The Harvard Library seeks an innovative, knowledgeable, and agile leader to direct the work of several teams of librarians and staff in building information resources in a diverse array of formats and languages for Harvard faculty and students.
The Harvard College Library is world renowned for the quality and comprehensive nature of its global collections. The incumbent will report to the Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources, a new position on the senior management team of the Harvard Library which oversees Information and Technical Services and the Office of Scholarly Communications.
The director of collections strategies will work closely with the Collections and Content Standing Committee, the Harvard Library’s group for recommending pan- Harvard collecting and content policies. The successful candidate will be a polymath, able to work effectively with selectors in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences and will be fluently conversant with international publishing and acquisition practices.
The HCL budget for acquisitions and licensing of a wide range of resources exceeds $20 million. There is a strong focus on global material, with outstanding holdings in Chinese, Judaica, Latin America, the Middle East, and Slavic languages well as Europe and the U.S.
Lead in the development of outstanding collections and access to information for the HCL
Develop creative strategies to meet Harvard’s voracious research and teaching needs; analyze user requirements; understand contemporary trends in scholarship and learning; and deploy a range of options, including purchase, licensing, partnerships, and open access to create a successful model of 21st century library information access.
Work with special collections librarians to coordinate acquisitions, processing, access, and collection management.
Oversee the allocation and management of the funds exceeding $20 million annually by the collections unit
Manage the work of over 30 staff selecting 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.
Direct others in the selection materials for the collections, including electronic resources, data, media, images and other types, to ensure a leading, intellectually relevant and future-minded collection and collaborates with other collection development librarians across Harvard's schools in cooperative purchasing efforts.
Work with selectors, collection managers, technical services, and assessment staff to devise metrics and criteria, and to create a data-driven approach to inform library acquisitions and cancelation decisions
Collaborate with other collecting areas of the Harvard Library and the University, including School libraries, archives, and museums, to ensure seamless acquisition and use of resources and to avoid unnecessary duplication.
Establish and maintain excellent relationships with faculty and students and align collecting policies and practices with academic priorities.
Collaborate with RTL librarians in the use of collections in teaching and in building student research experiences.
Additional Qualifications
Advanced degrees (MLS, Ph.D) or equivalent preferred
Ability to lead change
Outstanding communication skills
Record of publication and presentations and an international reputation as a forward-thinking and collaborative partner.
Deep knowledge of developments in digital resources, data, and open access
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