Head, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA, Los Angeles CA
Posted December 13, 2013
Head, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Department: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Rank and Salary:
§ Librarian I – VII ($72,372 – $115,596)
Position Availability: Immediately
Application deadline is January 21, 2014.
Description of Institution and Library
One of ten University of California campuses, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is located in Westwood Village, approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica. Comprised of the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools UCLA has more than 4,000 faculty and academic staff and approximately 26,000 employees. Founded in 1919, UCLA offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and has more than 28,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate students. Academic excellence, faculty distinction, and a comprehensive curriculum are hallmarks of UCLA, which is a member of the Association of American Universities. Among the faculty are fourteen Nobel Laureates, twelve Rhodes Scholars, ten National Medal of Science winners, a Fields Medal Winner, eleven MacArthur Grant winners, and seventy-eight Guggenheim Fellows. UCLA is California’s largest university and is a model for public institutions of higher education. As the seventh largest employer in the region, UCLA generates almost $14 in economic activity for every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA and generates an annual $11.9 billion economic impact for the state of California.
Consistently ranked among the top 10 academic research libraries in North America, the UCLA Library is comprised of 10 major libraries and 11 library-wide departments including the Southern Regional Library Facility (the remote storage facility for the southern UC campuses) all of which report to the University Librarian. In addition, there are 12 affiliated library units located on the campus. There are approximately 105 librarians on the campus, and the UCLA Library has a staff of approximately 300, and approximately 400 – 500 student employees. The Library has an organizational structure that includes the use of teams in conjunction with departments and units. The library collection consists of more than 9 million volumes and more than 78,000 current serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection. The Library’s annual budget is in excess of $44 million; more than $10 million supports the acquisition of print and digital material, and the library is part of the California Digital Library. The UCLA Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).
The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, located twelve miles from the UCLA campus in the West Adams district of Los Angeles, is a non-circulating research collection of some 110,000 books and manuscripts, specializing in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century books (with a traditional strength in British studies), Oscar Wilde and the 1890s, the book arts (with an emphasis on California), French literature, and the history of Montana and the West. Erected in 1926 and since 1934 part of UCLA, the Clark is administered by the Center for 17th– & 18th-Century Studies, a statewide ORU (Organized Research Unit) within UCLA’s College of Letters and Science. In addition to the UCLA academic community, the Clark Library serves students and faculty from neighboring institutions, visiting scholars, resident fellows, and the general public. It participates actively in the public programs (conferences, lectures, concerts, theatrical performances, etc.) organized by the Center.
Position Duties
Reporting to the Director for the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and the Center for 17th– & 18th-Century Studies, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:
§ Supervises the work of 3 FTE professional librarians and 3 FTE library assistants. Co-supervises 1 FTE site manager, as well as a varying number of student assistants and temporary staff.
§ Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Library and monitors security procedures and policies to safeguard both the staff and the collections.
§ Works closely with UCLA’s Facilities Department as well as independent contractors to preserve and improve the historically significant library building and the property as a whole.
§ In consultation with the Director and the Faculty Advisory Committee, implements collection development policies based on traditional collecting strengths, recent trends in scholarship, and the current state of the antiquarian book trade.
§ Selects books and manuscripts for purchase from booksellers’ catalogues, auction catalogues, direct quotes, and bookstore visits.
§ Sets priorities for the cataloguing of all collections.
§ Oversees the preservation and conservation program for library materials.
§ Describes recent acquisitions on a regular basis for both the Center & Clark Newsletter and for the Faculty Advisory Committee.
§ Develops policies and procedures for the digitization of selected materials from the collection and public access to digital archives via the web and other means, in accordance with general university guidelines.
§ Oversees Reader Services and Acquisitions procedures, including introducing new readers to the Clark’s facilities, collections, and regulations.
§ Supervises reference services by phone, mail, e-mail, and in person.
§ Oversees the renewal of content on the library website to ensure effective outreach to the scholarly and general public.
§ Participates in tours for visitors interested in the Library’s history and collections, and makes presentations outside the University on the Clark and its role.
§ Assists the Director and the Assistant Director in planning activities and programs based around the Clark’s collections.
§ Participates in various standing committees operated by the Center for fellowships, Clark Quarterly Lectures, exhibitions and other lecture series.
§ Participates in the conferences and other public programs organized by the Center.
§ Takes the lead in crafting grant proposals and in a variety of fund-raising activities.
§ Takes a leading role in donor cultivation both for gifts in kind and for library-related funds.
§ Attends the University Library’s Management Council and other pertinent campus meetings.
§ Represents the Clark at various local, national, and international conferences, meetings, and professional organizations.
§ Maintains a current knowledge of the collecting interests of sister institutions in the greater Los Angeles area.
Required Qualifications
§ ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in Library or Information Science OR an advanced degree in an appropriate subject discipline with relevant special collections or archival training.
§ Five years of progressively responsible administrative experience in research libraries or special collections departments, including management of resources and personnel.
§ Knowledge of rare books, manuscripts, and the antiquarian book trade.
§ Demonstrated understanding of the scholarly use of library collections and services and of current developments in archives and special collections librarianship.
§ Demonstrated experience with providing reference and instructional services within a special collections setting.
§ Knowledge of current trends in digitization and other electronic resources issues, including experience with digitization projects and data curation.
§ Knowledge of current information technology as it applies to providing library service.
§ Knowledge of intellectual property issues related to archives, libraries, and special collections.
§ Evidence of a strong service orientation.
§ Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills to work effectively with culturally diverse library users and colleagues.
§ Demonstrated involvement in fundraising, including government and foundation grants and/or individual and corporate awards.
§ Proven success in project management that includes planning, developing, and evaluating programs and supervising personnel.
§ Experience and demonstrated skill in supervision, including hiring, orienting, training and development, organizing workloads, delegating responsibility, providing guidance and direction, monitoring and evaluating performance, coaching and counseling, and taking disciplinary action as necessary.
§ Demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty, students, fellows, visiting scholars and readers.
§ Experience with the evaluation and assessment of library resources.
§ Excellent organizational, time, and project management skills.
§ Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively both as a team member and independently and to promote teamwork among colleagues.
§ Demonstrated expertise in scholarly writing and research.
§ Demonstrated proficiency and capabilities with personal computers, software, the Web, and library-relevant information technology applications.
§ Capacity to thrive in the evolving environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
§ Commitment to professional issues, demonstrated through strong interest in local or national committee work, research, publication, etc.
§ Reading knowledge of at least two European languages, preferably French, German, Italian, Spanish or Latin.
Desired Qualifications
§ An earned doctorate in a relevant discipline.
§ Evidence of successful teaching experience at the graduate level.
§ Demonstrated experience with implementing new technologies in a special collections environment.
General Information
Professional librarians at UC are academic appointees. This is a non-represented position. Within the UC System, most librarians are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). As academic appointees, librarians are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. UC has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Relocation assistance is provided.
Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork, and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library, and/or university and community service, and/or scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.
Subject to locating an appropriate department and a positive faculty vote, the incumbent may hold a 0% (without salary) adjunct faculty appointment in an academic department or program.
Application Procedures
Anyone wishing to be considered for this position should apply here: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/
Applications must include:
§ a cover letter describing qualifications and experience;
§ a current resume/vitae detailing education and relevant experience; and
§ the names and contact information for at least three professional references, including a current or previous supervisor.
Candidates should apply by January 21, 2014 to be considered for this position. UCLA welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks applications and nominations from women and minorities. UCLA seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.