Business and Public Affairs Collections Librarian

The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Business and Public Affairs Librarian. The Business and Public Affairs Collections Librarian is responsible for developing, assessing, managing, and promoting the use of collections in all formats The successful candidate will join a culturally and academically diverse faculty or the highest caliber. Located in culturally diverse, historic, and dynamic Richmond, Virginia, convenient to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the recreation destinations of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Commonwealth University is one of Virginia's largest universities and among the nation's leading research institutions. VCU Libraries, one of Virginia’s outstanding research library systems, advances the University’s teaching, research, service, and patient care mission with comprehensive digital and print collections and nationally recognized innovation in its facilities, advanced media and technology resources for its community. In February 2018, the Association of College and Research Libraries recognized VCU Libraries with the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. Diversity and Inclusion VCU’s commitment to diversity is one of the institution’s unique strengths. Our student body is one of the most diverse in Virginia in terms of race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and one of the four themes of our Quest 2025 Strategic Plan is “Diversity driving excellence.”  The United States Department of Education has designated VCU as a Minority Serving Institution effective July 1, 2022.  VCU is committed to building an increasingly diverse faculty and leadership team, and is actively engaged in partnerships with diverse communities in the Richmond metro area. VCU Libraries is purposeful in our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion and expects that the Business and Public Affairs Collections Librarian will be a leader in fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all members of the VCU community. The successful candidate will receive support for research, service, and professional development and will have ample opportunity to pursue diversity and inclusion related opportunities in those areas. Responsibilities  Reporting to the Head, Collection Analysis and Investment, the Business and Public Affairs Collections Librarian assumes a leadership role in developing, assessing, managing, and promoting the use of collections in all formats. Works closely with other members of the Collections Team, a cross-campus group of librarians with collection responsibilities for a $12.5 million acquisitions budget, to develop policy and procedures to sustain and foster excellent teaching and research collections, including those from smaller, lesser-known, more diverse and international presses that have a non-North American perspective. Subject responsibilities include accounting, business administration, criminal justice, economics, finance, homeland security, information systems, management, marketing, political science, public administration, urban planning, and related disciplines. The successful candidate will:

• Use appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyze and develop collections and to measure them against peer institutions.
• Work with other subject-based librarians to cultivate strong relationships with the faculty to support their teaching and research missions and to keep them informed of collections appropriate to their work.
• Participate in opportunities in state and regional initiatives for developing electronic resources and digital collections.

The Business and Public Affairs Collections Librarian is expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty with the VCU Libraries are evaluated, and promoted, on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and service. Qualifications  Required: ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline.  Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.  Preferred: 

• Academic background in business with advanced degree in business, public affairs, legal studies, or related disciplines.
• Two or more years’ experience developing collections and selecting print and electronic resources in a research library.
• Understanding of scholarly literature and an awareness of national trends in scholarly publishing.
• Experience evaluating and using electronic resources.
• Knowledge of library information technology and applications, including web technologies and tools.
• Initiative and creativity, willingness to collaborate and to share information, and the ability to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities under pressure.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Strong service orientation. 
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Candidates need not meet the preferred qualifications to be fully considered. We value many individual and unique skills that would strengthen the VCU Libraries and our teams. Salary: Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $60,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. 12-month faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans.   Relocation assistance is available.  Librarians are provided a generous professional development allowance.  For more information, please see the  Faculty Benefits page.   Interviews: Initial interviews will be conducted virtually. We anticipate inviting finalists to campus.  Learn about the position in an online information session We are hosting information sessions for interested applicants in advance of the October 3, 2022 review date.Please consider joining one of these sessions to learn more about the position, meet the supervisor Karen Cary and get answers to your questions about the position.   Join one of our info sessions via Zoom: Friday, September 16, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12 pm EDT Tuesday, September 20, 2022 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm EDT Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT The attendee list for each Zoom session will be hidden and those asking questions may do so anonymously. Live captioning will be provided. To attend a session, please complete the confidential form to receive a Zoom link. Questions? Please contact Karen Cary at kcary@vcu.edu   Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Libraries As one of only 71 public universities with academic medical centers to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity,” Virginia Commonwealth University ranks among Virginia’s largest research universities, enrolling over 29,000 students. Located in the heart of Richmond, VCU offers 44 doctoral, 68 masters, 3 professional, and 71 baccalaureate degree programs. Thirty-four of VCU's graduate and professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation, with 26 programs ranking in the top 50 and sculpture and nurse anesthesia ranked number one. Over 2,400 faculty comprise the University's teaching force. Research strengths at the University include health and life sciences, education, engineering, social work, behavioral sciences, public affairs, advertising and design, and the fine arts. Sponsored research funding totals over $363 million, placing VCU among the top 100 research institutions in the United States.     Libraries at Virginia Commonwealth University, including the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus and the Health Sciences Library on the MCV Campus, employ moreover 60 professionals and 64 staff with annual expenditures exceeding $22 million. VCU also operates academic programs in Doha, Qatar, supported by a library there, and in various locations throughout the U.S. and the world. The VCU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, Center for Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, National Digital Stewardship Alliance, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), a statewide networking consortium for shared access to electronic and print resources, as well as a Resource Library in the Network of the National Library of Medicine, among others.  The VCU Libraries uses the following packages for its system architecture: Alma, Primo, Islandora, Digital Commons, ArchivesSpace, ILLiad, and Omeka.    The Monroe Park Campus of VCU is located in Richmond's Fan District, a large, residential neighborhood of townhouses, shops, and cafes. The campus is home to most of the University’s undergraduate and many of its graduate programs, including the School of the Arts, the Colleges of Humanities and Sciences, and Engineering and the Schools of Business, Education, and Social Work. The School of Social Work also offers the Masters of Social Work at the Northern Virginia Campus in Alexandria, Virginia. In addition, VCU’s Qatar campus in the Middle East offers degree programs through the School of the Arts.   For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at https://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin October 3, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, go to https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/, complete the application and submit a cover letter, CV/resume, and the names, email addresses, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references.  Applicants are requested to submit a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion providing your career aspirations and contributions toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Virginia Commonwealth University is an urban research institution with a richly diverse university community and commitment to multicultural opportunities.  Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability.    

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