Position announcement: Head of Continuing and Electronic Resources, Boston College Libraries Lawrence Busenbark 24 Apr 2009 19:36 UTC
Boston College Libraries Head of Continuing and Electronic Resources April 23, 2009 Hiring Range: $63,150-$78,950 The Boston College Libraries seek an energetic, engaged, and service-oriented Head of Continuing and Electronic Resources to provide leadership in a recently re-organized department of two professional librarians and six support staff. Under the leadership of a new University Librarian, the Boston College Libraries will be embarking on a strategic planning process, with organizational assessment as a priority. The Head is expected to foster a proactive and collaborative environment, and promote staff training and development to meet changing priorities and demands. He or she is also expected to establish effective and transparent standards and procedures for the acquisition, licensing, cataloging, and processing of continuing resources in all formats. The Head ensures that staffing is appropriately deployed to provide reliable management of the electronic resources which are critical to the research and teaching of the University. Candidates for this position should be well versed in the issues of scholarly communication and its relationship to journal publishing and pricing. This position reports to the AUL for Collection Services, and works collaboratively with the other Collection Services Heads, as well as staff in Systems and Public Services. Responsibilities: • Provide vision and leadership in developing and maintaining cost-effective efficient procedures and workflows for managing continuing resources in all formats. • Manage the operations of the Continuing and Electronic Resources Department: set goals, hire, supervise and evaluate staff; evaluate the services and operations of the Department, and refine effectively; monitor trends in the field and their impact on staffing, processes, and systems; foster an atmosphere of shared responsibility among staff members for the quality of the services provided by the department. • Work with other libraries on campus to ensure adherence to standards and local policy and to maximize efficiencies in workflow. • Collaborate with colleagues in Reference, Collection Development, and Systems to develop a program for assessment of electronic resource usage. • Proactively manage relationships with subscription agents. • Ensure accuracy of metadata maintained in multiple systems (ALEPH, SFX, ERM system), through combination of data cleanup/maintenance projects and collaborative work with Systems to ensure appropriate interoperability of systems. • Keep current (and ensure that staff are current) with new developments in types, formats, and carriers of continuing and electronic resources, as well as with the emerging and evolving technologies used to deliver them. • Work collaboratively with Department Heads to coordinate policies, streamline workflow, and ensure cooperation and communication among the departments. • Actively promote professional development opportunities for staff to enhance their skills, meet their colleagues, and expand their perspective beyond Boston College. • Participate in the leadership group of the Library with other Department Heads, contributing to library-wide initiatives, setting strategic directions, and ensuring ongoing communication with other departments. • Serve on Library committees, task forces, etc. as appropriate. Requirements: • Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program. • Five years of experience in serials and/or electronic resource management, with a broad knowledge of library vendors and the serials/database industry • Demonstrated understanding of continuing resources workflows (including ordering, invoicing/payment, cataloging, claiming, trouble-shooting/resolving access problems) • Significant experience working with automated systems (e.g., ILS (ALEPH preferred), link resolver (SFX preferred), ERM database/system (Verde preferred), financial management system (Peoplesoft), and the ability to see technological solutions and efficiencies. • Knowledge of existing and emerging standards in the area of e-resource licensing and management (e.g., Sushi, Counter, SERU). • Exceptional supervisory skills and demonstrated leadership potential. • Superior oral and written communication skills. • Strong service orientation and excellent collaborative skills. • Desktop application expertise, including MSExcel and MSAccess. • Understanding of database structures and the ability to translate that understanding into the development of management reports. To Apply: Please visit the Boston College Human Resources Job Opportunities website at http://www.bc.edu/jobs. Please submit both a resume and a cover letter.. Position will remain open until filled. -- Lawrence Busenbark (617) 552-3207 Acting Head, Continuing and Electronic Resources Cataloger/Metadata Specialist O'Neill Library 140 Commonwealth Avenue Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 02167