What are the responsibilities and job description for the Associate Librarian for Collections position at Bowdoin College?
Posting Details
Title
Associate Librarian for Collections
Posting Number
S00950JP
Department
Library
Job Summary
The Bowdoin College Library seeks a creative, collaborative, and experienced leader for the position of Associate Librarian for Collections. Reporting to the Director of the Library, the Associate Librarian provides overall administration, vision, and strategic direction for the library’s collections and related services and plays a critical role in the mission and work of the library to support and advance teaching, learning, and scholarship. The ideal candidate for this position will be passionate about library collections, embrace the vital role they play in the academic life of the college, and be energized by the myriad stewardship challenges they present.
As the intellectual heart of the Bowdoin campus and serving as a major research resource in the state of Maine, the College Library is highly valued for its rich and extensive collections, outstanding staff, and vibrant spaces, including Hawthorne-Longfellow Library—the main library building—and three specialized branch libraries for music, art, and science. The Library Annex, located a short distance from campus, provides high-density shelving for 200,000 volumes in a climate-controlled environment designed to support long-term storage of materials. Bowdoin College Library develops its collections cooperatively and strategically with the libraries of Colby and Bates colleges, with which it shares a combined catalog (CBBcat). Along with e-resources, physical materials remain an integral component of the library’s collections and, as a founding member of the Maine Shared Collections Cooperative (MSCC), Bowdoin collaborates with over 40 academic and public libraries that, together, have committed to retain more than 1.5 million print books within the state. World-class special collections and a robust suite of ILL and document delivery services further the library’s mission to support teaching, learning, and the College’s active research environment. A team of Research Librarians provides specialized reference services, course-related instruction, and individualized consultations through an effective and expanding research and instruction program and works collaboratively with faculty to support the development of new strategies for teaching, learning, and scholarship. In line with its goals to address the ways in which structural racism has permeated long-standing library practices, the Bowdoin Library is committed to developing diverse and inclusive collections that represent the voices and experiences of BIPOC and other marginalized communities and to applying critical cataloging methodologies to materials description.
This position:
- Oversees the selection, acquisition, description, stewardship, and promotion of the library’s collections, which are developed to support the college curriculum and faculty and student research.
- Manages a team of seven staff devoted to acquisitions, e-resource management, cataloging, and conservation, including four direct reports (the Head of Acquisitions, Head of Cataloging, Course Materials and Library Collections Specialist, and Conservation Technician).
- Coordinates the collection-related responsibilities of six Research Librarians.
- Negotiates purchase and renewal terms of e-resource subscription packages with vendors and works closely with CBB colleagues to manage the consortial collections program.
- Leads collection space-planning efforts in all libraries, coordinating closely with Access Services.
- Oversees the library’s acquisitions program for course-related materials and the campus textbook adoption process for faculty.
- Oversees the library’s materials budget in conjunction with the Library Director and provides expertise in collection assessment and analysis, and in project management.
- Responds to the emergence of new disciplinary areas of study and supports new and evolving methods of scholarship and strengthens partnerships with faculty.
- Participates actively in strategic planning and priority-setting as a member of the Library Leadership Team and serves as a member of the Governing Board of the Colby, Bates, Bowdoin Libraries consortium (CBB).
Education/Skills Requirements
Required:
- A Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library program or an advanced degree in a related discipline.
- Strong leadership and management skills and a commitment to proactive high-quality library service.
- Demonstrated understanding of the key issues and current trends in higher education and the liberal arts college environment and in scholarly information, digital publishing, and open access.
- Extensive knowledge of collection services and management strategies, practices, and analysis tools.
- Excellent communication, organizational, analytical, and project management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work successfully both independently and collaboratively and to build strong relationships across and beyond organizational boundaries.
Experience Requirements and/or Equivalents
Required:
- A minimum of five years of experience in an academic library, including evidence of progressively responsible participation in the selection, analysis, and management of information resources.
- Supervisory and management experience.
- Demonstrated understanding of best practices and current trends in the selection, acquisition, description, and management of library collections.
- Experience with budget management, data analysis, and vendor negotiations.
- Demonstrated project management experience and success in team building and leading through influence.
- Demonstrated understanding of the role of library collections in support of the undergraduate curriculum and faculty research in a liberal arts setting.
- Evidence of active participation within the profession.
Preferred:
- Direct experience with the acquisitions or cataloging of library materials.
- Experience working with faculty in support of teaching and scholarship.
- Experience planning, developing and/or implementing digital collections of institutional-specific holdings.
Standard Work Days and Hours
This is an exempt position requiring time commitment necessary to satisfactorily complete job requirements. Hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Schedules may vary to meet operational needs.
About Bowdoin
Bowdoin embraces diversity in all forms, and the College is home to talented students, faculty and staff—with a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; religious beliefs; and gender identities, among other factors.
We encourage applications from candidates committed to the support of an inclusive campus community and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity. We value a community in which individuals of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to succeed.
Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine.
Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston.
We encourage applications from candidates committed to the support of an inclusive campus community and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity. We value a community in which individuals of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to succeed.
Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine.
Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston.
Shift
N/A
Employment Category
Full Time Year Round
FTE
1.00
Benefits Eligible
Yes
Pay Type
Salaried
Background Check Package Requirements
Administrative Staff Credit
Is driving a vehicle (e.g. Bowdoin vehicle or off road vehicle, rental car, personal car) an essential function of this job?
No
Is a pre-placement physical required for this position?
No
Posting Date
08/12/2022
Applications Accepted Until
Open Until Filled
Yes
Type of Posting
Internal/External
Special Instructions to Applicants
EEO Information
Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses.
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