Dean of Libraries

Dean of Libraries Butler University

Butler University seeks an innovative and collaborative leader committed to fostering excellence in student learning, providing access to comprehensive educational resources, and advancing research and scholarship as its next Dean of Libraries. This is an exciting opportunity to support new and diverse networks via online masters and certificate programs, enhance interactions with the university’s colleges, and to propel Butler University to national recognition as a visionary and entrepreneurial university. The ideal candidate will understand the evolving roles of academic libraries in higher education and will lead efforts in space utilization, information literacy, and digital collection initiatives that are inclusive and accessible to the learning needs of undergraduate, graduate, and online students. The successful candidate will possess a growth mindset, a forward-thinking approach to technology, and a willingness to be flexible and innovative in directing library resources and instructional support towards university initiatives that will ensure that Butler University is at the forefront of 21st-century educational delivery.

Butler Libraries consist of a variety of units: Irwin Library (the main library) as well as the Science Library, Special Collections, Rare Books, the University Archives Department, and a self-service Education Resource Library. Housed in Irwin Library, the University’s Center for Academic Technology has a strong and interconnected relationship with the Libraries, collaborating together in an innovative Information Commons student employment program. The Library strives to serve as a center for the Butler community, to work with students and faculty in both traditional and online environments, to support and showcase faculty scholarship through its digital commons portal, and to digitize its unique Special Collections and University Archives which will serve researchers at Butler and beyond.

The Dean supervises a unit comprising 11 faculty librarians and 12 library staff, with an annual budget of approximately $3.8 million.

About the University

Butler University, a private university founded in 1855 by attorney and abolitionist Ovid Butler, is home to about 4,000 undergraduate and 700 graduate students in six colleges that offer more than 60 academic majors. Butler is growing an online graduate and professional program presence; has completed and is in the process of completing a number of academic building projects, including an expansion and renovation of Butler’s Sciences complex (which includes a newly renovated Science Library); and recently completed a successful comprehensive fundraising campaign: Butler Beyond. Academically, Butler continues to invest in enhancing student success, recently completing a formal review of Butler’s first-year experience programming.

Butler’s sustained enrollment growth over the past decade is significant. The University will welcome its third largest first-year incoming class this fall (1,238); within the last five years, Butler has enrolled four of its five largest-ever first-year classes. Since 2013, applications to the University have increased 42% overall with a notable increase in out-of-state applicants (24%) and diverse students (65%).

Located in Indianapolis, a thriving metropolitan area of approximately 1.5 million, Butler occupies 290 acres in a vibrant and diverse neighborhood near the White River on the northwest side of Indianapolis. The University offers liberal arts and professional education with the goal of fostering lifelong learning, community service, and global awareness.

Responsibilities

• Create an innovative strategic vision for Butler Libraries to support student learning, faculty scholarship, and digital initiatives, and work in partnership with the University’s academic and divisional leadership to advance strategic planning goals.
• Provide operational leadership to assure the fiscal integrity of the Library, with a commitment to fundraising and alternative revenue generation to support library programming, spaces, collections, and technology.
• Assess resources and services to determine how to strengthen the Libraries’ impact on student learning, faculty scholarship, and creative activities.
• Ensure the acquisition of robust learning resources, including open educational resources (OERs).
• Ensure that Library services are readily available to all users, and partner with the Center for Academic Technology (CAT) to develop and implement inclusive and learner-centered information literacy instruction, resources, and support to be delivered online.
• Partner with CAT and Butler IT to facilitate the integration and use of library instruction materials in learning management systems and other online environments and ensure compliance with ADA guidelines and higher education standards.
• Support excellence in library staff development by advocating for and promoting librarian and staff professional growth and facilitating an environment of team-building and collaboration.
• Engage in university-wide responsibilities, including serving on leadership bodies such as the Provost’s Advisory Council, along with other responsibilities and direct reports to be negotiated based on the candidate’s area of interest and/or expertise at up to 20% of time.
• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a demonstrated commitment to transparent and ethical decision-making through consensus building.
• Partner with University Advancement to find, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual, corporate, and foundation philanthropy in support of University Libraries.
• Engage, as time permits, in library instruction to stay connected to the librarian’s role in delivering academic curricula.
• Promote Butler’s libraries and exhibit leadership in professional organizations, including the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold an MLS degree from an ALA-accredited university;
• Demonstrate increasingly responsible leadership experience in a higher education library setting;
• Have a minimum of five years of related work experience;
• Demonstrate experience in planning, prioritizing, and monitoring budgets in an academic environment;
• Be knowledgeable about current trends in library technology, online learning, collections, instruction and reference, and facilities, along with understanding the priorities and interdependencies of each functional area;
• Lead grant-writing and fundraising initiatives; and
• Demonstrate excellence in interpersonal, teaching, and collaborative skills as well as a commitment to supporting the academic experiences and interests of an intellectually and culturally diverse campus community.

Two of Butler’s key strategic goals are “to create an intentionally diverse, inclusive, and equitable campus community,” and to “build a culture of empowerment, engagement, and accountability.” Therefore, a successful candidate will actively contribute to building an inclusive learning environment for an increasingly diverse student population. Academic and professional credentials should include a record of achievement sufficient for academic appointment. This is a 12-month administrative position with non-tenure faculty status at the rank of Full Professor which reports to the Provost.

Review of applications will begin September 30, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Candidates should submit an application electronically, including a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, a statement on the candidate’s commitment to and experience in advancing equity, inclusion, and access in their professional work, and references to butlerdol@bt-consult.com .

Butler University is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all employees. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of age, gender, gender identity, sex, race, religion, color, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other legally protected category.