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Director of Collections Strategies, Harvard College Library (apply by March 15)

  • 1.  Director of Collections Strategies, Harvard College Library (apply by March 15)

    Posted Feb 02, 2017 10:38 AM

    The Harvard College Library is currently seeking candidates for the position of Director of Collections Strategies. 


    To learn more or apply for this role, please visit:
    http://hr.harvard.edu/search-jobs


    After selecting Administrative/Staff Jobs (either internal or external), click ‘search openings’ and then enter ‘41108BR’ in the Auto Req ID Field.


    The Harvard College Library (HCL) is world renowned for the quality and comprehensive nature of its global collections. Today, HCL, a member of the Faculty of Arts and Science Libraries and a constituent of the Harvard Library, considers a wealth of strategies to anticipate and meet the intense information needs of Harvard’s academic community. The Harvard College Library seeks an innovative, knowledgeable, and agile Director of Collections Strategies to direct the work of librarians and staff in building information resources in a diverse array of formats and languages for Harvard faculty and students.


    The HCL budget for acquisitions and licensing of a wide range of resources exceeds $20 million. There is a strong focus on global material, with outstanding holdings in Chinese, Judaica, Latin America, the Middle East, and Slavic languages well as Europe and the U.S.


    The incumbent will report to the Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources, who oversees HCL collection development, Information and Technical Services, and the Office of Scholarly Communications. The director of collections strategies will work closely with the Collections and Content Standing Committee, the Harvard Library’s group for recommending pan- Harvard collecting and content policies. The successful candidate will lead selectors in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences whose work supports a complex and changing academic environment marked by ever increasing interdisciplinary and intense interest in digital approaches to scholarship. The director will develop creative strategies to meet Harvard’s voracious research and teaching needs; analyze user requirements; understand contemporary trends in scholarship and learning; and deploy a range of options, including purchase, licensing, partnerships, and open access to create a successful model of 21st century library information access. This position directs others in the selection of materials for the collections, including electronic resources, data, media, images and other types, to ensure a leading, intellectually relevant and future-minded collection and collaborates with other collection development librarians across Harvard's schools in cooperative purchasing efforts and in collective collecting efforts across the Ivy Plus Libraries.


    *See more in the Additional Information section, below.


    The Director of Collections Strategies will:


    Lead in the development of outstanding collections and access to information for the HCL.
    Oversee the allocation and management of the funds exceeding $20 million annually by the collections unit.
    Manage the work of over 30 staff selecting in a wide range of disciplines, languages and formats, building consensus and fostering innovation in acquisition, access, and management of collections through collaboration with others.
    Work with selectors, collection managers, technical services, and assessment staff to devise metrics and criteria, and to create a data-driven approach to inform library acquisitions and cancelation decisions.
    Collaborate with other collecting areas of the Harvard Library and the University to ensure seamless acquisition and use of resources and to avoid unnecessary duplication.
    Establish and maintain excellent relationships with faculty and students and align collecting policies and practices with academic priorities.
    Collaborate with Research and Education librarians in the use of collections in teaching and in building student research experiences.
    Collaborate with peers across the Ivy Plus Libraries in the development of the collective collection.

    Basic Qualifications
    Advanced degrees (MLS, Ph.D) or equivalent.
    Knowledge of traditional and emerging collection strategies.


    Demonstrated successful management of large budgets in a complex fund structure.


    Experience in negotiating with vendors and publishers.


    An active record of professional engagement in collection development.


    International experience and knowledge of foreign languages.


    Additional Qualifications
    Demonstrated ability to lead change.


    Outstanding written and oral communication skills.


    A commitment to diversity and to serving the needs of a diverse population.


    Additional Information


    The director of collections strategies will command the respect of Harvard’s scholars, have a record of publication and presentations and a reputation as a forward-thinking and collaborative partner. S/He will be knowledgeable about developments in digital resources, data, and open access; understand the role of collections as a service to the scholarly community; and be fluently conversant with international publishing and acquisition practices. S/He will work collegially with others in Information and Technical Services; the Office of Scholarly Communication; and Research and Education, as well as with others building collections throughout Harvard including School libraries, archives, and museums. As the importance of unique and distinctive collections continue to grow, the director will work with special collections librarians to coordinate acquisitions, processing, access, and collection management.


    Position will remain posted until filled, however applications will be reviewed beginning March 15, 2017


    At the Harvard Library, our work is enriched by our diverse campus community. Our unique and wide-ranging abilities, experiences, and perspectives are integral to achieving Harvard University’s mission of excellence in research, teaching, and learning for our patrons, our collections, and our workplace. We believe that an inclusive environment that cultivates and promotes understanding, respect, and collaboration across our diverse workforce enables our success.

    We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities to apply to be a part of our community of over 700 staff members. Our work with faculty, students and researchers to explore answers to intellectual questions, enduring and new, and to seek solutions to the world’s most consequential problems, requires that we not only reflect, but also champion our diverse society.


    Harvard Library inspires collaboration, reflection, experimentation, and discovery. Serving as an information hub, the Library connects users to related disciplines and to University-wide teaching resources. The Library engages users through curated discovery, digital collections, reimagined physical space, specialized research support, and delivers exceptional experiences to its user communities. Today, Harvard Library’s holdings range from traditional print collections to rapidly expanding access to digital resources. Harvard Library provides the University's faculty, students, and researchers—now and in the future—with comprehensive access to these materials.


    Learn more about our contributions to the academic enterprise by visiting us at http://lib.harvard.edu/about-us and about the Harvard University community at http://hr.harvard.edu/why-harvard .

    The Harvard Library is a proud member of the ACRL Diversity Alliance.


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    EEO Statement We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.