Edward Cornell Law Librarian

Cornell University seeks an experienced and innovative academic leader to serve as Director of its Law Library.  The Law Librarian provides strategic vision, fiscal stewardship, operational management, and ensures outstanding service to faculty and students in the Law School.  In order to support the teaching, research, and outreach mission, the Librarian builds collaborative relationships across the law school, within the library system, and throughout the profession.  The Law Librarian works closely with the dean and vice dean of the law school, the library administration, and the faculty to understand the current and anticipated needs of the community.  Within the Law Library, the Librarian has the opportunity to develop a strong team of service-oriented research attorneys and library assistants and to work with the staff to develop a compelling and cohesive vision for a 21^st century law library.

The Edward Cornell Law Director sets strategic directions for the Law Library; oversees a staff of 19, a budget of $1.6M, and an extensive collection of print and digital materials; develops collaborative relationships with the faculty, particularly in areas related to information services and management; participates in the University Library’s management teams and contributes substantively to its strategic initiatives; provides leadership and works collaboratively with staff in Alumni Affairs and Development to identify and cultivate relationships with donors and alumni of the Law School.  As a member of the Law School faculty, the Law Librarian has a unique opportunity to develop services that support the evolving curriculum and align Law Library programs to enhance and promote faculty scholarship. She/he reports jointly to the Dean of the Law School and the Associate University Librarian.

Background: Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.  The city and the university offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes.  The university comprises 14 schools with over 2,700 faculty members and nearly 21,600 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. 

Cornell Law School combines inspired teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a close-knit and collegial intellectual community.  Hallmarks of the school include: a faculty that excels not only in scholarly productivity, but also as teachers; an approach to legal education that encourages collaboration and interdisciplinary research; a global emphasis, including educational partnerships around the world; a strong and vital connection to a world-class research university; and graduates who are connected and make a difference. The Law School is also home to the Legal Information Institute (LII). LII was the first to provide open-access legal information on the Internet, more than 15 years ago. At this point, LII combines the latest in technology with top notch legal expertise to provide legal information to a huge global Internet audience – 10 million hits per week from over 200 countries – for free. Over 1.5 million web pages worldwide link to LII.

With deep scholarly collections online and rich resources in print (over 700,000 volumes), the Law Library serves the legal research needs of the Law School, University, and transnational communities. All members of the library staff support the pedagogical and research needs of the students and faculty and the library’s Research Attorneys teach numerous courses in the law school curriculum.  The Law Library is the third largest library in the Cornell University Library system which contains nearly 8 million printed volumes, thousands of serials, more than 650,000 online resources, and rich materials in other formats.  The Cornell University Library is a vigorous professional organization with a strong track record of service and innovation.  It was honored as the recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in 2002.

Requirements:  Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and work successfully with a team of staff within a Law School setting. Excellent communication skills, compelling vision, and the ability to foster effective working relationships with faculty, students, staff, and donors. The successful candidate should have at least five years of management and leadership experience in a law library, an understanding of trends related to a rapidly evolving information environment, and a record of active engagement in scholarship and the profession. A J.D. or equivalent degree from an accredited institution and an M.L.S. degree or equivalent are required.

Benefits:  Competitive in salary, rank, professional development support, and benefits. Comprehensive benefits package includes 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions. 

Application Procedure:  Applications will be reviewed beginning February 1^st and will be accepted until this position is filled. To apply for this position go to http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, and select posting number 13905. Follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers, and addresses for three references. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

For general inquiries about this position or Cornell University, please contact Lyndsi Prignon, Associate Director of Library Human Resources, at lra8@cornell.edu or 607-255-9560.  For additional information or confidential inquiries, please contact Barbara Holden-Smith, Chair, Law Library Director Search Committee, Vice Dean, and Professor of Law Cornell Law School, at bjh12@cornell.edu or 607-255-8577.

Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches. Visit http://www.unyherc.org/home/index.cfm?site_id=671 to see positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area.

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.