This highly visible senior administrative position is one of three assistant university librarians, and reports to the Vice Provost and University Librarian.  The Assistant University Librarian (AUL) for Research Services develops and maintains the core services of the research services division, including the development and management of collections, instruction, and outreach within the rapidly changing environment of higher education; leads the creation of new services and establishes long-term strategic planning for the division.  Provides management and coordination of administrative and operations-related functions for reference and collection development, access services, and the library service center (storage facility).

Salary: $100,000 minimum, hiring commensurate with experience and qualifications. This position offers a flexible work schedule (minimum of 3 days in the Fondren Library per week).

*Special Instructions to Applicants:* Applications received by May 19, 2023 will receive first consideration. All interested applicants should attach a cover letter, a resume, a writing sample, and the titles, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of three references in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in a PDF format to avoid formatting issues.

Apply at https://tinyurl.com/AULResearchServicesRice

Inquiries: Lisa Spiro, Assistant University Librarian/Search Coordinator at (713) 348-2480 or lspiro@rice.edu.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or related degree
• 7 years of related experience including 5 years in a leadership or managerial role in a library setting

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead, evaluate, recruit, and supervise professional level staff
• Demonstrated experience in problem solving, analytical and organization skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills and a demonstrated ability to work well with others in a team environment
• Knowledge of and experience with outcomes based assessment of library services
• Demonstrated broad knowledge of library automation systems, digital resources, and instructional technologies
• Experience with consortial collaborations, grant writing, and cultivating donor relationships
• Experience in leading projects involving digital knowledge management and delivery systems 

Essential Functions

• Sets vision and strategic directions for reference, collection development, access services, and the library service center
• Manages and oversees professional and support staff, including nine direct reports (with a dotted line to the Director of the Business Information Center) and thirty total staff members
• Manages the library’s materials budget, including allocations and expenditures, working in collaboration with the acquisitions librarian
• Collects, prepares and analyzes reports and statistics; develops and monitors key metrics for performance against the goals and strategic plans of the library
• Engages, collaborates and develops partnerships with academic and administrative departments
• Coordinates planning initiatives, policies and procedures responsive to the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives
• Provides support for library-wide administrative functions (examples: building services, human resources, library-wide budget oversight)
• Leads creative initiatives to communicate the collections and research services of the Fondren Library to new and existing audiences, with attention to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion, and inspire new levels of engagement among the Rice community
• Performs other duties as assigned

Additional Functions

• Displays knowledge of all aspects of library operations including extensive knowledge of contemporary library practices, trends and emerging technologies
• Demonstrates extensive knowledge of academic research resources and information infrastructure, including library instruction, reference and outreach, collection development, technologies for users, access to publications, digital collections, and delivery systems
• Exhibits record of innovation and project management in libraries
• Demonstrates a high level of diplomacy in persuading and influencing a wide variety of people at various levels to achieve results
• Promotes new and progressive models of scholarly communication and collection development, including open access, demand-driven acquisitions, and data management
• Uses technologies to provide and enhance library services and their changing roles in higher education
• Leads projects involving digital knowledge management and delivery systems

Preferences

• 7 years or more working in a higher education environment
• Familiarity with cloud computing and services