Job Details
The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff "for fit" makes significant contributions to Howard University's overall mission.
BASIC FUNCTION:
The Collection Services Librarian provides leadership in the areas of collections, technical services, and archives. Major responsibilities include the selection, evaluation, maintenance, and promotion of the University Libraries' collections based on data analysis, knowledge of university curricula, programs, research needs, and awareness of emerging trends in scholarly communication and publishing, open access, and open educational resources.
This position supports student success by developing and maintaining a library collection that supports the university curriculum.
This position manages data regarding library materials acquisitions and budgets to assist in library work processes and decision making; and managing the libraries' collection development policy, acquisition and cataloging of materials and the institutional repository; and gathering and analyze data to inform collection decisions and aid in collection promotion.
Other responsibilities include serving as liaison to selected academic programs; Select material for liaison schools and programs.
Provide reference/research assistance and instruction to library users.
DESCRIPTION
- Works directly with the liaison librarians to coordinate the selection activity by providing usage statistics, initiating database trials and of the liaison librarians.
- Leads the development of selection, management, and weeding policies.
- Serves as the database vendor liaison.
- Participates in other collection management activities such as database review and selection.
- Manages and coordinates the purchase, receipt, cataloging, and initial physical processing of new library acquisitions.
- Manages the Library's gifts review.
- Serves on the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) acquisitions and collection development committees and related groups and represent Howard University Libraries' interests in this and other consortia collection development efforts.
- Establish and sustain an ongoing service and scholarship record.
- Maintains current trends and developments in assigned areas of responsibility and the field of librarianship.
SUPERVISORYACCOUNTABILITY: Responsible for orienting, training, assigning, and reviewing work of staff. May also be responsible for acting in a "lead" or "senior" capacity over other positions performing essentially the same work, or related technical tasks and reporting to a higher level on a formal basis.
NATURE AND SCOPE: Internal contacts include administrators, staff, faculty, and student workers. External contacts include vendors, local firms, visiting scholars and the public.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: - Works closely with library administration to prepare and manage an annual materials budget averaging $2M.
- Develops collection policy and coordinates the strategic development of the collections for University Libraries.
- Prepares quarterly budget and collection analysis reports; prepares and reconciles monthly and annual expenditure reports; and maintains accurate acquisition records.
- Manages fiscal end-of-the-year closing of the materials budget account according to university's procedures.
- Supervises acquisition, receipt and claiming of library materials in all formats, including electronic resources, continuations, and books.
- Initiates, renews, and maintains ongoing access to subscriptions for electronic resources, including evaluation of licensing agreements.
- Provides clear goals, expectations and assigned tasks in alignment with division needs and priorities around e-resources, monograph, and management while establishing best practices.
- Selects and manages library publishers, subscription agents and vendors from all over the world and evaluates their performance.
- Engages with publishers, vendors, subscription agents, and consortia to acquire content and conduct ongoing evaluation of their services.
- Maintains an internal dashboard that reports statistics and performs analysis for in-house and external reporting using various methods and databases.
- Leads librarians in the Collection Development process, reviews, analyzes, and approves new and existing print and electronic resources; consults, reviews and implements collection development and management policies.
- Manages Librarians' acquisition activities between library and assigned faculty members/departments by providing subject fund reports, current and historical fund allocation, and resource reports for school/college/program accreditation purposes.
- Works closely with Technical Services Department in administering the library's resource discovery service, Primo, and open URL link resolver.
- Works closely with Electronic Metadata Cataloger in ensuring continued access to electronic resources and troubleshoots on-campus and remote access problems to electronic resources.
- Works closely with Cataloging & Metadata Services Librarian on electronic resources access through library catalog and actively collaborates with staff in other areas including Reference & Teaching, Cataloging, Information Technology to design, identify, license and manage ongoing access to online services in support of library operations, e.g. OCLC, LibGuides, Serials Solutions, widgets (Super Search Box), etc.
- Participates in the Washington Research Library Consortium activities and serves as a liaison to WRLC collaborative collections, web-scale discovery, consortia licensing committees; represents HU regarding consortia acquisitions activities and access to shared resources initiatives.
CORE COMPETENCIES:- Knowledge of trends and best practices in acquisitions, serials, and electronic resources management.
- Flexibility in prioritizing multiple projects, ability to problem-solve and propensity for details.
- Experience in managing a large and complicated budget.
- Demonstrated effective leadership and management skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills for working in a highly collaborative environment.
- Ability to work successfully in a highly collaborative environment.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: ALA accredited MLS or other relevant master's degree, and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in acquisitions/technical services in an academic or research setting.