Chinese Canadian Library Weblog

The CIA Library is seeking trained, innovative, customer-service oriented librarians, particularly
those with East Asian, Chinese or Arabic language skills, to work in acquisitions, cataloging,
collection management, electronic resources, and interlibrary loan disciplines. The CIA regularly provides current information to the President of the United States and senior U.S. Government officials, and librarians contribute an essential role within this function by meeting the critical information needs of our various offices, sometimes on quite short notice, as well as through more traditional duties of the profession. In addition to working directly out of
its large Headquarters facility, librarians also have opportunities to relocate within other Agency offices, serving as resource experts for their particular needs. Our Library maintains strong working relationships with other Intelligence Community libraries and the Library of Congress, as well as with selected academic institutions and other resources.Responsibilities vary depending on assignment but may
include providing support of current intelligence
production, using a broad variety of classified and
unclassified resources in both electronic and
hard-copy formats; utilizing Agency and other
government or academic resources; training customers
in the use of electronic resources; providing a
variety of briefings to other offices on Library
services; participating in the planning of Library
marketing events; managing acquisitions and collection
development for hard-copy and electronic resources;
cataloging hard-copy and electronic resources; and
representing the Library while serving in selected
other Agency offices as a resource focal point. In any
of the above responsibilities, there are on-going
needs for direct application of East Asian, Chinese or
Arabic language skills.

Positions are in the metropolitan Washington, DC area,
with limited opportunities for temporary overseas
travel. In addition to salary and benefits, Librarians
with proficiency in an East Asian language, Chinese or
Arabic are eligible to earn annual language “bonus”
pay based on in-house language testing. Librarians may
also have the opportunity to take courses in
additional languages and area studies as well as other
relevant training. As a part of the screening process,
selected applicants will be sent a language
proficiency test.

Minimum requirements include a master’s degree in
library/information science from an American Library
Association accredited program. For those with East
Asian, Chinese or Arabic language skills, a general
professional proficiency is required. Excellent
interpersonal, writing, communications and customer
service skills are also needed.

All applicants must successfully complete a thorough
medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview
and an extensive background investigation. US
citizenship is required. To be considered suitable for
Agency employment, applicants must generally not have
used illegal drugs within the last twelve months. The
issue of illegal drug use prior to twelve months ago
is carefully evaluated during the medical and security
processing.

Interested candidates must apply through the CIA
website

Important Notice: You are interested in a position as
an overt employee—which means you can acknowledge
your affiliation with the Central Intelligence Agency.
But should you? There may be friends, family,
individuals or organizations who would be very
interested to learn that you are an applicant for or
an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may
not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot
control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to
exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing
your interest in a position with the Agency.