COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT LIBRARIAN/ASSISTANT UNIT HEAD

Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library seeks a Collection Development Librarian to provide leadership in acquiring library resources in a variety of formats and to assist in managing the Collection Development and Resources Management Unit, including direct supervision of acquisitions functions.  This position will articulate the direction, balance and emphasis of all collections, as well as formulate policies.  The Collection Development Librarian will coordinate and support the work of the liaisons to academic departments in their efforts to develop collections in their areas, and will direct the work of 2 support staff in acquiring library monographic materials.  This position will also work with the teaching faculty who are planning new programs or courses or preparing for accreditation visits.  Other duties include budget allocation and management; monitoring publishing trends in all formats; and cooperative collection development in the context of a three institution consortium.  This librarian will play a key role in analyzing the use of library resources, assessing the collection, and staying abreast of trends in scholarly communication.  The successful candidate will be professionally engaged, forward-thinking, collaborative, and up to the challenge of providing necessary resources for a variety of programs, including online and distance education initiatives.

This position is expected to work closely with the Head of Collection Development and Resources Management, to whom the position reports, as well as collaborate with the Cataloging Unit.  The position will also act as liaison to one or more academic departments.  The library’s size and culture allow for involvement in many areas, including providing library instruction and/or reference service.  Library faculty are highly engaged in library planning and policy-making. 

Western Carolina University is one of the 16 senior institutions of the University of North Carolina system.  It is a dynamic, regional comprehensive university with approximately 9,400 students.  Western focuses on academic quality through its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and through its commitment to integrated learning and the scholarship of engagement.  Located in Cullowhee, NC, Western is situated in a beautiful valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 52 miles west of Asheville and near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the nation’s most spectacular and most visited national parks.  While in a small town setting, the university is only 3 hours from Atlanta and Charlotte.

The Library

Hunter Library has a long, respected record of providing excellent service to the university and region.  The library is dedicated to the thoughtful integration of print and digital resources and to supporting and developing the general, information, digital, graphic, and visual literacy of students and the teaching and research needs of faculty and staff.  The library has 19 tenure track faculty members, 30 staff members, and an annual budget of approximately $4.5 million.  The library contains approximately 800,000 print and electronic volumes and provides access to more than 45,000 journals through print subscriptions and electronic databases.  The library is an active partner in the Western North Carolina Library Network.

 

Required Qualifications:

Masters of Library Science from an ALA accredited school and experience in collection development or acquisitions work; experience in supervising others.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in collection assessment including quantitative analysis, and as a liaison with teaching faculty; experience with budget projections, allocations and reports; experience with acquisitions module of an integrated library system (preferably III Millennium); experience negotiating and acquiring electronic resources; experience with spreadsheets and databases; strong analytical and organizational skills.

Salary and Benefits:

 

Salary and rank are commensurate with qualifications. This is a twelve month, tenure-track

position with a generous 24 days of vacation leave annually.

 

Application Procedure:

 

To apply, access our online employment system at: https://jobs.wcu.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51773.  You will be required to attach a letter of application, resume, and names and telephone numbers of three

references. For more information, contact Elisabeth Leonard at 828-227-3421 or eleonard@wcu.edu.

 

Effective July 1, 2007 final candidates for employment will be subject to criminal background checks.  Some vacancies may also require credit or motor vehicle checks. EOE/AA.

 

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

 

 

Nancy Newsome

Head Collection Development & Resources Management

Hunter Library

Western Carolina University

176 Central Dr.

Cullowhee, NC 28723

828-227-3489

newsome@email.wcu.edu