Head of Special Collections, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA

Posted June 1, 2016

Under the direction of the Librarian, the Head of Special Collections is responsible for the effective and efficient management of all aspects of manuscripts, archives, rare books, and historical collections workflows. She or he plans, implements, and manages departmental projects while leading and managing two FTE professional staff and additional student assistants in description, arrangement, preservation, digitization, outreach, exhibit curation, and reference activities.

The Andover-Harvard Theological Library (AHTL) welcomes applications from collaborative, team-focused library professionals who will enthusiastically lead operations to build, describe, preserve, and promote its deep and remarkable special collections.
Description of duties:

• Manages daily operations of all special collections activities; sets annual and long-term departmental strategic goals
• Develops priorities, workflows, and policies for ongoing projects related to: collection development for physical and born digital collections; conservation and digital preservation; description, arrangement, cataloging, and storage
• Participates in reference and research activities related to special collections
• Participates in and promotes outreach activities to multiple communities
• Solicits and selects materials donations appropriate for special collections; develops and maintains donor relationships
• Establishes and communicates policies related to special collections security and environmental conditions for collection storage and access
• Represents AHTL on Harvard Library, regional, and national committees
• Participates in and supports departmental staff in continuing education and professional development opportunities (e.g. conferences, workshops, webinars) to maintain and develop required skills; cultivates awareness of special collections trends and best practices, assessing and integrating these as appropriate
• Guides online presence for AHTL special collections

Harvard Divinity School’s Andover-Harvard Theological Library (AHTL) holds 85,000 volumes of rare books and pamphlets, including early Hebrew, Latin, and Greek bibles, first editions of Luther, Calvin, Melanchthon, Zwingli, and other reformers, 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Latin tracts, early editions of the works of the New England Puritans, and extensive holdings of works by 19th and 20th century Unitarians and Universalists. In addition, AHTL is the authorized repository for the archives of the Unitarian Universalist Association and holds major archival collections related to Unitarian Universalism. It holds the papers of Harvard Divinity School faculty members, the informal records of Harvard Divinity School, and other collections that support the School’s mission to be a major resource in global religious studies.

Basic Qualifications:

Master’s degree in Library/Information Science from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited library school. At least three years of supervisory experience within a special collections environment. Experience in the digital preservation of archival materials or rare books. Experience with descriptive standards (e.g., EAD, DACS, Dublin Core, RDA, DCRM).   

Additional Qualifications:

Academic study in the field of religion or history. Reading knowledge of at least one European language (preferably German) and Latin. Project management experience, demonstrating ability to prioritize, plan, and execute projects successfully. Demonstrated management of or participation in outreach activities. Demonstrated experience in cross-departmental or cross-institutional collaboration.

For more information and to apply, visit http://hr.harvard.edu/jobs/ and search ID number 38784BR