The Pennsylvania State University Libraries seeks applications for the position of Head of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections and Digital Strategies, this tenure-linefaculty librarian position provides strategic leadership and administration of the Special Collections Library (SCL). This position will build on existing efforts to increase the diversity of materials and histories in special collections and archives; promote equity and inclusion in description of and access to special collections materials; and pursue creative methods to engage with students, faculty, and the wider community in educational and research experiences using rare and archival collections. The Head of Special Collections is responsible for fostering dynamic partnerships to develop and steward rare book and modern manuscript collections in various physical and digital formats.
The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging in all its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports both broad and specific equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission. Information about the University Libraries’ employment opportunities, processes, and culture can be found at https://libraries.psu.edu/about/jobs
Individual compensation packages are based on various factors unique to each candidate, including a candidate’s qualifications, education, experience, and rank. In addition to a competitive salary, full-time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits program, generous paid time off, and tuition discount for employees and eligible family members. Total Compensation Calculator provides an estimated summary of the value of compensation and benefits.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Provide leadership and strategic direction for Penn State’s special collections and university archives:
Articulate and implement departmental vision and strategies for collection development, stewardship, reference, and instruction
Lead operations for the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at University Park including budgeting, personnel management, and space planning
Manages department employees, which includes amultidisciplinary and collaborativeteam of full-time faculty and staff, as well as part-time employees, student interns, and graduate assistants
Work with the Dean’s administrative office and Libraries Development in representing the libraries through donor relations, while actively pursuing opportunities to support Special Collections through grants, gifts, and fundraising
Coordinate with other administrators to advance the Libraries’ Strategic Plan, and contribute to library-wide budgeting, planning, and policy development
Collaborate with key partners across the University Libraries, including Cataloging and Metadata Services; Library Learning Services; Libraries Strategic Technologies; Access Services; Preservation Conservation and Digitization; Center for Black Digital Research; Public Relations and Marketing; and Commonwealth Campus Libraries.
Maintain a professional profile through service on relevant professional committees, leadership roles in appropriate professional organizations, and scholarly activity and research.
The goal is to hire the successful candidate at the rank of Associate Librarian or Librarian, and be appointed with tenure within the University Libraries. The successful candidate will engage in research and scholarly publishing;demonstrate leadership in professional or disciplinary associations; participate actively in local, national, and international initiatives; and take leadership roles in University Libraries governance. More information about faculty appointments in the Libraries can be found in the Guideline UL-ACG07 Promotion and Tenure Criteria (https://libraries.psu.edu/policies/ul-acg07). Depending on qualifications, the successful candidate may be appointed with the title of Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair for Special Collections.
Demonstrated experience building programs, services, and teams
Leadership experience within an archives or special collections setting
Demonstrated knowledge of effective outreach and student engagement strategies
Demonstrated ability to clearly, concisely, effectively and empathetically convey ideas to diverseaudiences and stakeholders
Proven record of accomplishment in collection development and donor relations
A Master of Library Science degree from an ALA-accredited institution (or equivalent)
Demonstrated experience applying Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging principles across their professional practice
Strong collaborative and empathetic leadership skills
Research and professional accomplishments and record of service in appropriate professional or disciplinary associations as evidence of ability to meet the requirements of a tenure-lineposition at the University Libraries
Demonstrated experience supervising employees
Demonstrated experience with budgeting and strategic planning
Demonstrated experience leading digital initiatives
Proven experience in the use of information technologies to improve user experience, access, collection management, and/or preservation
Record of success in securing and managing grants
About the Eberly Family Special Collections Library
The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, located on Penn State’s University Park Campus, builds, stewards, and facilitates engagement with distinctive research collections and primary source materials. We acquire materials of institutional, historical, and cultural value to support Penn State’s land-grant mission and the Libraries’ mission to make materials available for intellectual discovery, use, and learning that benefits the Penn State community, scholars, students, and the citizens of Pennsylvania and beyond. In addition, we engage in instruction, outreach, and interpretation in collaboration with partners across the campuses to support information literacy, critical engagement with materials, and pursue collecting and documenting opportunities that attend to gaps or erasures in the historical record.
Consisting of over 50,000 linear feet and 225,000 volumes, the Eberly Family Special Collections Library’s historical collecting strengths include: English and American literature; Utopian literature; African-Americana and the African Diaspora; German literature in English translation; the history of industrial unions and the U.S. labor movement; Pennsylvania social, political, and economic history; and the 170-year history of Penn State University. In 2019, SCL implemented a new vision for collection development that acknowledges existing collection strengths while seeking to build in new areas that meet the evolving research needs of contemporary researchers. As part of our collecting mission, we place a high value on increasing the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and voices found in our holdings, prioritizing material from historically marginalized communities. Our commitment to ensuring a more equitable scholarly record is reflected in our Collection Development PlanandStatement on More Inclusive Archival Collections.
The Special Collections Library is organized into four functional teams that support the department’s mission and goals. Members of the Curatorial Team collaborate on strategic acquisition efforts and in the stewardship of a generous collection endowment. Curators also engage in departmental outreach and instruction efforts, including SCL’s exhibition program. The Collection Services Team leads all collection stewardship efforts, including accessioning, arrangement and description, and conservation. The team works closely with the Preservation, Conservation & Digitization and Cataloging & Metadata Services units to make collections discoverable and manages the University Libraries’ instance of ArchivesSpace. The Research and Instruction Services Teamfacilitates access to collections for both remote and onsite students, faculty, staff, and scholars. The team also coordinates and facilitates an active course-related instructional program. The University Archives serves as the institutional memory of the University and works closely with members of the Penn State community across the Commonwealth (including administrative offices, faculty, students and alumni) to identify, acquire, and maintain records of value.
The Special Collections Library promotes use and engagement with its distinctive collections through several programs. The Special Collections Library supports a robust student employment program, including endowed student assistantships and internships. The Charles W. Mann Jr. Lecture in the Book Arts is an annual event, which features scholars and practitioners interested in the artistry, history, and materiality of the book broadly construed. We host at least two major physical exhibitions every year in our spacious gallery space as well as numerous student-curated digital and pop-up exhibits throughout the year. We annually support researchers spending an extended amount of research time in our reading room thanks to a research and travel grant program. An active oral history program in the University Archives expands our understanding of Penn State’s history through projects designed to record the experiences of students and alumni from historically marginalized communities.
SUBMISSION FOR CANDIDACY
All candidate materials must be submitted via Workday. Interested candidates are expected to upload a cover letter and a resume or CV. A candidate’s application materials are expected to provide clear evidence of their commitment to, and the impact of, the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout their librarianship, teaching, research, and/or service.
Candidates also must provide four professional references, indicating their professional relationship to each reference. References will be contacted later in the search process. While furnished references are at the candidate’s discretion, references must include, at a minimum, at least one current/previous direct supervisor and at least one Library or association-related colleague. It is strongly advised that candidates include a current or former direct report as a professional reference, if available.
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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