Digital Projects Program Director

Description

Digital Projects Program Director

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Collection Services, this is a new department head level position offering the opportunity to lead the Libraries in building digital services and collections. The successful candidate will combine the technical skills necessary to build digital collections with the management and leadership skills necessary to build a service that requires input and expertise from across the Libraries. This person will work closely with special collections and archives, cataloging and metadata, and systems staff and librarians to manage the network of skills needed to provide digital collections of value to the Libraries and the University. Projects include digitization of special collections and archives collections, electronic theses and dissertations, digital repositories for the intellectual output of the University community, and preservation of born digital materials. Responsibilities include review, approval and prioritization of digital project proposals from throughout the organization; documentation of policies, procedures and standards relating to digital services; vendor liaison; and representation of the Libraries in consortia such as the Texas Digital Libraries.

The UH Libraries recently adopted a set of strategic directions (http://info.lib.uh.edu/strategic_directions.pdf) and we seek individuals who will be interested in supporting and implementing this plan. The Libraries support the ongoing professional development of librarians and our goal is to recruit librarians committed to continuous learning. Librarians hold academic ranks pursuant to the University of Houston Librarians’ Governance document. They are expected to develop a record of service and professional involvement.

Qualifications: Required: Masters degree from an ALA-accredited program; demonstrated excellent communication skills and strong service orientation. Knowledge of and experience with the software/hardware applications as well as the technical and metadata standards used in organizing and presenting digital information. Ability to work in a team-based environment. Preferred: Experience with the ExLibris’ digital asset management system Digitool.

Salary: $64,000 to $70,000 anticipated hiring range, depending on qualifications. Excellent benefits package, including health coverage; choice of retirement programs including TIAA-CREF; tax-deferred annuity program available; release time to take a class up to 3 hrs/week; no state or local income tax.

Library Information: The Libraries offer public access to over 300 databases on more than 260 workstations. The Reference and Information Desk serves a diverse mix of traditional and nontraditional students, the greater university community, and a variety of non-university constituencies. The UH Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance, and the Texas Digital Library Alliance. They hold over 2 million volumes and have a current materials budget of $6 million. Total staff includes 48 professionals and 120 support staff. Additional information available at: http://info.lib.uh.edu.

General Information: The University of Houston campus comprises 13 colleges and schools offering close to 80 degree programs with an enrollment exceeding 35,000 students, 7,200 of whom are enrolled in graduate studies. Reflecting the multicultural community of metropolitan Houston, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse research university campuses in the nation.

Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, offers all the cultural and recreational opportunities of a great city and is within easy reach of the Gulf of Mexico. It enjoys a very reasonable cost of living and was rated eighth among livable North American cities by Places Rated Almanac. Kiplinger recently ranked Houston as no. 1 in its 2008 survey of best cities (http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2008/05/2008-best-city-houston.html).

For additional information, including information about its housing market, flourishing arts scene, low cost of living, plus other interesting information, visit out Web site at: http://info.lib.uh.edu/houston/.

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Send letter of application, names and contact information for 3 references, and resume to John Lehner, Associate Dean for Personnel, Planning, and Systems, University of Houston, 114 University Libraries, Houston, Texas 77204-2000. Potential applicants seeking further information should contact John Lehner at 713-743-9801 or jlehner@uh.edu.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. MINORITIES, WOMEN, VETERANS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.