Operations Coordinator for Serials Acquisitions, Harvard Library, Cambridge, MA
Posted August 5, 2022
Description:
Information and Technical Services actively supports the teaching and research mission of the Harvard Library by managing monograph, serial and e-resource acquisitions, metadata creation, and metadata management for the Harvard Library.
As a member of the Serials Acquisitions & Management unit within the Electronic Resources and Serials Section, the incumbent provides timely access to Harvard Library collections by performing and coordinating a variety of acquisitions duties for serials and monographs in multiple languages and formats. Working under the supervision of the Manager of Serials Acquisitions and Management, the incumbent assists with day-to-day operations of the unit and helps to develop strategies for optimizing workflows.
Priorities will be set to maximize contributions to the overall goals of the Information and Technical Services Department of the Harvard Library. Due to the varied nature and volume of the work in ITS, all ITS staff may be called upon to contribute to work in any unit or team of the ITS department, as organizational needs warrant.
As part of this group, all members are expected to participate fully in collaborative efforts towards efficient workflow and problem solving. Staff may be called upon to apply their skills and/or receive additional training in order to contribute to work in other ITS units or teams as occasional, short-term needs occur.
Position Description
- Plans and prioritizes the daily workflow related to serials acquisitions and management responsibilities of the unit, develops routines, and communicates priorities accordingly to team members; maintaining related records and statistics.
- Initiates changes to systems and procedures and implements and executes approved changes; collaborating with manager and staff in planning and implementing of new projects, work initiatives, policies, and procedures, while serving as a principal source of information on established technical/professional and administrative policies and procedures.
- Coordinates projects for large-scale annual conversion of subscriptions to online only format, in support of Harvard Library’s Digital First Collection Development priorities.
- Suggests innovations and generates ideas for improving workflows and creating efficiencies.
- Contributes to and oversees special projects, including documentation, training, and statistics-keeping.
- Researches and resolves or assists staff with complex financial matters, including tracking payments in the Oracle online system, setting up vendors and running reports.
- Maintains relationships with vendors, for the purpose of placing complex orders, resolving problems, as well as monitoring and evaluating vendor performance and services.
- Acts as a resource for other staff resolving complex problems relating to: ordering, receiving, invoice payment, and resource management, including converting subscriptions to electronic format ; communicating professionally with external parties including vendors, publishers, bibliographers and financial personnel to achieve resolution
- Runs reports in relevant databases for the purpose of quality control, informing ongoing training, and identifying necessary projects for widescale data cleanup, related to serials acquisition & format conversion projects
- Participates in and supports processing serials order renewals, memberships, including payment and receipt of new materials, claiming missing items, and creation of prediction patterns for appropriate titles
- May act as liaison with other related library units within or outside the University.
- Assists in hiring, training, scheduling, and distributing work to other staff, temporary employees, or student workers. This might also include supervision of student workers.
- Contributes to the overall goals of the department as appropriate, including participation on special projects
Basic Qualifications
- High school degree required or equivalent education or work experience
- Minimum of four years of library work experience required in technical services, including skills with integrated library system and online bibliographic systems including familiarity with OCLC required; ALMA preferred
- Library acquisitions experience required
- Demonstrated facility with automated systems, including using online databases, working with spreadsheets and knowledge of file management techniques.
- Library acquisitions and serials receiving experience
- Demonstrated experience using technology to perform daily tasks and solve problems.
- Supervisory experience, including of students or other contingent workforce
Additional Qualifications and Skills
- College Degree strongly preferred
- Work experience in a production-oriented and technology-enhanced environment preferred
- Excellent customer service skills.
- Demonstrated flexibility and the ability to shift between multiple tasks effectively
- Demonstrated experience showing attention to detail and excellent organizational skills
- Must have excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills in English; familiarity with European or Middle Eastern languages desirable
- Ability to work productively and cooperatively in a diverse team environment, with flexibility and versatility in an evolving work situation required
- Ability to work independently to perform complex tasks while also performing repetitive work accurately with attention to detail
- Library acquisitions and basic cataloging experience strongly preferred
- Ability to meet project deadlines
- Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, organize diverse activities and complex workflows, and solve complex or time-sensitive problems
- Commitment to be part of a continuous learning environment, updating skills as required to perform job duties
- Academic library work experience highly desirable
- Financial experience a plus
How to Apply:
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