reference and circulation staff, and legal information technicians. May be assigned to review and/or revise work to provide initial quality control and aid in the training process. Conducts analysis of training needs and services.

Develops professional contacts within and outside the organization in order to provide or exchange information and professional knowledge. Professional contacts are with library users, supervisors, library staff, other national libraries, library and information networks, information centers, experts in government agencies, associations, the private sector, and/or research groups. Motivates and influences clientele to fully utilize programs and services. Depending on Law Library priorities and requirements, attends workshops, conferences, seminars, or meetings relating to trends and issues in law and law librarianship for the purpose of professional development. Provides orientations to distinguished visitors and conducts tours, as assigned.

Surveys and evaluates print and electronic collections to identify currency issues. Identifies, recommends and resolves collection processing issues relating to assigned areas / subjects / jurisdictions of the Reading Room collections. Recommends alternative titles to and the removal of titles from assigned portions of the Law Library reference collections. Searches acquisitions lists for new titles and other materials in various formats for the Reading Room's collection as requested.

Reviews collections on a continual basis and exercises care to ensure collection material is properly handled and kept secure to avoid loss or damage. Reviews a variety of foreign and domestic sources for information about available materials. Contributes to digital collection development and management projects, such as web archiving and/or compiling and organizing websites based on current public policy issues. Determines permissibility of copying materials based on the preservation needs of the material. Understands current and public policy issues in his/her area of expertise in order to develop collections that anticipate researcher inquiries and demands.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

How You Will Be Evaluated

• Benefits

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

  Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).

  Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. The program does not accept certification from health care providers. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

• How to Apply

  Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position.

  You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps.

  Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress.

  Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions.

  Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements.

  Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly.

  Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement.

  (1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement.

  (2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date.

  Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement.

  If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

  Agency contact information

  Customer Service Center

  Phone

  202-707-5620

  Fax

  000-000-0000

  Email

  JobHelp@loc.gov

  Address

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
  101 Independence Ave. SE
  LM-107
  Washington, District of Columbia 20540
  United States

  Next steps

  Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Clarification from the agency

Anyone may apply - By law, employment at most U.S. Government agencies, including the Library of Congress, is limited to U.S. citizens. However, non-citizens may be hired, provided that other legal requirements are met and the Library determines there are no qualified U.S. citizens available for the position.