Posted to IASSIST on: 2006-10-02
Employer: Yale University Library
Employer URL: http://www.library.yale.edu/
Description
The University Library is a highly valued partner in teaching and research at the heart of the University. It has more than 12.5 million volumes housed in the Sterling Memorial Library and 21 school and department libraries, as well as a vast range of special collections that together make it one of the world’s leading research libraries. It employs a dynamic and innovative staff of some 600 FTE who have the opportunity to work with the highest caliber of faculty and students, participate on committees and be involved in other areas of staff development. A full spectrum of library resources, from rare books and manuscripts to a rapidly expanding network of electronic resources, constitutes one of Yale’s distinctive strengths. The Library is engaged in numerous ambitious projects such as the renovation of the main library building and various automation projects, which include network access to scholarly information and preservation imaging.
The Yale Library seeks a creative leader to manage and transform the delivery of the many social science and management information resources and services available to Yale’s faculty and students. At a time when new information technologies and services are changing the nature of teaching and research in the social sciences, the Director of Social Science Libraries and Information Services must envision and aggressively implement innovative and responsive services for the use of textual, numeric, geographic and other kinds of social science information located at Yale and elsewhere. The successful candidate will find at Yale an invigorating environment in which to pursue these goals. Yale’s faculty and administration have demonstrated long-standing support for the Library and they have embraced ambitious plans for the development and use of information technologies that the Library has developed in partnership with Yale’s Information Technology Services
The Director of Social Science Libraries and Information Services is responsible for cultivating close collaborative relationships with the faculty, students and researchers in Yale social science departments, the School of Management, and related academic programs and research centers; building, coordinating and improving access to Yale’s rich and varied social science collections, including government information, economic growth and data archive materials; guiding the growth and development of networked information for teaching and research; and strengthening the alliance among the Library and various campus computing organizations, particularly Yale’s Statistical Laboratory.
The Director of Social Science Libraries and Information Services will administer the staff and resources of Yale’s Social Science Library and its affiliated units, including the Government Documents and Information Center and the Seeley G. Mudd Library. The staff includes 7 librarians and 15 library assistants, plus student workers. The duties of the Director encompass programmatic planning, personnel management and staff development, budget administration, collection and resource development, facilities planning, oversight of technical processing and document delivery, and education and research services, including circulation, instruction in access to library and information resources, and reference. The Director articulates departmental goals and objectives and provides leadership in configuring effective library and information services and collections for the social sciences, including the life cycle management of digital assets in the social sciences at Yale University. The Director facilitates and promotes the effective collaboration and teamwork of multiple levels of employees and units in a diverse workplace.
The Director serves as Library liaison for the international studies and international relations programs through the Macmillan Center for International and Area Studies, is an Ad Hoc member of the International Affairs Council, serves as Library liaison to political science or another academic social science department, and is responsible for the growth and development of the Economic Growth Center collection. The Director of Social Science Libraries and Information Services is also responsible for creating strong partnerships with Library curators and bibliographers, with the heads of departments in the Library, the digital library initiatives, the Office of International Students and Scholars, and other social science information service professionals and organizations around the world. The Director contributes to the effective planning and management of Library-wide operations through various activities, including participation in the Library’s Management Council, and engages in University wide planning and operations activities as appropriate. The Director reports to the Associate University Librarian for Integrated Library Systems and Technical Services. The Director is expected to remain current with and anticipate developments in social science research, methodology and scholarship and to participate actively in professional organizations in librarianship or information science.
- An advanced degree in the social sciences, an MLS from an ALA-accredited library school, or equivalent combination of relevant experience and training.
- Eight years of professional experience with demonstrated administrative and managerial achievement.
- Creative and dynamic leadership abilities, including flexibility, openness, motivation, encouragement, and teamwork.
- Strong service orientation.
- Excellent grasp of the information needs of social scientists and business faculty of the application of information technologies, including an awareness of current developments and trends.
- Excellent analytical and organization skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work well independently and with others in a rapidly changing and demanding environment.
- For appointment at the Librarian V level, minimum of twelve years professional library experience and demonstrated professional accomplishments.
Archived on: 2006-12-30