Director of Library and Information Technology

Description

Meadville Lombard Theological School (Unitarian Universalist) seeks an innovative and collaborative leader to serve as its Director of Library and Information Technology.  The successful candidate will lead strategic and sustained technological innovations, and will coordinate their operations and assessment. The Director will play a key role in improving collaborative user-focused information technology services that contribute to the success of Meadville Lombard students, faculty, and staff. The Director will be committed to leading, building and supporting an active, responsive, globally and socially engaged, twenty-first-century library.

A graduate theological institution, Meadville Lombard is academically rigorous, spiritually grounded, unapologetically progressive and deeply committed to teaching and learning for social justice and transformation.  Meadville’s innovative education model is a low residency program grounded in service learning and a three year integrated internship.  Students travel to Chicago four times a year for learning convocations and intensives in addition to regular contact with faculty and students through a variety of standard technology formats, including social media.  The successful candidate must have competency in functioning in a multi-racial, multicultural and theologically diverse learning and work environment.

Reporting to the Provost, the Director of Library and Information Technology is a full time 12 month exempt administrative position.  The Director functions as the individual responsible for providing information and resource services to Meadville Lombard Theological School’s students, faculty and staff, as well as UU religious professionals, the wider UU community and researchers.  The Director has close working relationships with the Faculty, the Vice President, Finance and Administration, the Director of Student Services, and the Director of Development and Communications, supporting the IT needs of all departments.

Job Responsibilities:

• Direct information technology strategic planning, building and goal-setting initiatives to enhance the Libraries’ effectiveness as an innovative learning and discovery center.
• Lead the faculty, staff and students in imagining library usage in the new milieu of a low-residency program that continues to serve students and their academic needs.
• Manage the administrative and instructional IT functions.
• Oversee contracted administrative IT tech support services.
• Teach digital and information literacy to faculty, staff and students, including digital inclusion.
• Guide the faculty in the integration of the use of technology in pedagogical design, curriculum development and online instruction. 
• Identify future steps for organizing, preserving, and making accessible the archive collections.
• Identify and secure, in cooperation with the Meadville Lombard Development staff, external funding support for Library and IT initiatives.

Job Qualifications:

• Masters in Library and Information Science from an ALA accredited program required.
• 1-3 years of experience working in libraries; applications from recent graduates are welcome.
• Experience in managing library automation and electronic resource systems.
• Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of IT principles, process, systems and standards. Deep understanding of technology trends in library services and in higher education.
• Conversant in community informatics – how information and communication technologies empowers or enables physical communities.
• Trained in community engagement and social justice.
• Knowledge and experience integrating the use of technology in pedagogical design, curriculum development, and online instruction.
• Expertise in varied library technology applications that can extend collections and services to non-resident learners; awareness of current and emerging trends in information technology.
• Archival experience is a plus.

The successful applicant will have excellent organizational, communication, problem-solving and time management skills; be active in professional activities/organizations; have a strong service orientation to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the scholarly community; and maintain an ongoing interest in learning new trends in library and information technology.  This person’s preference will be to work collaboratively as a part of a team and will be able to provide leadership in their area of expertise.  The successful applicant will share an appreciation for Unitarian Universalism, its values and its principles.

Meadville Lombard Theological School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages women, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The School is committed to enriching its educational experience through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.

Meadville Lombard Theological School offers a competitive salary and benefits package including spouse/partner/family insurance options.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and three professional letters of reference via email.

Send application materials to:

Dr. Sharon Welch

Provost and Professor of Religion and Society

swelch@meadville.edu