Head of Collection Strategies

Description

Washington and Lee University Library seeks a collaborative, innovative, and motivated manager to lead its newly refocused Collection Strategies team.

Reporting to the University Librarian, the Head of Collection Strategies provides strategic and operational management of the acquisition, description, access, and assessment of print and electronic resources. The Head is responsible for the leadership, management, and development of one faculty librarian, three library staff members, and several student work-study staff members. The position has responsibility for establishing transformative workflows that meet evolving needs in every stage of the resource lifecycle. Collection Strategies at W&L encompasses e-resources, acquisitions, cataloging, and proactive, deliberate collection development and management of collections supporting the undergraduate College and Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. The Head is a member of the collaborative Operations and Strategy Group, which shares responsibility for the overall management and direction of the library with the University Librarian. The successful candidate will have a strong and demonstrated understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially as applied to library collections. The Head will be a non-tenure track faculty member at the Assistant or Associate Professor rank. The appointment begins on or after July 1, 2022.

Washington and Lee University promotes a dynamic and inclusive environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to that environment and exhibit potential for excellence in librarianship and for vigorous scholarship. In keeping with the University Strategic Plan, we welcome applications from underrepresented minority candidates and members of other communities that are traditionally underrepresented in academia.

Washington and Lee University is a highly selective, independent, co-educational, liberal arts college of approximately 1850 undergraduate and 400 law students located in Lexington, VA, three hours southwest of Washington, DC. W&L is consistently ranked among the top 12 national liberal arts colleges. Established in 1749, it is the ninth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation. The University Library serves the undergraduate teaching, learning, and research programs, housing approximately 1.3M physical and digital items in roughly 100,000 square feet of public space. The $1.4M annual collections budget is supported through a combination of operating and endowment funds. The library is the home of W&L's Digital Culture and Information (DCI) minor program. Library faculty serve as initial and minor program advisors for undergraduates, participate in faculty governance, service, and scholarship opportunities, and may teach courses in DCI and other disciplines, . 

Essential and Related Functions:

• Leads, mentors, and encourages the Collection Strategies Librarian, Electronic Resources and Serials Manager, Cataloging Specialist, and Acquisitions Coordinator to foster an inclusive culture of user-centered service and collaboration and provides an environment that encourages staff in continual improvement, learning, and development of new skills to serve the university’s educational mission.
• Collaborates with library faculty and staff across the library and with faculty and staff across the University to further the University’s mission through the library’s collections.
  • Serves as the team representative on the library’s Operations and Strategy Group and other committees as appropriate.
  • Collaborates with colleagues in other library units on shared workflows, shared cataloging, management of user experiences in Primo VE, and resource selection and deselection.
• Manages library acquisitions, resource management, and collections assessment processes within the University Library.
  • Serves as the top-level advisor on technical process questions.
  • Coordinates licensing, negotiation, vendor communications and renewals inquiries.
  • Works with vendors on integration of new services for bibliographic records, electronic order records, electronic invoices, and investigate and implement new services/features, and contractual services.
  • Serves as an Alma administrator and assists in coordination of projects, new release features, and updates, focusing on acquisitions and e-resources, discovery, and analytics.  
• Serves as a faculty member of the College.
  • Participates in teaching activities of the library, which may include advising students and/or teaching credit bearing courses, among other opportunities.
  • Engages in pertinent ongoing service, research, scholarship, and/or creative activity as defined by the library’s Departmental Faculty Development Document.
  • Participates in professional development activities as appropriate to meet personal and departmental goals and objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the University Librarian.

Salary and Benefits

Minimum salary: $70,000 per year. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Washington and Lee offers an extensive range of health care and life insurance benefits, retirement options, educational assistance programs, and other programs and services to our staff and faculty. For more information, visit: https://my.wlu.edu/human-resources/benefits-and-paid-time-off.

Qualifications

1. ALA-accredited MLS or equivalent relevant terminal degree. Holding a terminal degree in a relevant field is a requirement of faculty status.
2. Minimum 3 years of professional or paraprofessional experience managing workflows and processes associated with the acquisition and management of physical and/or electronic resources, or collection development and management.
3. Minimum 3 years of experience with and demonstrated enthusiasm for supervising professional or paraprofessional library staff with the ability to prioritize development of employees.
4. Demonstrated leadership ability in applying principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion to library collection development and management.

The university requires employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and new employees must provide proof of at least their first shot prior to the first day of employment. Boosters are required. Individuals may seek a medical or a religious exemption to the vaccination requirement.