Dean, Thurgood Marshall Library

About the role

The Thurgood Marshall Library plays a vital role in ensuring academic excellence and student success, as well as enhancing the intellectual and economic capital, both on campus and beyond. The Dean of the Thurgood Marshall Library is responsible for leading the library to become a hub of lifelong learning by articulating and establishing a clear, forward-thinking strategic vision in terms of re-defining and re-invigorating a university library’s role in the 21st century.

Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with library and academic leadership to support the goals of the University’s strategic plan and the vision of our President, Boldly Forward.
• Manage the library, including oversight of the library budget, personnel, and the physical, informational, and technical resources necessary to provide high-quality library services.
• Provide vision, strategic direction, and operational leadership for the library; infuse new and innovative information formats and access technologies and services to meet the University’s educational and research missions and ambitious goals for growth.
• Lead and support faculty librarians and staff to provide outstanding library services and transform facilities into centers of academic excellence and student success.
• Promote the integration of information literacy and research skills into the curriculum by collaborating with faculty across disciplines.
• Ensure continued development, preservation, access, and promotion of the Library’s Special Collections and Archives, supporting the historical, cultural, and research needs of the University and surrounding communities.
• Foster a highly collaborative and inclusive environment, one that values diverse perspectives and promotes a culture of equity, access, and belonging.
• Ensure library services, spaces, and digital environments are fully accessible and responsive to the diverse needs of students, faculty, staff, and community users.
• Advocate for intellectual freedom, academic privacy, and equitable access to resources in alignment with national library standards and university policies.
• Identify and pursue grants and external funding sources, including philanthropic gifts, to support the Library’s strategic priorities and service enhancements.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and lead ongoing library assessment efforts to support institutional accreditation and continuous improvement.
• Build and cultivate relationships with alumni and other strategic partners to support the library’s scholarly, educational, service, and fundraising goals.
• Coordinate library activities with other universities across the state, region, and nation, and support continual professional development for library staff and faculty.
• Serve, along with five other deans, as an equal member of the Academic Deans Council.
• Oversee the Library’s technology infrastructure and ensure implementation of emerging technologies that enhance library operations and user experience.
• Advocate for the Library in institutional planning and policy development, ensuring the Library’s alignment with campus-wide goals and initiatives.

Requirements

Master's degree in Library Science. At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership and management experience in an academic library setting required. Exhibits a distinguished career with sustained scholarly accomplishments and a record of excellence in teaching, research, and service appropriate to appointment at the rank of Full Librarian. Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, and the ability to adapt library services in a rapidly changing environment. Experience in visionary leadership with a participatory style that promotes innovation, collaboration, and transformational change. Strong communication, supervisory, and management skills with transparency in decision-making. Demonstrated ability to cultivate an enriching environment and foster collaboration across academic and administrative units. Passion for promoting and retaining world-class faculty and staff and commitment to student success. Knowledge of trends and best practices in academic librarianship, including digital repositories, scholarly communication, accessibility standards, and assessment methodologies. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in librarianship, services, and recruitment.

Qualifications

Not currently available.

Skills

Not currently available.

Benefits

Medical, dental, prescription, long-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment insurance and life insurance; paid time for paid sick leave, annual leave, and personal leave; 12 paid holidays per year, tuition remission; employer-funded pension and supplemental retirement accounts.

Pay

$125,000 - $135,000

Schedule

Regular Open Date: 09-11-2025