The Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library seeks to hire for the position of Learning Resource Specialist. We are looking for someone with the knowledge, creativity, and enthusiasm to create asynchronous learning tools that draw educators and general audiences into the collections of the Leventhal Center and themes of geography, social studies, and place-based history.

The Leventhal Center’s educational mission seeks to foster geographic perspectives on the relationships between people and places. The Education team focuses on teachers and learners from the Kindergarten through university levels, offering a suite of programs, services, and resources that support geographic education.

About this role

The Learning Resource Specialist will create content that engages and informs digital audiences, with an emphasis on K-12 educators. The Learning Resource Specialist will maintain and revise existing resources, such as lesson plans, primary source sets, collection guides, and other materials, while collaborating on the development of new tools. The Learning Resource Specialist joins the Education team at a time of growth and will play a key role in broadening the Leventhal Center’s impact.

Upon hire, the Learning Resource Specialist will collaborate with the Director of Education on a year-long revision of existing educational resources for K-12 educators.

Key Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Director of Education, expanding online resources for educators in alignment with national trends and curriculum standards in K-12 education.
• Managing K-12 educator online resources, including researching, designing, writing, and evaluating lesson plans and map resources while upholding quality and relevancy to K-12 teachers
• Expanding audience reach through the development of new online resources for adult visitors pertaining to exhibitions and collections
• Develop asynchronous resources for teaching general audiences about LMEC tools like Atlascope, American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO), and digital exhibitions

Additional Responsibilities

• Coordinate the Carolyn A. Lynch Summer Teacher Fellowship program, including offering constructive feedback to fellows and adapting final projects for broader use
• Serving as the initial contact for K-12 educators in need of support for asynchronous resources
• Leading and coordinating virtual programs that facilitate the broader and deeper use of online educational content, including conference presentations
• Liaising with vendors for digital products and technical development
• As part of the Education team, assisting with in-person programming as needed
• Assisting with special projects at the discretion of the Director of Education, as needed
• Other responsibilities as assigned

The Leventhal Center values independent initiative in all staff roles, and we will work to ensure that the Learning Resource Specialist will have time to conceptualize and pilot their own creative projects related to the Center’s collections and programs.

Skills and Qualifications

• Required Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent
• Required Demonstrated ability to create clear, engaging, and useful materials for K-12 using primary sources to support classroom teaching for learners of diverse backgrounds, ages, and familiarity with a topic
• Required Demonstrated ability to utilize appropriate digital tools and methods to engage online audiences
• Required Demonstrated ability to work independently and successfully manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously
• Required Willingness to learn new software tools and approaches as necessary
• Required Curiosity, collaborative spirit and an eagerness to learn new things in order to share that knowledge with others for their own discovery
• Preferred  Demonstrated knowledge, experience, and expertise with some aspect of the Center’s broad portfolio of topic areas, including (for example) historical geography; urban, regional, and environmental studies; civics; science and technology studies; place-based inquiry; museum and library collections; and/or community history.
• Preferred Ability to engage learners in synchronous lessons through video conferencing
• Preferred Familiarity with inquiry-based teaching methods
• Preferred A familiarity with geographic information systems (GIS) and their utility in classroom settings
• Optional Advanced degree in a related field

Compensation & Position Details

This is a full-time, salaried position, with an expected salary range of $52,000–64,000 annually according to experience and qualifications. The position is eligible for a full set of fringe benefits, including medical and dental insurance, employer contributions to a 401(k) retirement plan, life and disability insurance, and commuter benefits.

The Learning Resource Specialist position offers the possibility of a hybrid schedule and we will consider arrangements from 0.8 to 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent), depending on the qualifications of the candidate. The Learning Resource Specialist will be expected to be available to work in-person at the Central Library in Copley Square, at 700 Boylston St. in Boston.

There is no residency requirement for this position. Leventhal Map & Education Center employees report to the independent Leventhal Map & Education Center and are not covered directly by human resource policies pertaining to the Boston Public Library or City of Boston municipal employees.

This position is subject to a CORI background check.

Desired Start Date

Ideally no later than Monday, June 16, 2025, though exceptions may be made for a later start date in July 2025 for an exceptional candidate.

About the Leventhal Center

The Leventhal Map & Education Center is an independent, self-governing nonprofit organization in a long-term strategic relationship with the Boston Public Library. The Center stewards a quarter million geographic objects in the Library’s collections, and works to make them freely available to the public for research, interpretation, and engagement. Our collections range from fifteenth-century atlases to modern-day geospatial data sets. The Center creates original exhibitions hosted in its gallery space at the Central Library in Copley Square and promotes education on topics that explore the relationship between people and places.

As a mission-driven organization, the Center endorses the following values:

• Commit to integrity, excellence, respect in all our relationships, and professional library ethics (including the ALA’s Code of Ethics and the ACRL Code of Ethics for Special Collections Librarians)
• Listen to and include community voices, especially those who have been less represented
• Increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organization and our work with others
• Work to advance a more just and equitable society
• Keep our spaces and community services open, welcoming, and “free to all”

The Center places great value on an organizational culture in which staff members have the flexibility and openness to work with a diverse group of audiences, constituencies, and colleagues. Our work is committed to public service and to innovation that fosters positive change in the world.

To apply

Please submit the following via our online application.

• A cover letter of no more than two pages (PDF format)
• A CV or résumé (PDF format)
• An example of an instructional resource which the candidate has either sole authored or taken a lead role in producing. This can include lesson plans, websites, videos, or other digital teaching resources designed for asynchronous use. (PDF format; internal links to active web sites are acceptable)
• A list of 3 professional references, including telephone numbers and email. We will inform candidates before contacting references.

Additional material will be requested from semifinalist candidates.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled. For full consideration, please submit application materials by Tuesday, April 1, 2025 by 12:00 pm ET.

Apply online now

For more information

Contact info@leventhalmap.org for more questions about this job vacancy, or visit leventhalmap.org for more information about the Leventhal Center.