Head of Special Collections - Wesleyan University

Location: Middletown, CT 06459
Salary: $61,300 - $72,300
Employment Term: Full-time, 12 months

Position Details    

Responsibilities include:

• Oversees the housing, preservation, cataloging, and discovery of Special Collections materials and provides leadership in long-range planning for the collection.
• Leads collection development for rare books, artists’ books, and special collections including working with donors, dealers, other library specialists, and faculty to acquire unique and distinctive items and collections.
• Develops and instructs classes, through an active program of outreach to faculty, across the curriculum involving rare books, history of the book, manuscripts, and artists’ books. Conducts personal research sessions with students in these areas.
• Supervises staff, including the Special Collections Cataloging Librarian, undergraduate students, and occasional graduate interns.
• Oversees the reference services for Special Collections and University Archives. Provides reference services in the reading room, online, and by telephone. Coordinates the reference desk schedule and staffs the desk for 6-8 hours per week.
• Promotes Special Collections through presentations, exhibits, writings, and other means to the Wesleyan community and beyond with an eye for collaboration and cross-collection promotion.
• Plans projects and promotes digital access to Special Collections materials.
• Develops policies and sets priorities for the collection.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the AUL for Unique Collections.

Minimum Qualifications    

• Master’s degree in a relevant subject area and a minimum of four years of progressively responsible experience (both professional and graduate school experience will be considered) in Special Collections or a related field or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• In-depth knowledge of the history of printing, book collecting, and the book trade.
• Demonstrated experience working with donors and book dealers to grow collections and make acquisitions while working within a budget.
• Experience providing instruction in the use of rare books and primary source literacy.
• Demonstrated understanding of issues and trends in curricular use of rare books and manuscripts.
• Demonstrated experience in supervising, evaluating, and mentoring employees 
• Ability to manage projects and a willingness to seek creative solutions to challenges.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Effective communications skills with the ability to present publicly.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team-based environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to work within a diverse environment and interact collegially with individuals of different backgrounds.
• Strong user-service orientation and desire to work with constituents in an academic environment.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Ability to physically engage with the collection, including climbing, lifting, and use of ladders/step stools and the ability to lift up to 40 pounds with our without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications