Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Special Collections

Cornell University Library (CUL) seeks a dynamic, visionary senior manager to lead the Library’s distinguished collections and evolving scholarly communications programs. Reporting to the University Librarian, the successful candidate will advance system-wide stewardship, resource allocation, policy development, and planning, and will serve on the Library’s senior management team. S/he will initiate sustainable collaborative relationships with other libraries and institutions and will lead the Library’s partnerships with scholars and scientists in the creation, collection, and dissemination of scholarly resources.

From its pioneering leadership in collection development, special collections, and digital projects, to the present commitment to developing new channels for scholarly communication, Cornell University Library has initiated and supported the thoughtful transformation of collections, services, and resources to advance instruction, research, and scholarship in the 21st century. The Library hosts arXiv.org, the open access repository of electronic scientific preprints, as well as Project Euclid, an online publishing platform for journals in mathematics and statistics, and is creating innovative publishing venues in the social sciences and humanities, some in collaboration with Cornell University Press.

The Library seeks an energetic and knowledgeable colleague to shape and lead the Library’s evolving role in the provision of information and the advancement of knowledge through varied means. The AUL for Scholarly Resources and Special Collections will:

• Lead the Library’s collection development programs, directly administering a materials budget of over $12 million and coordinating a total materials budget of $17 million for the 20 libraries that constitute the Cornell University Library system.
• Provide administrative oversight for the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the Asia collections; provide coordination for all rare book and archival holdings in unit libraries.
• Supervise an administrative team of 3 senior library staff to secure the broadest terms of access to scholarly resources, advance intellectual property issues, promote scholarly communication/publishing initiatives, and assess the impact of proposed new academic emphases on local collections and library resources.
• Forge collaborations with academic departments and programs, representing the Library in areas related to collection development, special collections, and scholarly communications to the University community.
• Represent the Cornell University Library on local, regional, university, national, and international committees and initiatives in the areas of scholarly communications and collections.

Required: MLS or appropriate graduate degree, PhD highly desired. Significant experience in a major research university with at least five years administrative leadership in research library collection development and/or special collections. Deep knowledge of current trends in collection development, archives and special collections, and an understanding of scholarly communications issues. Experience in increasingly responsible positions with demonstrated excellent administrative abilities including leadership, effective supervisory and budgetary skills, and commitment to diversity. Ability to effect change in a challenging and complex environment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; enthusiasm for collaborative work. Ability to foster effective and positive relationships with faculty, staff, and students.


Background: Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The university comprises 14 schools with 2,900 faculty members and 20,800 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The Cornell University Library, with more than 450 staff members ranks in the top ten research libraries in North America. Its 20 libraries contain nearly 8 million printed volumes, 58,000 current serials, over 400,000 electronic resources, 72,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, and rich materials in other formats. The Library’s outstanding special collections - from medieval manuscripts to hip hop and from ancient Chinese texts to comic books - preserve the past and pave the way for future scholarship. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections documents the broad range of human intellectual experience with more than 480,000 print volumes, 70 million manuscripts, and another million photographs, prints, and other visual media. The Asia Collections - the John M. Echols Collection on Southeast Asia, the Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia, and the South Asia Collection - are among the largest and most significant collections of Asian historical and literary materials in North America with 1,200,000 books, serials, and newspapers, as well as videos, films, maps, and sound recordings. The Library’s Strategic Goals can be found at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/staffweb/CULGoals_2007-2010.pdf. The organizational chart can be viewed at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/img/ul/CULibraryOrgChart.pdf


Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance and university retirement contributions (TIAA-CREF and other options).

Application: To apply for this position go to http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, and select posting number 09663. Follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three references. Applications requested by November 15, 2008. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

For further information, contact Lyndsi Prignon, Assistant Director of Library Human Resources, 235 Olin Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5301.

Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.