Senior Vacancy at Cornell University

[Peter Hirtle <pbh6@cornell.edu>]

Cornell University Library is conducting an international search 
for candidates for the new position as Associate University 
Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Special Collections.

The full description is posted below.

Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and 
Special Collections

Cornell University Library (CUL) seeks a dynamic, visionary 
senior manager to lead the Library's distinguished collections 
and evolving scholarly communications programs. Reporting to the 
University Librarian, the successful candidate will advance 
system-wide stewardship, resource allocation, policy development, 
and planning, and will serve on the Library's senior management 
team.  S/he will initiate sustainable collaborative relationships 
with other libraries and institutions and will lead the Library's 
partnerships with scholars and scientists in the creation, 
collection, and dissemination of scholarly resources.

>From its pioneering leadership in collection development, special 
collections, and digital projects, to the present commitment to 
developing new channels for scholarly communication, Cornell 
University Library has initiated and supported the thoughtful 
transformation of collections, services, and resources to advance 
instruction, research, and scholarship in the 21st century. The 
Library hosts arXiv.org, the open access repository of electronic 
scientific preprints, as well as Project Euclid, an online 
publishing platform for journals in mathematics and statistics, 
and is creating innovative publishing venues in the social 
sciences and humanities, some in collaboration with Cornell 
University Press.

The Library seeks an energetic and knowledgeable colleague to 
shape and lead the Library's evolving role in the provision of 
information and the advancement of knowledge through varied 
means.  The AUL for Scholarly Resources and Special Collections 
will:

* Lead the Library's collection development programs, directly 
administering a materials budget of over $12 million and 
coordinating a total materials budget of $17 million for the 20 
libraries that constitute the Cornell University Library system.

* Provide administrative oversight for the Division of Rare and 
Manuscript Collections and the Asia collections; provide 
coordination for all rare book and archival holdings in unit 
libraries.

* Supervise an administrative team of 3 senior library staff to 
secure the broadest terms of access to scholarly resources, 
advance intellectual property issues, promote scholarly 
communication/publishing initiatives, and assess the impact of 
proposed new academic emphases on local collections and library 
resources.

* Forge collaborations with academic departments and programs, 
representing the Library in areas related to collection 
development, special collections, and scholarly communications to 
the University community.

* Represent the Cornell University Library on local, regional, 
university, national, and international committees and 
initiatives in the areas of scholarly communications and 
collections.

Required:  MLS or appropriate graduate degree, PhD highly 
desired.  Significant experience in a major research university 
with at least five years administrative leadership in research 
library collection development and/or special collections. Deep 
knowledge of current trends in collection development, archives 
and special collections, and an understanding of scholarly 
communications issues.  Experience in increasingly responsible 
positions with demonstrated excellent administrative abilities 
including leadership, effective supervisory and budgetary skills, 
and commitment to diversity.  Ability to effect change in a 
challenging and complex environment.  Excellent communication and 
interpersonal skills; enthusiasm for collaborative work. Ability 
to foster effective and positive relationships with faculty, 
staff, and students.

Background:  Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive 
research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes 
region of upstate New York. The university comprises 14 schools 
with 2,900 faculty members and 20,800 undergraduate, graduate and 
professional students. The Cornell University Library, with more 
than 450 staff members ranks in the top ten research libraries in 
North America. Its 20 libraries contain nearly 8 million printed 
volumes, 58,000 current serials, over 400,000 electronic 
resources, 72,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, and rich materials 
in other formats. The Library's outstanding special collections - 
from medieval manuscripts to hip hop and from ancient Chinese 
texts to comic books - preserve the past and pave the way for 
future scholarship. The Division of Rare and Manuscript 
Collections documents the broad range of human intellectual 
experience with more than 480,000 print volumes, 70 million 
manuscripts, and another million photographs, prints, and other 
visual media. The Asia Collections - the John M. Echols 
Collection on Southeast Asia, the Charles W. Wason Collection on 
East Asia, and the South Asia Collection - are among the largest 
and most significant collections of Asian historical and literary 
materials in North America with 1,200,000 books, serials, and 
newspapers, as well as videos, films, maps, and sound recordings. 
The Library's Strategic Goals can be found at: 
http://www.library.cornell.edu/staffweb/CULGoals_2007-2010.pdf. 
The organizational chart can be viewed at: 
http://www.library.cornell.edu/img/ul/CULibraryOrgChart.pdf

Benefits:  Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation 
days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance and 
university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other 
options).

Application:  To apply for this position go to 
http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category 
of Librarians, and select posting number 09663.  Follow the 
instructions for online submission.  Please include a cover 
letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three 
references.  Applications requested by November 15, 2008. 
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue 
until the position is filled.

For further information, contact Lyndsi Prignon, Assistant 
Director of Library Human Resources, 235 Olin Library, Cornell 
University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5301.

Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity 
Employer strongly committed to diversity.  We value qualified 
candidates who can bring to our community a variety of 
backgrounds and experiences.

Peter B. Hirtle
CUL Intellectual Property Officer
Scholarly Resources and Special Collections
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY  14853-5301
peter.hirtle@cornell.edu