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Director of Operations

Director of Operations

Rutgers University Job Location: New Jersey Date Created: 10-15-2014

The Chancellor of Rutgers University -- Newark (RU-N) and the Rutgers University Libraries invite nominations and applications for the position of Director of Operations of the Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS), the world's foremost jazz archive and research facility.  The Director of Operations will be an accomplished leader who provides the vision and energy required to fulfill the IJS mission to preserve and promote jazz as a living art form.  Among other activities, s/he will lead IJS in the development of services and programs that promote excellence in research, scholarship, and learning.  The Director of Operations will oversee the continued growth and success of IJS through the management of all operations, maintaining the highest levels of productivity, integrity, and quality.  S/he will spearhead the ongoing acquisition of important jazz research collections and direct the supporting operations to ensure their preservation and accessibility.   The director will maintain an active personal presence in the jazz world and represent IJS in the appropriate regional, national, and international arenas.
Located at RU-N, the Institute of Jazz Studies collects, maintains, and makes available unique collections that include over 200,000 sound recordings, 500 distinct archival collections, over 30,000 photographs, extensive oral history collections, books, jazz periodicals, musical instruments, and other memorabilia.  The collections support research by scholars and writers from around the world, musicians, arts institutions, record labels, students at all levels, and the media.  The highly regarded Masters of Arts Program in Jazz History and Research at Rutgers University -- Newark is supported directly by IJS collections and personnel.  IJS maintains an active outreach program, furthering jazz education at all levels, and supports scholarship through the publication of the Journal of Jazz Studies, a leading English-language scholarly jazz journal.  The Institute currently has a dedicated faculty of five librarians and archivists, a digital applications developer, a staff collections specialist, and part-time employees.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Reporting dually to the Executive Director of the IJS and to the Director of the John Cotton Dana Library, the incumbent is responsible for the administration and development of the Institute's operations.  S/he collaborates with the Dana Library Director, the Executive Director of the Institute for Jazz Studies and Rutgers teaching faculty to oversee the solicitation of, evaluation, and acceptance of gift collections.  In particular, the Director of Operations oversees the preservation of and access to sound recordings in all formats. S/he supports the Executive Director and Dana Library Director in identifying and pursuing external funding sources, including individual donors and grant funding agencies, and plans and manages grant funded projects.  The Director of Operations collaborates with IJS faculty and staff on strategic planning to identify priorities for the processing and preservation of the archival collections and the assessment of such activities.  S/he also works with faculty and staff across RU-N to identify opportunities to integrate jazz, as a mode of cultural expression, and the IJS' holdings into curricula and co-curricular activities.  S/he maintains and forges liaisons with other jazz archives and arts organizations to develop collaborative activities. With IJS faculty and staff promotes the collections and services of the Institute through exhibitions, conferences, symposia, lectures, and musical performances and other activities that provide broad exposure to IJS resources. Coordinates editorial work for the Journal of Jazz Studies.  As a member of a university-wide faculty s/he is expected to participate in system-wide initiatives, committees, and task forces and to demonstrate commitment to continual professional development through scholarly research relevant to areas of responsibility, including publications, presentations, and participation and leadership in the work of relevant scholarly and professional associations.  She/he will also mentor other IJS faculty in pursuit of these activities.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
*    MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited institution or equivalent degree, Degree in music, preferably with a specialization in jazz or demonstrated experience or scholarship in jazz required
*    Thorough knowledge of jazz history
*    Established reputation in music, library, and/or archives professional organizations
*    Publication record in jazz and music librarianship/archives
*    Familiarity with current jazz trends to support ongoing IJS events and initiatives
Preferred:
*    Several years of management experience in a music archives and and/or  a special collections setting  highly desirable and strongly preferred
*    Experience working with donors of rare or archival materials preferred
*    Experience with legal issues related to acquisitions, preservation and access of archival materials preferred
*    Expertise in sound recording preservation and reformatting.

The successful candidate will possess extensive professional experience and accomplishment in academic or research library special collections, archives, or similar settings, or as an academic and researcher with relevant managerial and administrative experience. Must demonstrate or articulate a vision of the role of archival and special research collections in the delivery of information services to a diverse academic community and to the jazz world. Must be familiar with issues relating to managing and preserving digital collections. Must be able to meet tenure and promotion requirements. Desired skills include effective communication with library, archival and jazz studies colleagues, jazz professionals, teaching faculty, administration, students, and alumni, and innovation and organizational abilities. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
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