Colleagues, for your interest:
Head Librarian,
Rotch Library for Architecture and Planning
The MIT Libraries seek a creative, visionary, and experienced librarian
to provide leadership in sustaining and enhancing user-centered services
and collections on behalf of MIT's architecture and urban planning
community. The Rotch Library, with collections of over 400,000
volumes, 350,000 images, and a staff of 20 full and part-time employees,
is one of the premier libraries in architecture and planning in the
United States. A primary responsibility of the Head Librarian will
be to promote visibility of the library, improving outreach to all MIT
user groups requiring access to architecture and urban planning
information resources, with particular emphasis on users in the School of
Architecture and Planning and its laboratories and centers. S/he
will lead a group of innovative and energetic staff in developing
proactive library services and collections, emphasizing integration of
emerging technologies for in-library and remote delivery of resources and
services. The Head Librarian will promote Rotch Library's
service-oriented philosophy that values measurement and assessment as a
means of maintaining a thorough understanding of user needs and
expectations.
Reporting to the Associate Director for Public Services, the Head
Librarian oversees both the Rotch Library and its branch, the Rotch
Visual Collections including the Aga Khan Visual Archive. S/he will
participate in developing a comprehensive strategy for user services in
the Libraries, will lead the Rotch staff in establishing departmental
goals, and will manage human, space, fiscal, and computer resources to
achieve those goals. S/he will foster a working environment in
which all Rotch staff are encouraged to develop skills enabling them to
contribute to the provision of library services for a dynamic user
community. The Head Librarian will also participate in the
Librariesreference and instruction programs. As a member of the
public services management team, the incumbent will collaborate with
other divisional librarians and colleagues in prioritizing services and
initiatives, planning for their implementation, setting system-wide
policies and practices, and will chair a committee that focuses on one of
the MIT Libraries' key user groups. As a member of the Libraries'
administrative group, s/he will participate in system-wide governance and
strategic planning activities.
Qualifications: Required - An MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited
library school; seven or more years of relevant professional experience
including management and supervisory experience in an academic or
research library focusing on architecture or urban planning; demonstrated
ability to lead and collaborate; excellent interpersonal, communication,
organizational, and analytical skills; the ability to understand and
interpret the information needs of constituents; a record of successful
interaction with an academic and/or research user community; a strong
commitment to user outreach and customer service excellence; a thorough
understanding of the impact of technology on teaching, learning, and
research, and a vision for the role of technology in the provision of
library services; the demonstrated ability to develop creative solutions;
flexibility in accomplishing objectives; a broad overview of architecture
and urban planning disciplines and the interdisciplinary nature of
research and teaching; thorough understanding of issues facing research
libraries including the changing landscape of scholarly communication; a
record of sustained professional contribution. Candidates are
expected to articulate a genuine interest and enthusiasm for the
position. Preferred - An academic background in architecture
and/or urban planning; substantive experience in an academic library;
experience in assessment and/or measurement of library
services.
Hiring Salary: $70,000 minimum. Actual salary will depend on
qualifications and experience.
Reiew of applications will begin May 23, 2005. Send cover letter,
resume, and names and addresses of three current references to:
Search Committee for Head, Rotch Library
MIT Libraries, Room 14S-324
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307
(Applications may also be sent via fax to 617-253-0583 or via e-mail to
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The MIT Libraries include five major subject libraries
(architecture and planning; engineering; humanities; science; management
and social sciences) and several branch libraries in more specialized
subject areas. The Libraries hold more than 2.7 million printed
volumes, and extensive collections in other physical formats. Over
300 digital databases and over 4500 electronic journals are licensed for
access on the Institute's network. The Libraries utlilize Ex
Libris' Aleph system as its public Web-based catalog and as the support
system for user service and processing functions. The Libraries'
webpage
(http://libraries.mit.edu/)
presents information about library services, as well as access to
information resources through the staff-designed Vera interface. MIT
Libraries maintain membership in the Association of Research Libraries,
the Boston Library Consortium, and OCLC through NELINET, as well as in
EDUCAUSE, the Coalition of Networked Information, and the Digital Library
Federation.
MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health and retirement
plans, a dental plan, tuition assistance and a relocation
allowance. The MIT Libraries affords a flexible and collegial
working environment and fosters professional growth of its staff with
management training and travel funding for professional meetings.
MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community
and particularly encourages applications from qualified women and ethnic
minority candidates.