Director of Library

About the role

The Director of the Library is responsible for the overall functioning of the Theofield G. Weis Library and the Curriculum Library. This includes recruitment, administration, and supervision of staff. With the approval of the Provost, the Director formulates policies for the library and prepares the operating budget. They also work with department chairs to ensure that resources and allocations are sufficient to meet the curriculum needs of the University and that students and faculty receive library instruction as needed and appropriate.

The Director is directly responsible for the safety and security of the collection and works with the advice of the Library Committee to develop plans and resources to anticipate the changing needs of the faculty, administration, and students. They also work with the faculty to provide for the growth of the collection and the promotion of library services and resources to the campus community. The Director serves as an active member of the WAU shared governance system as appropriate and is responsible for addressing issues of building maintenance, safety, and security by working with the appropriate University offices and personnel.

The Director plans and administers the provision of library services by performing the following duties personally or through subordinate supervisors.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for and management of the University’s library services.
• Provide information, operational and usage reports and schedules to the Provost.
• Assists University faculty, staff and students in resolving problems associated with library services.
• Formulate policies and procedures.
• Achieve financial objectives by preparing an annual budget, scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective action.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and appraise library personnel.
• Delegate supervisory/administrative responsibilities to library personnel as appropriate.
• Foster marketing and public relations activities.
• Supervise the purchase of resources, supplies, and equipment.
• Exercise responsibility for library equipment and inventories.
• Maintain essential library records.
• Manage the library facility, including space allocation, maintenance, and repairs.
• Prepare various reports.

Resources Management and Education

• Organize the library’s resources for optimum access and usage.
• Disseminate information about the current library services to students, faculty and staff.
• Develop subject-specific informational material for academic support.
• Acquire needed resources as identified by departmental requests and library staff research and recommendations.
• Consult with departments in regard to existing and needed resources.
• Develop and provide for professional development and in-service training of library staff.
• Provide library instruction.
• Carefully coordinate the introduction of technological advances in information access into the library to support student learning outcomes.
• Makes recommendations for the upgrade of library technology as needed.
• Maintain satisfactory working relationships with consortiums, including the following:
• Adventist Library Information Cooperative (ALICE)
• Maryland Digital Library (MDL)
• Attend consortium meetings as scheduled
• Participate in consortium-wide planning and budgeting
• Encourage library personnel to develop professionally by being members of professional organizations as appropriate and by attending conferences, seminars, workshops, etc.
• Participates personally in local, regional, and national professional organizations
• Keeps and tabulates pertinent library statistics
• Prepares narrative and statistical reports as required
• Shares evening and weekend supervisory and reference responsibilities
• Performs other duties as requested/assigned
• Supervision Received:
• Reports directly to the Provost
• Supervision Given:
• Supervises all library employees, including professional librarians, paraprofessional staff, student library assistants, etc.
• Delegates supervisory/administrative responsibilities as appropriate
• Plans, assigns, and directs work
• Appraises performance
• Rewards/disciplines
• Addresses complaints and resolves problems.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA accredited program or its foreign equivalent.
• Demonstrated commitment to the use of new information technologies.
• Experience using print and digital resources, online databases, and the Internet.
• Understanding of and commitment to the concept of information literacy.
• Active service orientation.
• Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent managerial and organizational skills.
• Experience working in an academic environment that is associated with a consortium.
• Experience with OCLC WorldShare Management Services.
• At least five years of appropriate library administrative experience.
• Excellent communication, written and verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
• Ability to effectively present information to various audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse and multi-cultural student body and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with diverse constituencies.
• Knowledge and use of computer and its applications.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Word and Excel.
• Ability to meet deadlines and handle multiple projects.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, prioritize, and problem-solve.
• Demonstrates and fosters excellence in teaching and service; values research.