Assistant Dean for Collection Services (University of Houston)
Assistant Dean for Collection Services (University of Houston)
Responsibilities: Provides leadership to staff engaged in maintaining and enhancing the services, operations, processes, and systems that support print and digital collections. Oversees all activities associated with collection development, acquisitions, licensing, cataloging, and access for materials in all formats. Four departments — Collections, Acquisitions, Cataloging and Metadata, and Access services — report to this position with a total of approximately 50 FTE staff. An essential task will be the development of the newly formed Collections Department. Responsible for establishing policy, setting goals, evaluating and refining procedures, and providing supervision and leadership in the adoption of new methods or the redesign of existing processes in a rapidly changing work environment. Provides general oversight of the Libraries’ $7+ million collections budget. Participates in overall management and guidance of the Libraries as a member of the administrative leadership group.
The Assistant Dean for Collection Services is a librarian position. Librarians hold academic ranks pursuant to the University of Houston Librarians’ Governance document. They are expected to develop a record of service and professional involvement.
Qualifications: Required: ALA-accredited Master’s degree; significant supervisory and management experience in increasingly responsible positions in academic libraries; demonstrated success in managing staff and resources, and the ability to lead, mentor, and motivate staff; evidence of proven administrative experience in one or more of the major areas of responsibility; excellent interpersonal and communication skills; thorough understanding of the issues facing academic libraries including the changing landscape of scholarly communication; ability to work effectively with diverse employee and user communities; ability to work successfully in a collaborative and collegial environment; strong analytical and decision-making skills; knowledge of the application of information technology to improve work processes and enhance services; and experience with automated library systems. Preferred: Knowledge of trends in managing digital collections; experience with metadata standards and licensing of electronic resources.
Salary: $80,000 to $90,000 expected hiring range, depending on qualifications. Comprehensive benefits package; choice of retirement programs including TIAA-CREF; tax-deferred annuity program available; release time to take a class up to 3 hours/week; no state or local income tax.
Library Information: The UH Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Greater Western Library Alliance, and the Texas Digital Library Alliance. The Libraries hold over 2 million volumes. Total staff includes 48 professionals and 120 support staff. Additional information available at: http://info.lib.uh.edu.
General Information: The University of Houston campus comprises 13 colleges and schools offering close to 80 degree programs with an enrollment exceeding 35,000 students, 7,200 of whom are enrolled in graduate studies. Reflecting the multicultural community of metropolitan Houston, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse research university campuses in the nation.
The city of Houston is a vital force in the commerce of the nation. It has established a flourishing cultural life rivaled by few cities in the world. Within easy reach of the Gulf of Mexico, Houston enjoys a low cost of living, and was rated eighth among livable North American cities by Places Rated Almanac.
For additional information, including information about its housing market, flourishing arts scene, low cost of living, plus other interesting information, visit out Web site at: http://info.lib.uh.edu/houston/.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Send letter of application, names of 3 references, and resume to John Lehner, Assistant Dean for Personnel and Planning, University of Houston, 114 University Libraries, Houston, Texas 77204-2000. Potential applicants seeking further information should contact John Lehner at 713-743-9801 or jlehner@uh.edu.
THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. MINORITIES, WOMEN, VETERANS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.