Head of Digital Strategies and Services — Cambridge, MA

Position Title : Head, Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development

School or Unit : Harvard College Library

Description : Job Summary

Although this position will remain posted until filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the end of the day on Friday, October 25, 2024.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Libraries seek an innovative, knowledgeable, and agile professional to lead Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development, the largest collection development unit in the FAS Libraries’ flagship repository, Widener Library.

The FAS Libraries are world renowned for the depth and scope of their global collections. Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development is a new department created by the merger of the Americas, Europe, Oceania Division and the Middle East, Africa, Asia Division.

Reporting to the Assistant University Librarian for Content Strategies and Associate Librarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Head, Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development will consider a wealth of strategies to anticipate and meet the intense information needs of Harvard’s academic community.

The incumbent will appreciatively lead a staff of well-respected collection development librarians in furthering the growth and management of a collection that is inclusive of global voices and global frameworks of knowledge.

The Library is committed to elevating historically excluded and dissenting voices from around the world, including immigrant and diaspora populations, in support of research, teaching, and learning at Harvard University.

Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development collaborates in the development of the collective collections at Harvard and in the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC) and the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP), and staff work closely with colleagues in partner libraries and institutions.

Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development supports a complex and changing academic environment marked by ever increasing inter- and trans-disciplinarity and intense interest in digital approaches to scholarship.

The Head will develop creative strategies to meet the considerable breadth and depth of Harvard’s research and teaching needs;

analyze user requirements; understand contemporary trends in scholarship and learning; and deploy a range of options, privileging open access, and including purchase, licensing, and partnerships, to create a successful model of 21st century library information access.

The department collects all intellectually relevant formats, including electronic resources, print, data, media, images, and primary sources.

Position Description

Lead in the development of outstanding collections and access to information for the Harvard community

Find out more about the daily tasks, overall responsibilities, and required experience for this opportunity by scrolling down now.

• Allocate and manage collections funds exceeding $10 million annually by the collections department
• Appreciatively lead and manage 11 staff who build the collections in a wide range of disciplines, languages and formats, building consensus and fostering innovation in acquisition, access, and management of collections through collaboration with others
• Work with collection development librarians, collection managers, and assessment staff to devise metrics and criteria, and to create a data-driven approach to inform collection management decisions
• Collaborate with other collecting areas of Harvard Library to ensure seamless acquisition and use of resources and to avoid unnecessary duplication
• Collaborate with Harvard Library departments (Access Services, Information and Technical Services, Imaging Services, Preservation Services) to create and manage workflows and procedures among the departments
• Establish and maintain excellent relationships with faculty and students and align collecting policies and practices with academic priorities
• Collaborate with research, teaching, and learning librarians in the use of collections in teaching and in building student research experiences
• Collaborate with the Associate Librarian for Research, Teaching, and Learning Services for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to ensure that collection development librarians’ RTL responsibilities are consistent with all FAS libraries
• Collaborate with peers across the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC) and Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP) member libraries in the development of collective collections
• Lead prioritization of collections digitization for collections under the purview of Humanities and Social Sciences Collection Development
• Serve on Harvard and external committees and task forces as appropriate

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has supervisory responsibilities (i.e. full / part time staff).

Basic Qualifications

• Advanced degree in library and information science, or international equivalent
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience with increasing management responsibilities
• Minimum 3 years of supervisory experience
• Experience with traditional and emerging collection development and management strategies
• Experience in international collections and area studies

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging and antiracism
• Demonstrated experience with supervising employees and supporting their efforts in order to build and foster a diverse, productive, and engaging workplace and professional community
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills to work effectively with culturally diverse library users and colleagues
• Experience working across organizational boundaries in a dynamic and highly collaborative working environment
• Ability to work collaboratively, initiate and adapt to change, and to be flexible
• Demonstrated successful management of large budgets in a complex fund structure
• Experience negotiating with vendors and publishers
• Demonstrated knowledge of research trends and the scholarly process
• Demonstrated experience implementing innovative approaches to provide access to collections and to facilitate their use in research and teaching
• An active record of professional engagement in collection development
• Reading knowledge of multiple languages

Working Conditions

• The position is based on site in Cambridge, MA. There may be the opportunity for a hybrid work model compliant with Harvard University policies.
• Work location is responsive and subject to change based on business needs. Requests for flexibility will be considered consistent with Harvard University flexwork policies.
• May interact with collections that may contain dust, mold, or other contaminants.
• The work associated with this position is performed in a library / office setting.

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