University Librarian

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), a public research university and one of the ten campuses of the University of California (UC) System, seeks a gifted leader and experienced library administrator to serve as University Librarian. Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor, the successful candidate will lead the UCSB Libraries in providing outstanding services to support the UCSB community, while also extending the University’s unique library resources to benefit researchers around the world.

The UCSB campus is located roughly 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the base of the Santa Ynez Mountains. The University is distinguished for its highly interdisciplinary academic programs found throughout the University, including the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, the Center for Information Technology and Society, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Bren School of Environmental Science and the College of Creative Studies. The 2011 U.S. News and World Report College Rankings places UCSB in the top ten among all public universities in the nation, with seven of the University’s graduate programs ranked among the top 50 in the country. UCSB, a member of the American Association of Universities, is the fifth largest institution in the UC System by enrollment, with 18,429 undergraduate and 2,981 graduate students. To learn more about UCSB, please see www.ucsb.edu.

The UCSB Libraries comprise two primary divisions: the Davidson Library and the Arts Library. Together, these units play a vital role in supporting UCSB students and faculty by enabling access to a collection of approximately 2.7 million volumes, as well as several important special collections, including the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives and the Wyles Collection on the American West. A member of the Association of Research Libraries, the UCSB Library participates actively in the California Digital Library (CDL) and other consortium-based activities, primarily through membership in the UC System, the preeminent university network in the world. To learn more about the UCSB Libraries, please see www.library.ucsb.edu.

The University Librarian will be joining UCSB at an exciting time, as s/he will oversee the development of a new wing in the Davidson Library while leading the library to fulfill its potential to provide world-class services and resources to the UCSB and scholarly communities. S/he will assess the current state of the UCSB Libraries; serve as an effective and inspiring leader for the Libraries’ staff members; generate funding to sustain the Library’s growth and improvement; enhance the Libraries’ information-technology infrastructure and serve as an active participant in university, system-level and national consortia and collaborations.
The successful candidate for this position will be an innovative library administrator with a proven record as an effective manager and a compelling vision for how the UCSB Libraries can play a more prominent role in the university’s academic activities. This position represents an outstanding opportunity for a seasoned library leader with a history of decisive and innovative leadership, including managing human, financial, and physical resources. S/he will also bring to this role a true understanding of technology applications and their ability to support, enhance or replace traditional library services, the ability to be an effective and compelling spokesperson and advocate for Davidson Library, as well as outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate will have a Masters of Library Science (MLS) from an ALA-accredited library school or an equivalent degree.

Applicants should send a detailed letter of application, a curriculum vita, and contact information for five references to 4081@imsearch.com. Electronic submission of applications and correspondence is strongly preferred. Inquiries and nominations can be submitted to the same email address or one can contact the search firm representatives at the address or phone number listed below.

Beverly Brady or David Bellshaw
Isaacson, Miller
649 Mission Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94105-4128
Phone: 415.655.4900
Fax: 415.655.4905


The University of California, Santa Barbara is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong institutional commitment to achieving diversity.