University Librarian, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Posted June 26, 2017
Following the decision to separate the roles of University Librarian and Chief Information Officer, Brandeis University invites nominations and applications for the position of University Librarian. Reporting to the Provost, the University Librarian will lead the Library in developing and advancing a vision for a strong campus identity in support of scholarship and research. The University Librarian oversees every aspect of the Library, and will be a collegial, visionary, and experienced leader with the proven ability to manage, develop, and advance the strategic vision of an academic research library, while successfully implementing operational details and managing staff.
Qualifications
A graduate degree is expected, either an advanced degree along with extensive library experience, or an MLIS with a combination of relevant library and academic experience.
The successful candidate will have superb written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
The successful candidate will demonstrate experience in many of the specific responsibilities of the position outlined below.
Specific Responsibilities
Support Teaching and Research. The University Librarian will advance the research and teaching mission of Brandeis University by supporting the discovery, creation, and dissemination of knowledge through scholarship, teaching, and outreach.
Innovate. The University Librarian will develop a vision to ensure that the Library embodies a model of modern librarianship. The University Librarian will develop meaningful goals for organizational accomplishment and assess outcomes on an annual basis.
Lead, Recruit, and Manage Staff. The University Librarian will recruit, develop, motivate, and evaluate a Library workforce in alignment with job expectations, professional roles, and the University mission. A central element of this responsibility will be to foster professional development and scholarship among Library staff. The University Librarian will develop a culture of inspiration and accountability among Library staff and will foster inclusion and diversity in recruitment and staff development.
Collaborate and Serve. The University Librarian will foster a culture of service in support of Brandeis University students, faculty, and staff. S/he will work closely with other University officials to prioritize and focus future library developments.
Foster External Partnerships. The University Librarian will serve as an ambassador and advocate for the library and will maintain and develop partnerships with other academic research libraries and regional and national library associations, including the Boston Library Consortium.
Oversee Library Finances. The University Librarian will function as the chief fiscal officer by monitoring financial and managerial reporting, by making sound fiscal decisions to the benefit of the Library and Brandeis University.
Application Process
Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Interested candidates should submit confidentially, in electronic form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files preferred), a curriculum vitae and letter of interest to [email protected]. Applications received by August 15 will receive full consideration. First and second round interviews will take place in the fall of 2017.
Nominations and inquiries should be directed to Professor Kate Moran, Search Committee Chair, [email protected].
Brandeis University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University not to discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status or any other category protected by law.
Background on the Brandeis University Library Complex
At the center of the Brandeis campus is the library. With about 50 dedicated staff members, the library supports research, teaching, and discovery throughout the Brandeis community. The Brandeis library partners with the community in the generation of scholarship, offering research services and instructional support, collections and access services, library systems services, a MakerLab, a digital media lab, and the University Archives & Special Collections Department, as well as community space.
The library owns approximately 1.85M physical and electronic books and serial titles, and leases an additional 240,000. Increasingly, the library has been expanding access to materials through participation in consortia, including the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust, the Information Delivery Services Project, and the Center for Research Libraries, in addition to our founding membership in the Boston Library Consortium. This gives members of our community ready access to 11.7M books and serial titles.
The Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections houses the gems of the Brandeis library. Special Collections consists of both rare books and original manuscripts. The rare book collection includes incunabula; books published in the 16th – 18th centuries on such subjects as history, English and American literature, philosophy, and Judaica; first and limited editions; and fine press publications. Book collections of note include the Baldwin Shakespeare collection and the McKew-Parr Collection on Magellan and the Age of Discovery. Special Collections also holds literary manuscripts of European and American authors such as John Cheever and Joseph Heller, as well as music collections and photographic collections. In addition, it includes collections of materials on the Spanish Civil War, left- and right-wing movements in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, twentieth-century anti-alien and anti-radical movements in the United States, and Zionism. The department also includes the papers of prominent political figures such as Louis D. Brandeis, Benjamin Disraeli, and Daniel Webster. Archives and Special Collections continue to acquire new primary source material for scholarship. Recent acquisitions include the Lenny Bruce Papers and the Lilith Magazine archive.
Altogether the library complex is approximately 187,000 gross square feet. The nearby Gerstenzang Library, formerly a separate science library, has been converted into a high-density storage space, contributing another 11,700 square feet.
About Brandeis University
As a medium-sized private research university with global reach, we are dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries. Four major academic units with 3,600 undergraduates and 2,050 graduate students comprise the University: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the International Business School, and the Rabb School of Continuing Studies. In 1985, Brandeis was elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which represents the 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Brandeis has been ranked among the top 35 national universities by U.S. News & World Report every year since the rankings’ inception. Our 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation. Our faculty are leaders in their fields, as passionate about teaching and mentorship as they are about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Our students are motivated, compassionate, curious and open to exploring new and challenging experiences.
Brandeis was founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian university under the sponsorship of the American Jewish community to embody its highest ethical and cultural values and to express its gratitude to the United States through the traditional Jewish commitment to education. By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity and freedom of expression.