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POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
POSITION: Chair, Department of Special and Area Studies
Collections
RANK: Associate University Librarian/University
Librarian
SALARY: $75,000 minimum; salary is
commensurate with education and experience
REQUISITION #: 0700062
DEADLINE DATE: Search will remain open until the position is filled.
Applicant submissions will be reviewed beginning February 15, 2007
Please note that this posting has specific instructions for the submission
of application materials (see below: APPLICATION PROCESS). Failure to
submit all of the required documents as instructed, may result in your
application not being considered.
JOB SUMMARY:
The George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida is seeking a
visionary, innovative, energetic, and creative librarian to lead the
programs of the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections. The
Department includes Rare Books, Manuscripts, University Archives, and
several named subject collections as well as African Studies, Asian Studies,
Jewish Studies, and Latin American Studies. See:
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/.
Reporting to the Director for Collections, this position provides leadership
for all aspects of special and area studies collections including collection
development; reference, instruction, and outreach services; organization,
maintenance, and preservation of collections; space management, staff
management and supervision; and the collaborative development of digital
library initiatives. The Chair works collaboratively with library colleagues
to assess strengths and weaknesses in the various collections, to determine
priorities, to establish policy, and to develop departmental service plans
that enhance and support the academic mission of the University. The Chair
may assume responsibility for developing, managing, and providing public
services for a specific special collection.
The Chair actively pursues development opportunities in both the public and
private sectors and serves as secretary and treasurer of the Howe Society (a
development group for the Department). The Chair will be a member of the
Libraries' management team (Library Council), sharing responsibility for the
overall strategic direction of the University Libraries. The ability to
publicize and expand awareness and use of the special collections, locally
and nationally, is critical to success in this position. The Chair will
actively contribute to public service activities, and guide the
publications, exhibitions, and public programming sponsored by the
Department. The Chair serves on appropriate University and Library
committees and pursues scholarly research and writing in areas of
specialization.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Works with the Gifts and Exchange Librarian to solicit and review
gift collections and to establish exchange programs for Jewish Studies.
· Establishes cataloging and preservation priorities for Judaica
materials. Makes storage, transfer, and deselection decisions for Judaica
materials.
· Participates in the reformatting and digitization programs to
ensure conversion of important items in jeopardy.
· Assists the Cataloging and Metadata Dept. in the copy cataloging of
Hebraica and selection of materials for outsourcing of cataloging services.
· Provides consultative services to the faculty and advanced graduate
students in Jewish Studies, usually by referral from public service areas or
by specific arrangement with the academic program area faculty.
· Develops and maintains a professional relationship with other
Judaica bibliographers, providing leadership at the national level in
various organizations.
· Participates in the Special and Area Studies Collections
departmental strategic planning process.
· Prepares collection assessment studies and defines resource needs.
· Participates in the Library's development program.
· Participates in the Library's exhibition program.
· Participates in the Library's research and publication program.
· Serves on Library and departmental consultative bodies as
appropriate.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
· An MLS/MLIS, or equivalent.
· An advanced degree in a subject relating to one or more of the
major collections within Special and Area Studies Collections.
· Five years of progressively responsible library and/or
administrative experience.
· Experience with fundraising and cultivating successful donor
relationships.
· Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills as evidenced
by successful collaborative work.
· Commitment to user-centered public services as demonstrated by
public programming, user education, and other community outreach activities.
Preferred:
· The candidate must demonstrate leadership and interpersonal
skills; excellent verbal, written, and planning skills; and an enthusiasm
for the substance of learning.
· Administrative experience in managing departmental teams of
faculty and support staff.
· Capacity to provide leadership in an environment of change.
· Progressive record of professional service and
scholarly/creative accomplishments such as funded grant proposals or
publishing.
· Experience in developing effective support groups.
· Demonstrated ability to work in a university community and to
view issues from a library-wide perspective.
· Commitment to staff development and cross department
collaboration and communication.
· Knowledge of issues, trends, principles and practices in special
collections including collection security, preservation, and electronic
records management.
· Familiarity with the history of books and printing and the
antiquarian book trade.
· Demonstrated knowledge of digitization practices and
technological applications related to special collections management and
access.
In general, we are looking for an individual who has the following
characteristics: flexible, self motivated, organized, approachable and
outgoing, creative, team player/participant, inclusive, consensus builder -
diplomatic, leadership skills, communicative, adept at solving problems,
proactive.
The University of Florida
The University of Florida is a large, land grant, public educational
research institution with a faculty of approximately 4,000 and a student
body of 48,000. It ranks third nationally in size of student body and
eighth nationally in the number of merit scholars enrolled in the freshmen
class. The University is a member of the Association of American
Universities and offers the Ph.D. in more than 90 fields and the Master's
degree in more than 120 fields. For more information please consult the UF
homepage at http://www.ufl.edu.
The University of Florida Libraries is a member of the Association of
Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, the Research
Libraries Group, and SOLINET. The library staff consists of more than 400
FTE librarians, technical/clerical staff and student assistants. For more
information about the Libraries, please visit http://www.uflib.ufl.edu.
Additional relevant information from a University level Future of the
Library Committee, including the recently completed report to the Provost,
can be found at
http://www.aa.ufl.edu/search%5Fcommittees/futureofthelibrary/
Special and Area Studies Collections encompasses two units: the Area Studies
Collections and the Special Collections of the University of Florida.
The Area Studies Collections are the Latin American Collection; the Africana
and the Asian Studies collections; and the Price Library of Judaica.
Special Collections include Baldwin Library of Historical Children's
Literature, the Belknap Collection for the Performing Arts, the P.K. Yonge
Library of Florida History, the General Manuscript Collection, the Rare Book
Collection, and the University Archives.
Benefits:
Twenty-two vacation days, nine paid holidays, and thirteen days sick leave
annually; retirement plan options; insurance benefits; tuition fee waiver
program; no state or local income tax.
Application Process:
The University of Florida is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly
committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. Applicants from a broad
spectrum of people, including members of ethnic minorities and disabled
persons, are especially encouraged to apply. As part of the application
process, applicants are invited to complete an on-line confidential and
voluntary demographic self-disclosure form which can be found at:
http://www.hr.ufl.edu/job/datacard.htm. This information is collected by the
University of Florida's Faculty Development Office to track applicant trends
and is in no way considered by the Smathers Libraries in the selection
process.
Please reply by e-mail. Send, as attachments (MS-Word format preferred), a
cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications, resume and list of
three references. Include address, telephone and email information for
references. Please include a 250-word essay on the topic "Developing
collections and services of Special and Area Studies Collections to enhance
and support academic programs." Successful candidates will offer a formal
presentation on this topic. The search will remain open until the position
is filled. Applications will be reviewed beginning February 15, 2007. All
inquiries and submissions of required application materials should be sent
to Brian Keith, Smathers Libraries Human Resources Officer, at:
brikeit@uflib.ufl.edu.