Curator of Published Materials, University of South Carolina, Columbia SC

Posted May 28, 2014

The University of South Carolina Libraries seeks applications for an innovative, collaborative, and service-oriented professional to serve as the Curator of Published Materials at the South Caroliniana Library. Reporting to the Director, this position is responsible for the daily operations of the Library’s Published Materials Division, which preserves and provides access to continuing resources, maps, monographs, and sheet music. Candidates should be able to demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills, a commitment to working in teams, interdisciplinary thinking and self-reliance, as well as an enthusiasm for the goals and mission of the Library.

Duties:

Work with Library administration, curators, staff, and patrons to establish goals and priorities for the Published Materials Division and to encourage innovation consistent with its mission.

Supervise and schedule full-time staff and student assistants/interns.

Provide reference service and research consultations in person, by telephone, mail, and electronically with library users.

Provide course-based instruction on resources and research strategies.

Maintain the integrity of the collection by supervising processing, preservation, digitization, binding, interlibrary loan, and reproduction services.

Actively participate with the Director and Library special committees in developing new services and policies, planning and budgeting, and collection development.

Work closely with colleagues in and outside the Library to develop and produce digital publications, scholarly projects, and educational resources that showcase the Library’s collections.

Maintain relationships with appropriate academic departments and programs within the University to ensure that the collections, services, and facilities of the South Caroliniana Library’s Published Materials Division are aligned with the educational, research, and public service mission of the University of South Carolina.

Work collaboratively with faculty and staff to plan and implement educational programs such as symposia, lectures, exhibitions, and scholarly conferences that promote special collections and their use by the academic community and the broader public.

Interact with local and state organizations in areas of genealogy, history, and library/archives communities.

Saturday service shared among staff. Occasional work at other than normal hours will be required.

The University of South Carolina, founded in 1801, enrolls approximately 23,300 undergraduate students and 6,400 graduate students on the Columbia campus. University Libraries contains more than 3.5 million volumes, 1 million manuscripts, 325,000 maps, and 944,000 government documents; and houses the University’s special collections. University Libraries is a member of LYRASIS, OCLC, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Center for Research Libraries.

The South Caroliniana Library is one of the premier research archives and special collections repositories within the state of South Carolina and the southeastern United States as a whole. The Library’s collections are used by national and international scholars and students to interpret the history of the state, the South as a region, and the Atlantic coast community. Over 6,000 researchers visit each year, of which approximately half are from out-of-state. There are five research divisions within the Library: Manuscripts, Oral History, Published Materials, University Archives, and Visual Materials. There is an active digitization program through University Libraries’ Digital Activities Center. The South Caroliniana Library’s landmark building was the first freestanding college library in the United States and is the oldest continuously occupied academic library building in the country. It is a part of the University Libraries which also include Thomas Cooper Library, Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, Music Library, Business Library, Moving Image Research Collections, and Library Annex and Conservation Facility.

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a full-time, 12-month, unclassified, tenure-track, faculty status position with the rank of Librarian. Benefits include medical, dental, and state retirement or optional retirement plan.

Apply online at https://uscjobs.sc.edu (search by Requisition 007523). The cover letter, explaining the reason for your interest and qualifications, may be addressed to Chair, Curator of Published Materials Search Committee. Three references submitted must include names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. The writing sample is preferably an example of academic research writing. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on June 16, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled.

Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. USC is an EOE.

Qualifications Required: MLS from an accredited ALA library school; strong experience with reference services in a public service environment; proven supervisory experience; thorough knowledge of regional history as well as current professional archival policies and procedures; strong written and oral communication skills for interacting with researchers and making presentations to diverse audiences; familiarity with library preservation and conservation issues and practices, including digitization; and sound knowledge of issues relating to research in conjunction with teaching and publishing conducted by scholars, genealogists, and documentarians. Successful background check and credit check are required.

Preferred: Second graduate degree in related academic field such as American history or Southern studies; strong experience with online reference resources; knowledge of South Carolina history, literature, and culture; familiarity with genealogical resources; ability to function in and adapt to a rapidly changing professional environment; and record of achievement in grant writing.

NOTES:

Additional Salary Information: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.