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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) Domestic Social Policy Division is accepting applications under its 2022 Graduate Recruit Program for a Research Librarian. This position will be filled at the GS-09 level (see "Duties" below).
Learn more about this agency12/14/2021 to 01/25/2022
$60,129 - $78,167 per year
GS 09
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Temporary - Position will be filled under the Congressional Research Service Graduate Recruit Program. Full-time, temporary with the expectation of subsequent conversion to permanent.
Full-time - Flexitime.
Excepted
13
No
No
GR-DSP22-02
626809500
Graduate students and Library of Congress employees who meet all of the following eligibility requirements: 1. U.S. Citizenship 2. Current enrollment in or anticipated graduation from an appropriate, accredited advanced degree program. (Library of Congress employees may already possess a graduate degree). 3. General education requirements for a GS-09 appointment (see “Qualifications Required” below).
About the Graduate Recruit Program
Initial appointments under the Graduate Recruit Program will be made for a period up to 120 days. Initial appointments are expected to convert to permanent, contingent upon the participant’s successful performance, completion of all degree requirements, and availability of funding. Those students who return to school to complete their advanced degree program may be eligible for a permanent position once they obtain their degree.
About CRS
CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress, CRS experts assist at every stage of the legislative process—from the early considerations that precede bill drafting, through committee hearings and floor debate, to the oversight of enacted laws and various agency activities.
CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees.
DUTIES
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) seeks a Research Librarian for the Research & Library Services Section of its Domestic Social Policy Division. The section broadly supports the work of Congress in issue areas including income security, veterans’ benefits, health care, education, labor, housing, child welfare, and nutrition assistance.
This Research Librarian position is expected to provide research and library services to CRS policy analysts and congressional clients, focusing on issues related to support for children and families, nutrition assistance programs, and healthcare.
Candidates earning a Master of Library Science (MLS) or equivalent degree and background working in a library, information center, or research organization are especially encouraged to apply.
The research librarian position carries promotion potential to the GS-13 level.
Library employees must be fully vaccinated by Monday, January 3, 2022. New hires must be fully vaccinated by the date of their appointment.
Employees are considered fully vaccinated when it has been at least two weeks since they received the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna) or the single dose of a one-dose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson/Janssen). At this time, booster shots are not necessary to be considered fully vaccinated.
New hires will be required to show proof of vaccination their first week of work.
Upon request, employees must provide proof of vaccination to the Health Services Division.
Consistent with applicable law, the Library will consider individual exceptions to the vaccination requirement based on an employee’s medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Employees with an approved exception will be subject to weekly testing and other COVID-19 safety protocols as directed, including, for example, wearing masks and social distancing.
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 drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.
Who may be considered:
Graduate students and Library of Congress employees who meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
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GS-09 Grade Level |
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Two years of progressively higher level appropriate graduate education leading to a master's degree, OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR One year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level in the federal service or at a comparable level of difficulty outside the federal service. |
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ADDITIONAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR LIBRARIAN POSITIONS |
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GS-09 Grade Level |
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Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education in library or information science, OR master’s degree in library or information science or equivalent graduate degree related to the position, OR enrollment in a master of library or information science degree program or equivalent graduate degree program with one year of relevant work experience equivalent to the GS-07 level. |
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND ABILITY REQUIREMENTS
The critical knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs), gained through education, experience and/or training, needed to successfully perform the duties of the position:
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GS-09 Grade Level |
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KSA #1: Prior Background and Experience / Ability to Apply Knowledge of Research Resources in Domestic Social Policy** The ability to apply knowledge of research resources in domestic social policy such as databases, directories, statistical compilations, federal government agency websites, government documents, and legal documents. This includes the ability to select resources by weighing the relative value of the resources for research projects. |
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KSA #2: Ability to Conduct Information Research** The ability to conduct information research projects. This includes: (1) identifying, proposing, developing, and executing specialized research projects; (2) collaborating and consulting with internal and external subject specialists to develop and improve the projects; (3) executing a research methodology, assessing the progress of research and developing and revising a methodology as needed; and (5) assuring a research methodology is transparent and results are accurate, objective, and responsive in preparation for movement of a product through a review process. |
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KSA #3: Ability to Communicate in Writing** The ability to write a variety of documents (e.g. reports, memoranda, email responses) in anticipation of or in response to the needs of internal and external clients. This includes: (1) designing, writing, and editing products that described the findings of research projects and may contain abstracts, methodological descriptions, summaries, charts, graphs, and tables; (2) organizing the content of a product to serve the needs of a client; (3) co-authoring products in collaboration with colleagues; (4) incorporating comments by reviewers or stakeholders during a review process; and (5) updating products to maintain accuracy and currency. |
You must submit a legible copy of your college/university transcripts to your online application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts will be required if selected. Failure to submit the required legible documentation at the time of application will result in disqualification of your application.
Foreign Education – Education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed equivalent to conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. If your college/university is outside the U.S., your transcripts must be accompanied by a report from a credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE). Failure to submit a foreign education evaluation report will result in disqualification of your application.
Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.
The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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. Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of EEO/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.
The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.
Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.
A “Not to Exceed“ (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date. However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints.
Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
A complete applicant package will require applicants to: 1) provide responses to a vacancy questionnaire 2) submit a resume and 3) attach transcripts (official or unofficial) of all completed graduate courses or a self-prepared course list showing grades and the number of credits received.
Completed application packages will be forwarded to a panel of CRS staff that will first assess applicants against basic eligibility and general education requirements of the position. An evaluation panel will then assess the degree to which candidates meet the critical knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to perform the duties of the position and offer the better qualified candidates an opportunity for an interview in person, by telephone or by other telecommunications means. In addition to the critical KSAs listed above, the following competencies will also be addressed during the interview:
Finalists may be required to submit a writing sample related to their academic discipline.
It is recommended that you review your application to ensure it contains the following items:
Incomplete applications will not be referred to interview officials and will be disqualified from further consideration.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Carefully follow instructions under the How to Apply tab.
You are required to apply online. We are unable to accept mailed, faxed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes.
Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. The Library of Congress will NOT be able to access your Social Security information.
Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. It is recommend that you go to the Qualification and How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer when you get to 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.
Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions.
Step 5: Hiring Management offers two 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. two undergraduate transcripts from different schools), be sure 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 must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
If you have questions or experience technical difficulty, you MUST CONTACT Carmen Reese at CRSGraduateRecruit@crs.loc.gov or (202) 707-6275 no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT of the vacancy announcement closing date.
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.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/626809500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Library of Congress serves the Congress in fulfilling its duties and preserves and promotes knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people. It is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the world's largest library, with more than 158 million items in its physical collections (including books, manuscripts, prints, photos, film, video, and sound recordings) and over 37 million items online. Located primarily on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the Library is the home of the U.S. Copyright Office, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Law Library of Congress, and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
