Classification Title
Job Title Head of Resource and Acquisition Management
Posting Number 2014358
Position Type Staff
Employment Type Full Time
Position Summary Information
Job Description Summary
The Head of Resource and Acquisition Management (HRaAM) is responsible for those operations of an academic library that are traditionally referred to in the library profession as technical services. Broadly, these activities typically include acquisitions, cataloging, serials control, and both collection management and assessment activities. At Hamline, the HRaAM also oversees interlibrary loan operations as well as some document digitization services. HULA combines these operations within a department dubbed Resource and Acquisition Management (RaAM).
The HRaAM plans and oversees services, processes, and policies that support the availability of and access to library content–in both physical and digital formats—with a particular focus on efficiency, economy, and effectiveness.
The HRaAM leads the RaAM Department. This position is one within HULA that collectively constitute the Library Leadership Team (LLT). The LLT provides leadership, management, and day-to-day oversight of HULA operations.
Representative Duties and Responsibilities
Collections:
-Organizes and evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of procedures and workflow for selection, acquisition, processing, bibliographic control, and serials management. Coordinates this work with the selection activities of the Information Literacy & Collection Development Librarian (ILCDL).
-Establishes and implements new workflow routines for projects and new, evolving materials types. Guides development and delivery of effective and innovative RaAM operations and services.
-Guide’s HULA’s development of e-book resources. Manages electronic resource management for all online resources. Responsible for all aspects of serial control operations from acquisition to assessment.
-Negotiates subscription licenses and manages relationships with scores of vendors and publishers. Arranges trial access to online resources. Maintains database and subscription budget information and other data related to use, cost, and assessment.
-Leads HULA’s Collection Development Working Group and helps develop related policies and practices.
Financial Operations:
-In collaboration with the Associate University Librarian (AUL), contributes to developing and monitoring university library budgets that support both existing and innovative services.
-Participates in efforts to generate and analyze data for preparing HULA’s annual budget requests–including operating, capital, and restricted funds. Works routinely with Finance Office personnel to maintain smooth administration of HULA financial matters.
-Together with the University Librarian (UL) and AUL, identifies solutions and develops new practices that support progressive budgetary processes for an academic library.
Interlibrary Loan and Digitization:
-Administers and manages effective interlibrary loan and digitization services.
Leadership/Management/Supervision:
-Serves on the LLT. Participates in and occasionally leads HULA workgroups, and cross-functional project teams.
-Leads a team of three library employees, including a Catalog & Metadata Librarian and an Acquisition/Interlibrary Loan Specialist. Supervises, develops, motivates, and evaluates these employees. Indirectly oversees the hiring, training, supervision, mentoring, and performance evaluation of ~7 student employees.
-In collaboration with the UL, formulates annual goals and objectives, sets and maintains standards of service and quality, establishes instruments for benchmarking and continuous assessment, and prepares annual and periodic reports.
-Contributes to the collection of relevant data, completion of surveys, and the development of reports for benchmarking and program evaluation.
-Serves on relevant Cooperating Libraries in Consortium (CLIC) committees and subgroups (e.g., collection development, electronic resources, and serials).
Departmental Liaison:
-Serves as liaison librarian for assigned academic departments. Provides consultations, instructional services, collection development, and resources advocacy for those departments.
-Educates and informs faculty of HULA services and resources associated with their teaching and research. Keeps apprised of faculty classroom instruction needs and professional research interests. Develops productive relationships with individual faculty and academic departments. Stays informed about curricular developments in relevant academic departments.
Additional Responsibilities:
-Serves on university committees, elected and assigned.
-Serves as backup for the UL and AUL.
-Assists with search committees as needed and contributes to orientation of new hires.
-Performs other duties as requested.
Required Knowledge, Skills and abilities
-Broad and comprehensive knowledge of established and emerging standards and trends in the acquisition, management, and maintenance of library resources and technology (both print and digital).
-Knowledge of managing academic library collections.
-Expertise in a broad range of library systems, tools, and services associated with bibliographic control, collection development, and electronic resource management, including specialized knowledge of information resources and scholarly information content associated with a variety of academic disciplines.
-Competence for successfully shepherding various projects and managing change, especially those tasks associated with library collections management and lending services.
-Working knowledge of resource discovery systems and library electronic resource management systems, as well as next-generation information discovery systems.
-Understanding of issues involved in developing, licensing, delivering and maintaining digital resources of various types.
-Familiarity with emerging trends for managing online library subscription resources as well as e-book content and functionality.
-Ability to manage budget activity typical of an academic library environment.
-Ability to effectively lead, supervise, develop, coach, motivate, and evaluate academic professionals and support staff.
-Commitment to a diverse academic community, and an understanding of the contributions a diverse workforce brings to the workplace.
-Communication skills commensurate with a professional workplace—including the ability to communicate effectively about information resources and scholarly content—as well as about budgetary and financial issues.
-Ability to work independently and as part of a team, including facilitating teamwork and cross-unit collaboration.
-Proficiency with personal productivity IT tools used in a typical academic environment, including virtual collaboration tools (e.g., Google Apps, Basecamp).
-Poise and polished interpersonal skills, and the ability to listen carefully and patiently to disparate concerns of multiple constituencies.
-Ability to accommodate multiple, conflicting demands for commitment of effort.
-Excellent time-management skills coupled with the ability to coordinate projects, resources, and collaborative effort to achieve assigned goals.
-Outstanding attention to detail and thoroughness.
-Ability to make prudent, fair, and sound decisions while anticipating results, direct and indirect.
-Creative problem-solving abilities, initiative, perseverance, and intellectual curiosity.
-Capacity to adjust and thrive in an ambiguous, future-oriented environment and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
Minimum Education/Experience
-American Library Association-accredited master’s degree in library science or equivalent, or master’s degree in information science, computer science, or related discipline with library experience.
-Three (3) years professional experience with responsibility for library acquisitions, cataloging, serials control, and electronic resource management.
-Professional experience supervising library staff.
-Professional experience developing and managing a budget.
Preferred Education/Experience
-American Library Association-accredited master’s degree in library science or equivalent, or master’s degree in information science, computer science, or related discipline with library experience.
-Three (3) years professional experience with responsibility for library acquisitions, cataloging, serials control, and electronic resource management.
-Professional experience supervising library staff.
-Professional experience developing and managing a budget.
Required Licensure/Certification/Registration
n/a
Original posting / application information