Associate Librarian for Systems and Digital Initiatives

Description

The Bowdoin College Library seeks applications for the newly created position of Associate Librarian for Systems and Digital Initiatives. The Associate Librarian will provide leadership, broad support, technical expertise, and day-to-day administration for library systems and technology. The ideal candidate for this position will be an individual who thrives in a dynamic, collaborative environment, recognizes the value of creative and innovative services, and possesses a forward-thinking understanding of the ways in which the library and library technologies can advance the academic mission of the college. 

As the intellectual heart of the Bowdoin campus, and serving as a major research library in the state of Maine, the College Library is highly respected for its rich 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 maintains an extensive and long-standing collaboration with the libraries of Colby and Bates colleges through the CBB consortium. The three institutions develop their collections cooperatively and provide access to materials through a combined catalog, CBBcat (Innovative Interfaces’ Sierra ILS). In addition to the ILS, the library manages an array of systems that support its operation and further teaching, learning, and scholarship—including ArchivesSpace, ILLiad, Digital Commons, Aeon, and CaiaSoft—and its staff is dedicated to developing creative solutions to thorny problems, with a goal to provide users with effective and efficient technology services. 

The Bowdoin Library strives to be welcoming and values inclusive excellence. In line with its goals to address the ways in which structural racism has permeated long-standing library practices, it is committed to developing, describing, and stewarding diverse collections that represent the voices and experiences of BIPOC and other marginalized communities. 

Reporting to the Director of the Library, the Associate Librarian for Systems and Digital Initiatives is responsible for the administration and strategic leadership of the library’s extensive suite of technology services. The Associate Librarian manages the Digital Initiatives Group (DIG), charged with overseeing the library’s hardware, software, servers, websites, and contracted technology services related to all aspects of operations, from acquisitions to discovery, including those that involve coordination across the CBB consortium and with Bowdoin Information Technology. In addition to directing the work of DIG’s two staff members, the Associate Librarian serves as the systems librarian, administering the integrated library system (ILS) and overseeing database maintenance and data integrity efforts; provides technical expertise for a variety of hosted services; and is responsible for ensuring staff training and development related to library technologies. The Associate Librarian will facilitate expansion of Bowdoin’s evolving digital library infrastructure and manage the implementation of a digital repository. The Associate Librarian serves as a member of the Library Leadership Team, ensuring that technology is at the forefront of the library’s strategic planning. 

Applications 

Further details and instructions to apply can be found on our online application:  https://careers.bowdoin.edu/postings/7019. First consideration will be given to applications that are received by March 26, 2021. 

Interviews for this position will be held virtually. 

For questions, please contact careers@bowdoin.edu