Associate Dean for Research and Learning Services

The J. Willard Marriott Library is seeking a bold and visionary thinker who thrives in an environment of continual reinvention and renewal, promotes innovation and collaboration, is very technologically savvy, loves to say yes to users, enjoys professional service and mentoring, and who is absolutely committed to the highest levels of public service.

We invite applicants who want to join one of the most exciting libraries in the country, one that is striving to set the standard for what it means to be a vibrant 21^st century academic services center. The recent $80 million renovation of the Marriott Library sparked a total transformation both of the building and of our services to create inspirational space, build communities of learning, and connect people with knowledge. Opportunities abound to partner with faculty and programs that highly appreciate all that the library has to offer. By relying on organizational values that include creativity, personal growth, sustainability, innovation, leadership and risk taking, we fulfill our mission, “to inspire the creation, discovery, and use of knowledge for Utah and the world.”

We also take pride in our ability to advance the productivity and success of users in all areas of teaching, learning and research. To achieve this, the Marriott Library has become an agent of transformation, development, growth and opportunity; it is a center for innovation and an instigator as well as incubator for collaborations that produce powerful and lasting results. The library supplies access to high quality knowledge, coupled with high tech, high touch services that remove the mystery from research and learning. We impart to our students a solid grounding in critical thinking that will serve them for their entire life experience of finding, utilizing, evaluating and creating knowledge in their chosen careers and personal lives.

The services, collections and strategies of the Marriott Library range from managing student computing labs and teaching the book arts in the public schools, to exploiting digital technologies that capture new scholarship and extend the university’s reach around the globe. The library has the faculty and administration abuzz with the possibilities it presents and they consider it fertile ground for partnering and testing new ideas, as well as prime territory for showing off the university’s scholarship and accomplishments. Integral to generating new scholarship, intensively interdisciplinary, and the nexus of campus intellectual life, the Marriott Library serves as the knowledge commons for the university.

A new strategic plan will guide the library for the next three years and will provide a foundation for actions in Research and Learning Services.  A key project being led by this position is the Visual, Information and Technology Literacy initiative. A fuller statement on the vision of the library was presented by the Dean to the Academic Senate in March of 2010.

Position Summary

The position of Associate Dean for Research and Learning Services is integral to the success of the vision for the library and leads initiatives that enhance the experience of our users and elevates the position and impact of the library on campus and in the community.  The Associate Dean is responsible for strategic visioning, policy and program development, service operations and personnel, user educational programs, liaison connections to University programs and departments, outreach and marketing of research and learning services and resources, and overall excellence in the Research and Learning Services units of the Marriott Library.  This position will lead the integration of library services into a new university signature student experience initiative in regard to our teaching program, creating internships and other experiential learning opportunities, and capitalizing on the library’s Visual, Information and Technology Literacy initiative. Together with the AD for Special Collections, responsibility includes oversight of the Outreach and User Services Council and guidance of the College and Interdisciplinary Teams.

To advance these areas the position will:

• Lead, direct and coordinate a wide range of library services and support, delivered onsite and virtually, including research and information services (Knowledge Commons, the Dumke Fine Arts and Architecture Library, information desks, online services, individual and group consultations); user technology and computing services; library instruction and training for users; support for faculty, graduate students and other advanced users conducting digital scholarship; management of iTunes U for the university; and staff desk top and mobile computing. 
• Set, articulate, and model the library’s service quality objectives.
• Coordinate efforts across library units to ensure consistent and high quality services.
• Directly supervise six division heads: Research and Information Services; Fine Arts and Architecture; Online Services; Digital Scholarship Laboratory; Education Services; and Computing and Media Services.
• Work closely with other areas that oversee assessment efforts and user services such as interlibrary loans, reserves and information desks.
• Participate in broad oversight, decision-making, strategic direction, policy development, coordination of activities, and alignment of resources as a member of the Library’s Executive Council.
• Co-manage the Technology Assisted Curriculum Center with the Dean of the Graduate School.
• Participate vigorously in university committees and councils related to providing server to students and faculty.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree from an ALA-accredited library school or other relevant accredited graduate degree; additional advanced degree preferred

·         Record of continual growth in library management and leadership, influence in professional associations and collaborative groups, and scholarly achievements

·         Excellent communication and positive leadership skills, combined with the ability to connect with people and groups across the library, campus and community; experience engaging with groups of strategic importance throughout the nation

·         Demonstrated experience in integrating new technologies into workplace and user environments.

·         Ability to articulate, plan and model a vision for service and exceptional user experiences

·         Future-oriented, with the ability to anticipate, adapt, and respond to changing needs and priorities and to create powerful outcomes for our users

·         Willingness to take risks and ability to conceptualize, foster and apply innovative strategies to developing and enhancing services

·         Commitment to assessment and continual improvement of library services

·         An awareness and commitment to embracing diversity in all forms in the workplace, the University and the community

 

Additional Information

Excellent benefits calculated at approximately 35% of salary including TIAA-CREF, medical, dental, generous paid sick and vacation accrual, sabbaticals, professional development time.  Marriott Library is an ARL library with holding of nearly 3 million volumes, 32,000 journals in electronic and print formats, and a considerable number of other networked electronic resources.  The University, with a student population of 30,000 is situated on a 1,500 acre campus in Salt Lake City.  The library has recently completed a large-scale renovation which includes a state-of-the-art Knowledge Commons and a center to create multimedia digital content.  Teaching facilities, used by campus and library instructors, include 20 classrooms, labs and seminar rooms and a 200 seat auditorium.  Salt Lake has a population of over 1 million and offers residents a wide variety of cultural entertainment and recreational activities, all located along the Wasatch Mountain Range.  Information can be found on the web at http://www.utah.com/, www.slcgov.com/visitors and http://www.saltlakecityutah.org/relocate.htm.

Salary

Commensurate with experience.

Application Procedures

Send a detailed letter of application addressing how your experience matches the qualifications; curriculum vitae; and names and contact information, including email, mail and phone numbers, of three references electronically to kris.arnold@utah.edu.  Applications received by March 31, 2011 will be given full consideration.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds and who possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education for historically underrepresented students.

The University of Utah is fully committed to affirmative action and to its policies of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity in all programs, activities, and employment.  Employment decisions are made with regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, status as a protected veteran.  The University seeks to provide equal access for people with disabilities.  Reasonable prior notice is needed to arrange accommodations.  Evidence of practices not consistent with these policies should be reported to: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, (801) 581-8365 (V/TDD).