Aaron and Clara Greenhut Rabinowitz Director of Preservation Services

About the role

The New York Public Library (NYPL) has been an essential provider of books, information, ideas, and education for over 125 years, serving more than 16 million patrons in person each year and millions online. The Collections and Research Services division oversees preservation, special collections processing, digital collections, collection development, and access services. NYPL seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to direct the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation department, which includes the Barbara Goldsmith Conservation Lab and Collection Management (Registrar services). The Preservation Services Director will unify staff around preservation policies and initiatives, build partnerships across research centers, exhibitions, BookOps, Facilities, Capital Planning, and external partners such as ReCAP, and ensure the long‑term care and accessibility of the library’s research collections. The role is based at the Library Services Center in Long Island City, Queens, with a hybrid schedule (3 days onsite, 2 days remote). The position is non‑union and exempt under FLSA. Core NYPL values – being helpful, resourceful, curious, welcoming, and inclusive – guide all staff.

Responsibilities

• Shapes and effectively communicates preservation policies, standards and best practices for all collection formats
• Launches and leads, as part of the Library’s 5‑year Strategic Plan, the initiative to develop a preservation policy for both internal and external audiences engaging stakeholders from the research centers and across the Library
• Develops a 10‑year collections storage master plan that identifies spaces that need to be decommissioned, requirements for storage room improvements, standards to guide capital projects, and forecasts for future physical and digital storage needs
• Oversees collections emergency preparedness and disaster recovery planning ensuring staff training, compliance, and alignment with Library‑wide policies and practices
• In partnership with the Director for Special Collections Services and other stakeholders, contributes to an updated and dynamic Total Cost of Stewardship model
• Supports the Exhibitions and Outgoing Loan programs by optimizing workflows and ensuring the safe, legal, and organized processing and movement of collections
• Develops improved workflows for collections control and movement of special collections between research locations, balancing risks with access and workflow efficiencies
• Leads the development and implementation of collections control and condition review processes to support the Library’s ambitious digitization strategy
• Contributes to the development and implementation of the Library’s digital preservation strategy
• Manages