Assistant/Associate Professor and Head Librarian, Special Collections and UA
University of Illinois at Chicago Job Location: Illinois Date Created: 10-10-2018
The head of SCUA will lead a department of eight faculty, three civil service staff in addition to student employees to expand archival, print and digital collections in strategic areas; enhance in-person and instructional services; and increase outreach, including developing a robust schedule of exhibits and public programming. This is a highly visible position that works closely with the University Librarian, colleagues in Advancement and other external partners in donor cultivation, fundraising, grant writing and outreach. With colleagues in other library departments, this position will also help ensure effective access to special collections through digitization, preservation and cataloging.
This tenure system appointment includes the expectation that the faculty member will be actively engaged in and significantly contribute to the profession through research/scholarship and service related to professional and scholarly interests. This includes publication, presentation, and committee work at various levels. Expectations are further outlined in the norms for tenure-track/tenured appointments. Academic rank will be determined by qualifications.
About UIC Special Collections and University Archives
Special Collections and University Archives at UIC are housed in two locations on the Chicago campus: the Richard J. Daley Library and the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago. The department holds more than 50,000 rare books and more than 600 historical manuscript, map, and photograph collections that document the social, political, cultural and economic life of Chicago.
SCUA's library faculty offer for-credit courses that incorporate the use of special collections. Faculty also provide class sessions for students in disciplines such as design, planning and history; in the past year, they presented 48 sessions with more than 900 students. Researchers around the globe use UIC special collections: more than 1,800 visitors used the reading rooms in 2017, and SCUA staff answered 3,800 online queries.
The UIC Library actively participates in collaborative efforts to increase awareness, discovery and access to special collections materials through organizations such as the Chicago Collections consortium and the Black Metropolis Research Consortium. This position will be expected to actively support and engage with these organizations.
For more information about the collections and current initiatives: About UIC Special Collections and University Archives
Responsibilities:
* Provide strong leadership, vision and strategic direction for the department.
* Foster professional growth and accomplishment for department faculty and staff.
* Oversee the acquisition, processing, cataloging, preservation, digitization, conservation and public service and outreach activities of special collections and university archives.
* Prioritize, assign and direct projects and workflows to meet unit goals and priorities.
* Develop, implement and assess programming to further increase engagement, promote knowledge and encourage teaching and research use of the collections.
* Establish and cultivate donor relationships in collaboration with Library leadership and Advancement colleagues. Initiate and pursue external funding.
* Actively promote Special Collections and University Archives to the campus, scholarly and public communities.
* Build collections that reflect the diverse communities of Chicago and the UIC campus.
* Work with SCUA and Digital Programs staff to improve stewardship of digital materials and increase the quantity and range of digital collections.
* Foster and contribute actively to collaborations across Chicago academic and cultural institutions to enhance discovery and digital access to materials.
* Contribute to the overall mission and vision of the Library. Serve as a member of the Library's leadership committee of department heads.
* Participate in national, regional and local archival organizations.
Qualifications:
* ALA accredited Master's degree in library/information science, or advanced degree in archival studies, history, or a related field; MLIS preferred.
* At least five years of successful and progressively responsible experience working in special collections or archives.
* Supervisory experience.
* Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with diverse groups and individuals
* Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills.
* Outstanding donor relations and collection development skills.
* Proven track record of fundraising and grant proposal writing.
* Demonstrated knowledge of trends in special collections and archives and appropriate technologies for managing, processing, digitizing and making discoverable primary resources and other rare materials.
* Familiarity with intellectual property issues related to special collections and archives.
* Ability to meet the requirements in scholarly research and publication, professional service and librarianship commensurate with a tenure system appointment at UIC. (See norms at https://uofi.app.box.com/v/ptlibnorms )
Preferred Qualifications:
* Experience managing special collections within a major research library or archives.
* Project management experience.
* Knowledge of Chicago history.
* Certification by the Academy of Certified Archivists or in rare books librarianship or comparable programs.
SALARY/CONTRACT:
Salary and academic rank commensurate with experience; benefits for a twelve month appointment include 24 days vacation; 12 days annual sick leave with additional disability benefits; 11 paid holidays; medical insurance (contribution based on annual salary; coverage for dependents may be purchased); two dental plans available; life insurance paid for by the State; participation in one of the retirement options of the State Universities Retirement System compulsory (8% of salary is withheld and is tax exempt until withdrawal); no Social Security coverage, but Medicare payment is required. This appointment is covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and UIC United Faculty Local 6456, IFT-AFT, AAUP.
For fullest consideration, apply by November 4, 2018 with cover letter, resume or C.V., and contact information for at least three references. The position close date is November 19, 2018. Questions can be directed to Jennifer Bordy, Library Human Resources, at jbordy@uic.edu.
All applicants must submit an online application through https://jobs.uic.edu/. To apply, click on the following link: https://jobs.uic.edu/job-board/job-details?jobID=104252&job=assistant-associate-professor-and-head-librarian-special-collections-and-university-archives-university-library
The University of Illinois conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer of employment. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The University of Illinois at Chicago is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that has a strong institutional commitment to the principle of diversity and is particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including members of ethnic minorities, women, covered veterans, and individuals with disabilities.
