Head, Hardin Library Services, University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City IA
Posted July 16, 2013
HEAD, HARDIN LIBRARY SERVICES
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
(Specialist or Expert Librarian)
Position Description: Reporting to the Assistant Director, the Head, Hardin Library Services, provides leadership and coordination of operational aspects of the Library’s day-to-day activities. Oversees and coordinates the operations and staffing of Hardin Library’s three service desks. Monitors and assesses Circulation, Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery, Reference services and Collection Management/Stacks Maintenance. Develops education and training for staff. Directly supervises the Library Assistant supervisors in each unit. Serves on committees and contributes to the profession via scholarly efforts.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Provides oversight of the activities at Hardin Library’s three service points, including the Basic Skills Simulation Center, the Interlibrary Loan Department and basic stacks management
- Directly supervises 4 FTE Merit staff members (Access Services Supervisor, Reference Assistant, Interlibrary Loan Supervisor, and Collections Manager)
- Represents the Hardin Library within the University community and beyond regarding daily operations of the library
- Works with unit supervisors to establish policies, procedures, priorities and goals for Access Services, Collection Management/Stacks Maintenance, Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery, and Reference
- Troubleshoots any problems including user verification, vendors, etc. and works with University Libraries’ personnel as needed to resolve the problem
- Participates in Hardin Library activities and meetings
- Monitors and stays abreast of trends and practices in health sciences libraries, particularly in the areas of Circulation, Reserves, Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery, Collection Management/Stacks Maintenance, and Reference
- Evaluates aspects of Hardin Library services and identifies areas for improvement
- Provides research consultations for faculty, staff and students
- Serves as liaison to assigned colleges or disciplines
- Serves on committees at the five University of Iowa health colleges and affiliated hospital as requested
- Serves on University Libraries’ committees
- Contributes to and learns from the profession through professional organizations and publications
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library science program
- Experience with daily operations of an academic or health sciences library
- Experience supervising library assistants and/or students
- General knowledge of emerging trends in librarianship
- Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a team environment
- Demonstrated ability to work creatively in a rapidly changing environment
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace or community
- Three years of professional experience to qualify at the Specialist Librarian level plus demonstrated interest in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.
- Six years of professional experience to qualify at the Expert Librarian level plus evidence of continuing achievement, particularly at a national level, in an area or areas of professional interest that will enhance his/her value to the Libraries, the University, the profession of librarianship, or the scholarly community.
Desired Qualifications:
- 3 years or more of supervisory experience
- Experience providing reference, research and instructional services
- Experience or general knowledge of health sciences information sources
- Ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and priorities
- Ability to work with and think creatively about emerging as well as established technologies
- General understanding of the mission and functions of a research library and the information needs of academic users
- Demonstrated ability to work productively and sensitively with library and university colleagues, faculty, staff and students
Universal Competencies
- Positive Impact/Achieving Results: Ability to utilize existing resources and learning to achieve or exceed desired outcomes of current and future organizational goals/needs. Ability to demonstrate ethical behavior in diverse situations while producing results.
- Service Excellence/Customer Focus: Ability to meet or exceed customer service needs and expectations and provide excellent service in a direct or indirect manner. Ability to effectively transmit and interpret information through appropriate communication with internal and external customers.
- Collaboration and Embracing Diversity: Ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and civil manner while appreciating the unique contribution of individuals from varied cultures, nationalities, genders, ages, etc.
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences: The Hardin Library for the Health Sciences serves the combined information and research needs of the Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (including Graduate medical education and related allied-health education programs), and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The mission of the Hardin Library is to assist faculty, staff and students of the University of Iowa in locating quality information in support of education, research, and health care, and to preserve the scholarly record for the future. Additionally, the Hardin Library serves as a regional and outreach library within the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and serves the state through a number of electronic and traditional information services. The Hardin Library is the largest health sciences library in the state; its collection includes more than 360,000 print volumes and 2,300 serials subscriptions, primarily in electronic format.
The University of Iowa Libraries: The University of Iowa Libraries system consists of the Main Library, the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and a number of branch libraries. The Libraries has more than 5 million volumes including thousands of electronic resources and coordinates the development and maintenance of the University’s locally-created open access digital resources including the Iowa Digital Library, featuring close to a million digitized texts, images, and audio and video recordings, as well as Iowa Research Online, our institutional repository. Our Special Collections include over 200,000 rare books, ranging in age from the 15th century to newly created artists’ books.
Library systems are built on a mix of open source, locally developed, hosted services, and vended applications primarily from Ex Libris, OCLC, and Microsoft. The University of Iowa is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), ARL, OCLC, CRL, SPARC, CNI, CLIR, LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and Portico. The Libraries provides a program of support for professional development activities and its staff members are actively engaged in national cooperative efforts.
The University and Iowa City: A major research and teaching institution, the University of Iowa offers internationally recognized programs in a diverse array of academic, medical, and artistic disciplines, from otolaryngology to fiction writing, printmaking to space science, hydraulic engineering to dance. The University consists of a faculty of 2,000 and a permanent staff of 13,000 serving 30,500 students, more than 40% of whom are from out of state and close to 10,000 of whom are registered in graduate and professional degree programs. Approximately 9% of the University’s faculty and staff and 10% of its student body are members of minority groups, and 8% of the students are from foreign countries.
The University of Iowa is home to the Writers’ Workshop, the oldest graduate creative writing program in the country, and the blueprint for many of the creative writing programs that now thrive on campuses worldwide. It is also home to the International Writing Program where, since 1967, over a thousand writers from more than 120 countries have participated. The University has recently instituted a program in creative writing in Spanish. In 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City as a world City of Literature.
Iowa City is a community of some 68,000 people (more than 150,000 live in the surrounding area) with excellent educational, recreational, and cultural advantages. It is consistently cited in the national media as a city with an excellent quality of life. The city is readily accessible via interstate highways and a major airport is only 30 minutes away. The community is growing in its diversity; within the Iowa City Community School District, 33% of the students are minority, with 17% identifying as African-American, 9% as Latino/Hispanic, 7% as Asian-American, and .4% as Native American during the 2011/12 school year.
Salary and appointment: Appointment will be made at the Specialist (salary range $47,000 – $60,000) or Expert (salary range $55,000 – $76,000) Librarian level, depending on qualifications. Start date is negotiable. The University of Iowa offers an attractive package of benefits including 24 days of paid vacation per year, your choice between two retirement plans and two University of Iowa health insurance plans, dental insurance, pre-tax child and health care spending accounts, and additional options.
Application Procedure: To apply for this position, please visit the University of Iowa Jobs@UIOWA website at http://jobs.uiowa.edu. To help facilitate your application process, note the requisition number 62957. Applications must be received by August 22, 2013.