Sidebar

Main Content

Coordinator of Humanities Collections & Humanities Librarian

Position Announcement
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Coordinator of Humanities Collections & Humanities Librarian
Librarian D

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League comprehensive research university in Philadelphia founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin and his circle. It comprises twelve schools, 3,800 faculty and an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students, equally divided between undergraduate and graduate/professional school students.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries offer an exciting leadership opportunity to shape the future development of scholarly resources and collections in support of the humanities. The Libraries seek an experienced and innovative individual skilled at conceptualizing and implementing collection development and management activities across a large, complex, and rapidly changing information landscape.

The Penn Libraries include fifteen libraries and an off-site Heritage Collection Center. System-wide scholarly resources number over 5.9 million books, 44,000 current serials (of which 16,000 are e-journals) and 700 databases. The library is a leader in the development of digital library services and collections and is aggressively experimenting with and adopting new technology in research and teaching, including courseware.

Position Summary:
Reporting to the Director of Collection Development & Management, the Coordinator of Humanities Collections & Humanities Librarian leads the collection development and management activities for the academic departments and interdisciplinary programs designated as "Humanities" at Penn. The Coordinator convenes a standing group of Humanities liaisons across the Penn library system to discuss issues and recommend policies pertaining to scholarly resources. In collaboration with other academic liaisons and curators in Research & Instructional Services, the Music Library, the Fine Arts Library, the University Museum Library and the Annenberg Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the Coordinator also serves as the subject specialist to selected humanities departments, ranging from European History, Cinema Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, to French, Italian and Germanic Studies. Specific subject responsibilities will be determined based on the qualifications and interests of the successful candidate.

Overall responsibilities include: optimizing resource allocation (staff, budget, space) for humanities collections; developing and implementing best practices, priorities, and policies for humanities collections in the framework of university- and library-wide strategic plans; managing the Libraries' major European approval plans; recruiting and training new subject specialists in the humanities; serving as the primary bibliographer and liaison for constituents of selected humanities departments; serving as an adviser and advocate for digital humanities and scholarly communication initiatives; and facilitating and strengthening ties with University-level humanities programs.

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinating the collection development and management responsibilities of other humanities subject specialists, including the determination of their budgets, totaling more than $2.5M in support of Art and Architecture, Cinema Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, English, French, German, History, Italian, Medieval Studies, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Spanish.
• Along with four other Collection Coordinators (Area Studies, Social Sciences, Engineering & Physical Sciences, and Health Sciences), who form the Collection Development Council, advising the Director of Collection Development & Management to support the scholarly resource needs of Penn constituents.
• Acquiring scholarly resources in all formats and serving as an academic liaison primarily for graduate students and faculty in selected humanities departments. Determining the optimal housing, location, and preservation triage for relevant humanities collections and designating materials for transfer to High Density Storage.
• Monitoring trends in publishing and digital scholarship in the humanities to maximize the Libraries involvement in strategic initiatives on campus and beyond.
• In collaboration with the Libraries' Office of Development & External Affairs, creating effective stewardship relations with donors.

Qualifications:
Graduate degree in the humanities and Master's in Library Science or the equivalent combination in experience, training, and practice is required. Proficiency in at least two European languages, including French, German, Greek, Italian, or Latin. The successful candidate should have at least 5 years of experience in an academic or research institution; demonstrated knowledge of scholarly research resources, disciplinary issues and publishing trends in the humanities; evidence of innovative approaches to collection development, management and assessment; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively within a collegial framework across departments ranging from technical services and information processing to public services and resource-sharing; excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills; strong analytical and decision-making skills.

Compensation and Benefits:
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Includes a generous benefits package  additional information available at http://www.hr.upenn.edu/jobs/benefits.asp.

To Apply: Potential candidates are invited to submit a letter of application that addresses the needs and qualifications of the position, along with their resume and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references who can address the suitability of the candidate for the position described, as well as complete an on-line employment application at http://www.hr.upenn.edu/jobs (Job Reference #080524709).

To ensure full consideration, applications should be submitted by June 30, 2008. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled.

The University of Pennsylvania is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.