Position: Head of Special Collections Research and Instructional Services Department
Available: September 1, 2009

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks an experienced, collaborative, and innovative individual to lead the Research and Instructional Services Department (R and IS) of the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Special Collections, the incumbent will be responsible for building a consolidated research and instructional services program for special collections that will serve a broad range of audiences, including UNC faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students, researchers from around the world, and the general public. The Head will also foster a collaborative environment with curatorial, technical services, and conservation staff to set library-wide standards and priorities for special collections, and lead efforts to encourage expanded use of special collections at UNC.

R and IS was established in July 2008 to provide consolidated services for all special collections in the UNC Library. Its goal is to provide a common set of services and policies for special collections users, while continuing to provide subject expertise in the areas represented by the constituent special collections. This will include cross-training of R&IS staff, consolidation of reading rooms and collection shelving areas, a shared registration and use-tracking system, and development of a shared set of policies and workflows.

The Head of R and IS will provide leadership and administration in special collections for research and reference services, instruction, stacks management, program planning, user information channels, permissions and reproduction services, and record-keeping and reporting. He/she will supervise professional and support staff and manage the department's budget. The Head will also develop and implement a program of regular consultation and assessment with faculty, students, and other special collections users to ensure that services and policies meet their evolving needs. As a part of a newly consolidated special collections library, this department will have approximately 9 full-time staff, as well as interns, graduate assistants, and undergraduate student employees. It is expected that the Head will also participate in the direct delivery of research and instructional services, including regular shifts on the reference desks and classroom instruction. As a member of the Wilson Library management group, the Head will participate in the planning and implementation of special collections goals, priorities, policies, and workflows.

The incumbent will also work closely with special collections staff in other Wilson Library departments and with staffs of other University Library departments, including the Carolina Digital Library and Archives, Systems, Reference, and Instructional Services to ensure that a research and instructional services perspective is incorporated into all aspects of special collections functions and activities.

The Head will be active in the library or archival profession and support the activities of the department's staff in professional organizations and working groups concerned with special collections issues and will ensure that the Wilson Library adopts and contributes to the development of relevant standards and participates in professional discussions on research and instruction for special collections in academic and research libraries.

The Louis Round Wilson Library includes the North Carolina Collection, the Rare Book Collection, the Southern Historical Collection, the Southern Folklife Collection, and University Archives and Records Management Services. Together they hold rich, diverse, and growing special collections of manuscripts, archives, rare books, pamphlets, government documents, newspapers, historical monographs, periodicals, maps, photographs, moving image and audio recordings, and digital materials.

Qualifications

Required:
ALA-accredited MLS preferred, or Master's degree in history, English, or related discipline with relevant experience. Five years professional experience as a librarian or archivist, with recent experience in delivering reference services and instruction programs in a special collection or archival repository. Management experience in a special collections repository, including supervising professional and support staff. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively to set priorities and accomplish goals. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of users and constituencies. Active participation in appropriate professional organizations. Excellent oral communication and writing skills.

Preferred:
Substantive experience in managing research and instructional services functions for special collections in an academic or research library. Experience in planning for and implementing consolidation of research and instructional services. Demonstrated subject expertise in one or more areas relevant to the holdings of the Wilson Library Special Collections. Experience in working with curatorial, technical services, conservation, and digital library staff to develop goals for cataloging, processing, and digitization. Experience in developing requirements and specifications for automated access and management systems. Experience in planning the renovation of library facilities. Experience in developing and administering grants or fundraising initiatives.

The University and The Libraries
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the country's oldest state university. UNC-Chapel Hill has an enrollment of approximately 27,000 students, employs more than 3,100 faculty, offers 77 doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and law, and the Library collections include over 6 million volumes. The Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, and SOLINET. Together with the Health Sciences and Law libraries at Chapel Hill plus the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University, the members of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) provide services and collections to their students, faculty, and staff in support of the education, research, and service missions of the universities.

The Region
The Triangle region is one of the most desirable places to live and work in North America and offers its residents a wide array of recreational, cultural, and intellectual activities. The mountains or the seashore are less than half day's drive from Chapel Hill.

The University of North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.

Salary and Benefits
This is a twelve-month academic librarian appointment; salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Standard state benefits of annual leave, sick leave, and State or optional retirement plan. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, librarians enjoy the benefit of academic status and are members of the faculty council.

Deadline for Application
Review of applications will begin on July 20, 2009. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but preference will be given to applications received by the begin review date.

To Apply:
Please visit https://s4.its.unc.edu/RAMS4/searchCriteria.do?type=N and complete the online application. Be sure to include a cover letter, a resume and the name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of three professional references.

An Equal Opportunity Employer