Job Details

Law Librarian - Library - City Attorney's Office

The City Attorney's Office seeks a dynamic and forward-thinking Law Librarian to lead and evolve its legal information services. This role is a strategic position at the intersection of legal research, knowledge management, and innovation.

The San Francisco City Attorney's Office is an innovative, nationally-recognized municipal law office working to protect and advance the rights and interests of the City and County of San Francisco and its residents. With nearly 350 talented and dedicated employees, the Office provides exceptional legal services to the City's Mayor, Board of Supervisors, officials, and departments. Our work empowers City leaders with effective, responsive, and creative legal solutions and representation so they can deliver critical public services, and our affirmative advocacy enhances the lives and wellbeing of San Francisco's residents and visitors.

The Office recognizes that diversity in the backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our employees enriches our workplace and enhances our work. We aspire to recruit, employ, retain, and promote talented individuals representing the full spectrum of our community, and welcome all candidates, including candidates of any race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and age, and candidates with disabilities. To learn more about the Office's efforts to provide an inclusive workplace where employees feel they belong and can meaningfully contribute, please visit: .

The Office offers a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees.

To learn more about the City Attorney's Office please visit our website.

Job Description

The Law Librarian serves as a trusted advisor to attorneys and professional staff across all practice areas, ensuring seamless access to legal resources while driving the Office's transition toward a modern, primarily digital research environment. With responsibility for shaping collections, negotiating high-value vendor contracts, and guiding research strategy, the Librarian plays a critical role in enabling high-quality legal work on behalf of the City.

The library maintains a presence in both San Francisco City Hall and Fox Plaza, with a clear mandate to thoughtfully streamline physical collections and expand digital access. This is an opportunity for a librarian who is energized by change, technology, and the chance to build a best-in-class legal information program.

Law Librarian Responsibilities The responsibilities below reflect the breadth and impact of this role and may evolve over time.

• Lead the strategic direction of the Office's legal information resources, aligning collections with evolving practice needs.
• Develop and manage the annual library budget, balancing cost control with high-quality resource access.
• Evaluate resource usage and emerging tools to optimize subscriptions, with a strong emphasis on digital transformation.
• Make data-informed recommendations regarding renewals, cancellations, and new acquisitions.
• Oversee both digital and physical library collections, including ongoing efforts to reduce print and streamline access.
• Manage distribution of materials such as desk copies, newsletters, and other resources.
• Ensure efficient processing of acquisitions, renewals, and invoices.
• Lead negotiations with legal information vendors, securing favorable terms and maximizing value.
• Manage contracts, subscriptions, renewals, and invoicing in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Contribute to Office-wide knowledge management initiatives, including the evaluation and implementation of emerging technologies such as generative AI tools.
• Identify opportunities to improve access to institutional knowledge and research efficiency.
• Design and deliver engaging training programs on legal research tools and best practices (in-person, virtual, and asynchronous).
• Develop user-friendly guides, newsletters, and intranet content to promote awareness and effective use of resources.
• Provide onboarding support to new employees, ensuring immediate and effective access to research tools.
• Conduct sophisticated legal and non-legal research in support of attorneys and professional staff.
• Partner with legal teams to develop efficient, cost-effective research strategies.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on legal research platforms, tools, and methodologies.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications Education M.L.S., M.L.I.S. or equivalent degree from an ALA-accredited school Experience One year of experience as a librarian or conducting legal research Legal research experience must include case law, statutes, regulations with use of major legal databases (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis)

Desired Qualifications Significant professional experience as a law librarian, preferably in a law firm, government, or similarly fast-paced legal environment. Demonstrated expertise in managing legal information resources, including vendor relations, acquisitions, and collection development, with a strong understanding of cost control and value optimization. Deep familiarity with major legal research platforms (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law) and a broad range of digital legal and business information resources. Proven ability to evaluate and implement emerging technologies that enhance legal research and knowledge management, including an interest in and aptitude for tools such as generative AI. Experience developing and delivering effective training programs and user education initiatives across a range of formats (in-person, virtual, and asynchronous). Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to assess organizational needs, analyze resource usage, and make data-informed recommendations. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to advise attorneys and professional staff clearly, confidently, and persuasively. Demonstrated commitment to collaboration and to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and service-oriented workplace. Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with a track record of managing multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects with accuracy and efficiency. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, exercising sound judgment and initiative in a dynamic environment. Proficiency with library systems and tools (e.g., ILS platforms such as Koha, LibGuides) and standard business applications, including Microsoft Office and web-based information services. A proactive, curious approach to professional development, including staying current on trends, products, and best practices in legal research, librarianship, and knowledge management.

Physical Requirements Able to lift boxes up to 25 pounds, crouch and reach to reshelve items, and push/pull a wheeled cart loaded with books.

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 .

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 The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.

Additional Information

Salary and Benefits The Law Librarian position has a 5-step salary scale ranging from $127,400 to $154,804. The successful applicant is appointed to a salary step based on years of experience and additional relevant degrees, certifications, credentials or skills. The City offers robust health, retirement and other benefits. For more information please visit: . Job class 8151 is represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 21. Information about compensation and benefits is available by entering Classification Code 8151 at .

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