Library Summary
The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Rose Library) promotes access, learning, scholarship, equity, and justice by documenting, preserving, and making accessible distinctive and diverse manuscript collections, archival records, and rare books. The Rose Library’s key collections are African American history and culture, poetry and literature, Southern political, cultural, and social movements, Emory University history, and rare books.
The Rose Library fosters original research and critical engagement with the past by advancing teaching with special collections and drawing in diverse communities through innovative outreach, programming, and exhibitions. As the largest special collections library at Emory, the Rose Library leads collaborations on products and services of benefit to all special collections. In addition, Rose Library plays a key role as a collaborator with members of the President’s Office on a re-examination of Emory’s history and documented past.
Emory, a private university, has an institutional mission “to create, teach, preserve, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity” and the university and the libraries champion the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice that undergirds that mission. The Rose Library focuses on providing equitable access to collections by increasing the number of collections available online through Emory Digital Collections. In addition, the Rose Library has a planning grant from NEH to support the Wayfinder Project: Revealing Black Print Culture to a Linked World as well as a planning grant from the Mellon Foundation to create a virtual reading room, in collaboration with the National Library of Ireland, to expand access to Irish literary collections and serve as a model for removing barriers to accessing special collections while respecting the rights of authors.
Learn more about the Emory Libraries Strategic Framework and the Rose Library on our website.
Position Summary
Emory Libraries seek a highly collaborative individual as Associate University Librarian (AUL) for Special Collections and Director of Rose Library. Reporting to the Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian, the AUL and Director of Rose Library is a member of the Libraries leadership team and contributes to strategic and annual planning, development and implementation of major strategic initiatives for the broader Libraries, and works collaboratively across the Libraries to integrate special collections into the broader strategic directions of the Libraries and the University.
The AUL and Director provides vision, leadership, administration, and strategic direction for all programs within the Rose Library and strategically aligns special collections, services, programs, and outreach with the broader libraries, Emory’s academic mission, and the community. The AUL and Director has approximately 22 full-time staff, including 5 direct reports with responsibilities for curators and collection development, collection services, public services, oral history, university archives, and rare books.
In collaboration with the Rose Library leadership team, the AUL and Director actively participates in promotion, marketing, and development efforts including efforts to broaden digital access to the collections. The AUL and Director, as the leader of the largest special collections library on campus, serves as the chair of the Special Collections Steering Committee and participates in the advancement of services, collections, and programs at the local, state, regional, national and international level.
Emory Libraries values diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential core principles to achieving our educational mission and embracing the diverse identities of all. It is our belief that a sense of belonging is a vital component to enriching one’s quality of life. As an ongoing part of building our inclusive work environment, we embrace this through activities that include competency training, personal growth and professional development, and open communication practices.
This position offers some possibility for flexible work arrangements; however, the expectation is that the successful candidate will work primarily on-site.
Essential Responsibilities & Duties
Leadership & Administration
- Contributes to the Libraries leadership team for strategic and library-wide planning, policy making, development and assessment of services.
- Provides vision and leadership in the administration of the Rose Library in alignment with the Libraries’ and Emory’s educational and research mission. Collaboratively builds a strategic direction for Rose Library collection development, working to align and integrate collections and services into the broader goals of the Libraries and the University. Identifies opportunities for the Rose Library to lead regionally and nationally, transforming collections and services.
- The Rose Library has approximately 22 FTE, which includes five direct reports consisting of an Associate Director, Assistant Director of Public Services, Assistant Director of Collection Development, University Archivist, and Oral Historian who manage the Rose Library’s departments and units and supervise staff and student employees. The AUL and Director coaches, mentors, and works with direct reports to build a high trust organizational culture, as well as coordinating recruitment, hiring, supervision, professional development, and evaluation of staff and student employees.
- Works collaboratively to establish priorities, build strategies, and advance directives for collection development for both digital and print materials. Identifies and initiates collecting areas in support of records management, evolving research, and the teaching mission. Promotes engagement with faculty, University Administration, and donors to build and steward relationships in the advancement of Rose Library collections. Works to increase the use of special collections and University records and archives in the classroom, in digital scholarship initiatives, in the development of open educational resources, and exhibitions.
