Library Director and College Librarian
Whitman College Job Location: Washington Date Created: 08-12-2022
Library Director and College Librarian Whitman College seeks a creative, innovative, and strategic leader to serve as the next Library Director and College Librarian (Library Director) of the Penrose Library. The search is being launched as the current Library Director, Dalia Corkrum, will retire following almost two decades of service at Whitman.
Reporting to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty (Provost), the Library Director is a critical partner in, and facilitator of, intensive student and faculty intellectual engagement. The next Library Director will build upon a solid foundation and excellent collections to collaboratively develop and articulate a comprehensive strategic vision for the Whitman College Library. Working closely with the Provost and library staff, the next Director must develop measurable goals and articulate new priorities that will guide the Library’s path forward, encompassing both the Penrose Library’s role on campus and its relationship to the evolving information landscape. The next Library Director will identify creative and effective ways to continue the evolution of the Penrose Library with an increasingly global, diverse, and relevant collection of materials accessible through a range of content platforms.
As a small residential liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, Whitman is rooted in the traditional liberal arts values like critical thought and academic rigor. But at its foundation is also a belief in the value of community and power of relationships. Whitman’s graduates are scholars, but also explorers, advocates and scientists. They climb mountains, travel to far-off corners and give voice to others. They care about community and aim to become citizens of the world. The Penrose Library has been consistently highly ranked by the Princeton Review. The library’s digital environment, with more than 85,000 unique journal titles, 210 databases, 376,000 eBooks and 45,000 streaming videos, complements its more than 600,000-volume print collection. Penrose Library has generous open hours and the facility itself was built to facilitate inquiry, study, and learning. Whitman College and Northwest Archives include 4,800 linear feet of archival and manuscript material and over 5,000 rare books. Whitman College is a member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, which combines the assets of academic libraries throughout the Northwest to provide free access and courier delivery of millions of volumes as well as the Oberlin Group of Libraries, a consortia dedicated to advancing libraries in liberal arts colleges and universities.
The Library Director and College Librarian is responsible for providing vision, leadership and administrative guidance in planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, and evaluating all library functions and in integrating library resources within the academic programs of the College. Reporting to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, the Library Director oversees 17 full- and part-time staff and 30-35 part-time students. The Penrose Library’s total annual operating budget for 2022-2023 stands at approximately $3 million, including salaries. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader with a deep understanding of and commitment to the mission, values, goals, and pedagogical approaches of academic libraries and liberal arts traditions. Candidates must hold an ALA-accredited degree or an international equivalent, or an advanced degree in a relevant field, as well as demonstrate effective leadership and management experience. To view the full position profile, please visit our website.
For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications to:
Matthew Bunting, Managing Associate
Lareese Hall, Senior Associate
Storbeck Search
WhitmanLibrarian@storbecksearch.com
Whitman College is building a diverse academic community of highly qualified students, faculty, and staff. Diversity is fundamentally important to the character and mission of Whitman College. Diversity enriches our community and enhances intellectual and personal growth.The College provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
