[Eril-l] Position announcement: Head of Acquisitions, University of Chicago Library

[Kristin Martin]

Head of Acquisitions, University of Chicago Library

The University of Chicago Library seeks a Head of Acquisitions to provide leadership for a dedicated and exceptional team of acquisitions specialists.  We seek a creative and innovative librarian who is energized by a unique opportunity to design and develop responsive, user-centered acquisitions services at a premier research library.

Situated on a campus rich in architecture and green spaces, only minutes from downtown Chicago, and within walking distance of Lake Michigan, the University of Chicago provides a unique working and learning environment.  Employees enjoy easy access to a range of housing and transportation options, cultural venues, culinary experiences, educational opportunities, and recreational activities.

The University Library is the center of intellectual inquiry for the University of Chicago.  The Library curates the 9th-largest research collection in North America, with 11 million volumes in print and electronic form, and acquiring as many as 100,000 new print volumes annually.  World-renowned for the scope and scale of distinctive print and digital collections, and for its leadership in a variety of national and international collaborative endeavors, the Library employs a staff of approximately 300 FTE across six libraries that serve a diverse community of researchers and scholars.

The Acquisitions section is one of four sections in the Technical Services Department, along with Monographic Cataloging Services, Serials Management Services, and Data Management Services.  The Head of Acquisitions acts as a conduit for effective communication between the ordering and receiving units, as well as other associated departments in the Library.  As the librarian in charge of the section, this individual helps sets the overall vision and strategic directions for the section, developing and sustaining effective relationships with the management team in the section, as well as with other section leaders in the department, and collection development colleagues.

The Head of Acquisitions oversees the Monographic Orders unit and the Receiving & Rapid Cataloging ("RapidCat") unit, which together, are responsible for the timely and accurate ordering and receipt of monographs and serials.  The Head is a member of the Technical Services management team, and actively participates in strategic planning for resource allocation, policy development, assessment programs, procedural changes, staff development, and organizational change.  The Head will provide a deep and broad understanding of emerging trends and best practices in collection procurement, continual analysis of the complex supply chains for research libraries, changes in the availability of vended products and services (e.g., cataloging; shelf ready), and will be one of several leaders enabling the Library's active engagement with vendors, publishers, and scholarly communication communities.

Required Qualifications: graduate library degree from an ALA-accredited institution; experience managing related operations in an academic library, or associated vendors/suppliers; minimum of three years supervisory experience; working knowledge of business practices related to library acquisitions, including experience with vendors and publishers; experience designing and deploying training programs for staff; demonstrated ability to perform complex problem solving and decision making; experience designing, gathering, and reporting production statistics, as well as analyzing that data to inform decisions about process improvement; demonstrated ability to design, achieve, and maintain production levels that meet user needs and Library expectations; flexibility and creativity in adapting work to realize efficiencies and to account for the rapidly-changing library and higher education environments; enthusiasm for and demonstrated ability to work in a team environment with multiple customer groups; working knowledge of at least one non-English language; excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to construct clear documentation; experience working with MARC records.

Preferred Qualifications: formal project management training; experience applying formal assessment methods; working knowledge of budgeting and accounting practices; experience working with electronic resources, particularly patron/demand-driven acquisitions; experience working with government documents; experience working with serials; systems implementation and migration experience; experience working with open source software; professionally active at the regional and/or national levels; experience working with library metadata content standards, Resource Description & Access (RDA) and the Anglo American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2); familiarity with emerging library linked data standards and applications (e.g., RDF, BIBFRAME).

To see a complete position description, visit http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/jobs/headofacqfulldescfinal.pdf.

Salary and Benefits: Appointment salary based on qualifications and experience. Benefits include retirement plan, insurance, and paid time off. There is a tuition benefit plan for college age and younger children.

Apply for this position at http://academiccareers.uchicago.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=54490.

Applications received by March 31 will be assured consideration.  The posting will remain open until filled.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination at http://www.uchicago.edu/about/non_discrimination_statement/. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5671 or email ACOppAdministrator at uchicago.edu<mailto:ACOppAdministrator at uchicago.edu> with their request.


Kristin E. Martin
Electronic Resources Management Librarian
The University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57th Street - JRL 170
Chicago, IL 60637
773-834-2702
kmarti at uchicago.edu

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