Head, Special Collections Technical Services

Description

Reporting to the Director of Special Collections, the Head of Special Collections Technical Services will manage a core of four full-time staff and will re-envision technical services operations in Special Collections. The position will be responsible for leading a new department in the creation of integrated workflows for accessioning, processing, cataloging, preserving, and digitizing Special Collections materials in all formats. The position will lead efforts to improve access to and discovery of special collections materials, including planning and implementing a collection survey, implementing a collection management system, establishing baseline standards for archival description, addressing archival processing and print cataloging backlogs, planning digitization workflows and projects, and initiating media migration projects. The position will be key in the Libraries' efforts to build skills and infrastructure for managing born-digital special collections materials. This position will collaborate closely with multiple departments, including Digital Collections and Discovery Services.

Responsibilities include providing leadership on technical services issues in special collections; establishing local policy and practice according to national trends, best practices, and standards; overseeing all workflows for acquiring, processing, and making special collections materials available; developing processing plans and priorities; ensuring timely access to and discoverability of all special collections materials; managing Special Collections stacks space; and gathering and assessing data about collections to foster continuous improvement of workflows and outputs. The incumbent will serve on Special Collections' Reference Desk and assist in the department's many outreach activities to the campus and community.

As a tenure-track library faculty member, the incumbent will be expected to work collaboratively with others; engage in scholarly activities; and provide service to the university, the community, and the profession in accordance with Libraries and University standards for promotion and tenure. The Head of Special Collections Technical Services will have demonstrated ability to work in a complex, changing environment with a positive, flexible, and innovative attitude, and he or she will have a proven capacity to work effectively and collegially in teams with staff at all levels as well as with faculty and students.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required: A Master's degree accredited by the American Library Association with coursework in archives; five or more years of experience working in a special collections or archives; two or more years of supervisory or managerial experience in a special collections or archives; demonstrated proficiency in archival theory and practice, especially accessioning, processing, and description, including minimal and basic processing strategies; demonstrated proficiency in using automated archival collections management systems (especially Archivist's Toolkit and its successor Archives Space); experience with DACS, EAD, MARC, and other library and archival descriptive and content standards; knowledge of basic preservation and conservation issues, including digital preservation; familiarity with current approaches to acquiring and managing born-digital holdings; knowledge of rights administration and management issues for special collections materials; superior written and verbal communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to work collegially within and across organizations; evidence of energy, creativity, initiative and commitment to professional growth; and a record of professional engagement and scholarship.

Preferred: Three or more years as a manager and supervisor of full-time staff in a special collections environment; experience providing reference services in a special collections; experience managing large, complex archival processing projects; experience working with born-digital archival materials; experience with collection survey projects; experience with digitization projects; experience implementing or migrating a collection management system; experience managing print materials in special collections; and experience, reputation, and scholarship record sufficient to meet criteria for appointment as a tenured faculty member.

SALARY RANGE
This is a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track position at Rank II or III (equivalent to an Assistant Professor or Associate Professor). Salaries are competitive with those at similarly situated institutions and dependent upon labor market. Position is contingent upon funding.

APPLICATION DETAILS
Submit a letter of interest, a detailed resume listing qualifications and experience, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references who may be contacted. Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience, with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications because this is the information on which the initial review of materials will be based. The review of materials will begin September 1, 2013, and will continue until the position is filled. Materials should be addressed to the Head, Special Collections Technical Services Search Committee Chair, and are to be submitted via on-line application at https://hrsearch.unlv.edu. For assistance with UNLV's on-line applicant portal, contact UNLV Employment Services at (702) 895-2894 or hrsearch@unlv.edu.