- Oversees Rose Library budgets, personnel management, and space planning in collaboration with the leadership team. Initiates timely changes and assessment strategies to advance the organization’s effectiveness, efficiency, and services in all areas. Advocates for internal and external funding for special collections and projects. Provides guidance to enhance appraisal, collection development and collection management capabilities and ensures that allocated funds are managed appropriately.
Collaboration & Engagement
- Seeks various pathways to increase the recognition of Rose Library collections and services and promotes the Rose Library’s role in the academic and broader community. Participates as an advocate and the primary spokesperson from the Rose Library to the schools, colleges, and departments and university committees for archives, special collections, and records management.
- In collaboration with Marketing and Communications develops and manages a diverse palette of educational public programs, services, and exhibitions to showcase collections, encourage dialogue, and enhance the curricular and scholarly use of Rose Library collections.
- Ensures coordination and integration where appropriate, encouraging personnel to work across the Libraries, the Carlos Museum, and the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, to support goals and initiatives. Works with other departments and staff to develop priorities, technical infrastructure and workflows in support of the Libraries strategic priorities.
- Fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment in alignment with the Libraries’ and the University’s equity, diversity, and inclusion goals.
Marketing, Donor Relations, Stewardship, Grants, and Fundraising Activities
- In collaboration with the Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian and the university’s Advancement and Alumni Engagement (AAE) division, cultivates donors and other funding opportunities to advance the Libraries’ goals, resources, and infrastructure.
- Co-leads, with curatorial team members and AAE liaison, Rose Library advisory boards, including the Raymond Danowski Library Board and the Billops Hatch Advisory Board, aligning board interests with library priorities to achieve mutual benefits and results.
- Works with the Rose Library team and Marketing and Communications to develop relevant publications, websites, video, programming, and activities to highlight collections and fundraising opportunities related to the preservation and expansion of special collections.
- Participates in donor stewardship activities through various forms of communication and interactions.
- Investigates and pursues relevant grant opportunities to expand access to collections, preservation, education, and services.
- Connects to entities and attends conferences relevant to advancement to build networks and knowledge and expand the development pipeline.
- Professional Activity
- Participates in library committees related to primary job assignment as appropriate.
- Participates in appropriate professional and scholarly associations and organizations including maintaining membership and/or accreditation; attending meetings, conferences, workshops; and serving in appointed or elected positions.
- Maintains up-to-date professional knowledge and skills in areas related to primary job assignment as well as maintains general knowledge of current trends in higher education, academic libraries, and information and educational technology.
- Adheres to guidelines outlined in the Handbook Governing the Librarian series for Faculty-Equivalent Librarians to ensure appointment, appointment renewal and promotion-in-rank.
- Represents the Libraries on university committees and task forces related to primary job assignment or at the request of the Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian.
- Represents the Libraries on professional and scholarly association committees, task forces, work groups, and other entities at the local, state, regional, national, and international level as appropriate or requested by the Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian.
Required Qualifications
- ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science OR equivalent education and experience.
- Minimum of ten years of increasingly responsible experience within a major research library; familiarity with current special collections practices and initiatives including digital strategies.
- Demonstrated competence in strategic planning and managing change in complex environments.
- Experience with budget planning and administration, human resources management, and facilities and space planning.
- Demonstrated leadership ability, analytical skills, creative and innovative problem-solving skills, and a strong commitment to service excellence.
- Commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational environment and workplace and an ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, and student population.
- Excellent skills in building and sustaining an effective communication strategy and interpersonal relations.
- Demonstrated experience in building an effective assessment strategy.
- Evidence of an ability to develop and maintain an expansive development program including government and foundation grant applications and/or individual and corporate awards.
- Commitment to professional issues demonstrated through demonstrated knowledge of current trends and issues and evidence of active participation, involvement, and leadership in local, state, regional, or national professional or scholarly associations and documented evidence of research and publication.
- Experience and demonstrated skill in supervision, including hiring, orienting, training and development, organizing workloads, delegating responsibility, providing guidance and direction, monitoring and evaluating performance, coaching and counseling, and taking disciplinary action as necessary. Ability to be proactive, flexible, and collaborative as a supervisor in order to accomplish departmental, library, and institutional goals.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree (subject master’s or doctoral) in a relevant discipline.
- Specialization in rare books or archival administration in an academic or special library.
- Participation in digital and scholarly communications initiatives.