Acquisitions and Serials Department Head

Loyola Marymount University seeks an exceptional candidate for the position of Acquisitions & Serials Department Head.

Loyola Marymount, founded in 1911, is a comprehensive university in the mainstream of American Catholic higher education. Located on the west side of Los Angeles overlooking the Pacific Ocean, LMU is one of the nation’s 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and five Marymount institutions. The Westchester campus serves nearly 5,700 undergraduates and 1900 graduate students in the Colleges/Schools of Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, Business Administration, Communication and Fine Arts, Film and Television, and Education. Loyola Marymount seeks professionally outstanding applicants who value its mission and share its commitment to academic excellence, the education of the whole person, and the building of a just society. LMU is an equal opportunity institution actively working to promote an intercultural learning community. The library is committed to employing librarians who reflect the multi-cultural nature of the university and the Los Angeles region.

Loyola Marymount University offers librarians a supportive and innovative work environment. The new William H. Hanno Library open in August 2009: http://library.lmu.edu. With a materials budget of $3.8 million, split almost evenly between print and electronic resources, the Acquisitions & Serials Department Head will lead 7 FTE staff in the procurement and management of all collection materials for the William H. Hannon Library. The department acquires 18,000 books annually and subscribes to 1800 print periodicals, 22,300 e-journals and over 200 e-resources. The Head manages the acquisitions, serials, and electronic resources functions of the library, including oversight of expenditures against the library’s materials budgets.

Other position specific accountabilities are as follows: Develop effective utilization of technology to streamline workflow and processes; manage personnel including training and development; establish effective vendor relationships; coordinate budgeting and financial management for library materials funds; and represent LMU at various conferences and meetings pertaining to library acquisitions and technologies.

The ideal candidate must have broad knowledge of current trends in higher education, academic libraries, and the publishing industry, and an understanding of the issues of content ownership vs. access, including e-resource licensing. The successful candidate will be creative, flexible, and collaborative. Other skills and knowledge include: ability to analyze work processes and introduce appropriate technological solutions for efficiency and user convenience; strong financial management skill, and excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to win the trust and confidence of faculty, librarians, and library staff. Experience with these technologies preferred: Innovative Interfaces, Inc., Serials Solutions, and OCLC PromptCat.

A Master of Library Science from an ALA accredited institution is preferred, but a related master’s degree with appropriate experience may be substituted. A minimum of five years of progressively responsible academic library acquisitions and/or serials experience that includes supervision is required.

Hiring Salary: $59,880 to $80,000 commensurate with experience and salary history.

We anticipate that the position will begin on March 1, 2010. Deliberations on the pool of candidates will begin as applications are received.


Applicants should send the following materials:

1. a letter of application, which includes a statement of the applicant’s vision for a well-run academic library acquisitions department in the 21st century;
2. a curriculum vitae or resume;
3. a list of three professional references (names, titles, addresses, and telephone numbers).

Application materials and/or inquiries should be addressed to:

Tobeylynn Birch
Associate Dean
William H. Hannon Library
Loyola Marymount University
One LMU Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90045-2659

310/338-3088
tbirch@lmu.edu

In addition, all candidates should submit a formal application by going to http://jobs.lmu.edu