Head of Collection Development and Management, Smith College Libraries, Northampton, MA,

Posted November 6, 2020

Description:

Lead, manage, and coordinate print and electronic collection development and management for the Smith College Libraries. Supervise 7-8 staff responsible for the acquisition and cataloging of the library’s general print and electronic collection. In conjunction with the Director of Discovery and Access, oversee the Libraries’ materials budget of $4 million. Provide strategic direction for collection decisions based on data collection and assessment, curricular and research needs, and available financial resources. Coordinate Smith’s collaborative collection efforts within the Five Colleges and other shared print preservation initiatives such as EAST and HathiTrust.

Leadership:

Lead the Collection Services Department, including Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Electronic Resources. With senior library leadership, develop collections policies, establish long- and short-term programs, set goals and establish priorities, including allocation of staff and other resources. Provide leadership in developing and implementing collecting and fund management strategy in alignment with the College’s needs and the Libraries’ strategic directions. Chair of the Collection Development Working Group.

Collection Development and Assessment:

Develop, coordinate, implement, and assess current and long-range planning for collection management.
Collection Development: create and maintain a collection development policy for general collections, including print, electronic, media, and other resources and formats. Oversee an efficient and effective selection of materials in all formats, working closely with staff, liaisons, faculty, donors, consortia, publishers, and vendors. Track, adapt and adopt best practices for collection development. Lead SCL’s Collection Development Working Group in collaboratively developing and implementing collection policies.
Assessment: analyze, adapt, and respond to trends in publishing, pricing, scholarly communication, and the changing information needs of students and faculty. Conduct collection analysis and usage studies to inform planning and operations.
Fiscal Planning: ensure the effective and appropriate use of all funds in a materials budget of over 4 million. Create and maintain budget strategies for the general collection, e.g. reductions (5-20%), use of new gifts and resources, shifting funds to meet shifting collection needs such as print to electronic, and more.
Working with Five College partners, lead Smith’s efforts to formulate and implement cooperative acquisitions and retention programs across the Five Colleges and other library consortia. Responsible for regular assessment of on-campus collections to identify materials to transfer to off-site Annex storage. Lead or participate in Five College projects to facilitate collaborative collection development.

Technical and E-Resource Services:

Oversee cataloging for all general collections including print, born-digital, data, maps, media, and other formats
Create, adapt, and implement new cataloging protocols to be able to have the items easily searched and found in increasingly sophisticated digital catalogs and digital libraries.
Ensure metadata standards for born-digital and bibliographic materials are in compliance with library cataloging standards.
Review electronic resource contracts ensuring compliance and negotiates with vendors for short and long term access.

FOLIO, Open-source Library Services Platform, A Five College Library Collaboration:

Lead Smith’s efforts in the design, testing, implementation, and assessment of the FOLIO acquisitions, e-resources, and cataloging modules. Responsible for the transition to and implementation of these new modules.
Chair Five College FOLIO Working Groups

Outreach and Communication:

Provide effective and consistent communications with campus constituencies regarding the library’s general collections. Coordinate with librarian liaisons to academic departments and programs in keeping faculty informed of collections matters and selecting materials to support all programs and subject areas taught at Smith.
Collaborate with the Communications Manager and the Communications Committee in sharing information with the faculty, staff, and students on a variety of collections activities and outcomes including new resources, developments in Five College collaborations in creating a shared collection, raising awareness of opportunities for acquiring new formats such as data, and born-digital.
Represent Smith College Libraries through participation in local, state, or national organizations. Participate in conferences as a speaker and/or assisting with program planning.

Perform related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

(knowledge, skills, education, experience, certifications, licenses)

Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program
5 years of relevant professional library experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Supervisor experience required.

Skills and Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in collection development, budget preparation, and management.
Knowledge of collection development, library cataloging, and acquisitions procedures and processes.
Demonstrated ability to work flexibly, independently and collaboratively with colleagues and library users in a rapidly changing service environment.
Ability to take initiative, solve problems and prioritize work effectively. Awareness of new technologies and trends and their applications for library services.
Ability to effectively manage multiple and competing projects and priorities.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Reading knowledge of one or more Western European languages desirable.

How to Apply:

The original job posting with full description can be found here. Please attach/upload a current resume and cover letter in order for your application to be considered for this position.

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2020.

This is regular position. Compensation is $64,367-$99,768, depending on experience.

About Smith College:

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is one of the largest women’s colleges in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

Smith College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Smith College seeks to attract individuals who are committed to our mission of providing the highest quality education to women. Smith College enjoys the reputation as one of the finest colleges in the country. This reputation, tempered by time and challenged by change, holds strong because of the dedicated work of our staff, faculty and administration.

We are a diverse group bringing to our community different talents, perspectives and experiences. Our strength arises from this diversity and is sustained by a community value of providing an outstanding educational environment for our nearly 2,700 students.