Dean of the Libraries

Job Title

Dean of the Libraries

Department

Libraries-General

Primary Campus

University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

Job Description

The following represents the major duties, responsibilities and authorities of this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. Other duties as assigned.

• Works with the Provost, the executive leadership team and the academic deans to design a library model that advances the institution’s strategic plan objectives and provides state of the art resources for research, student success, workforce development and community support.
• Produces a vision and engagement strategy for the libraries that is aligned to the university strategic plan and that provides transparency and clarity to the KU community. Provides leadership for strategic planning, budget preparation and maintenance, department goals and responsibilities, and regularly evaluates the effectiveness of the libraries in achieving their mission and vision.
• Develops strong, meaningful partnerships within the university, collaborates with faculty to assess, provide and improve the library collection and services to meet student, staff and faculty needs. Seeks opportunities for cooperation on strategic interdisciplinary and institutional initiatives within the university and with other organizations and institutions.
• Oversees development and implementation of library programs, collections and services to meet the diverse needs of students, staff and faculty and that support academic programs delivered in a variety of methods and at a variety of venues.
• Creates an environment that values and actively seeks innovative solutions and initiatives to support and facilitate research and scholarly activity. Builds on KU Libraries’ long-time leadership in the areas of Open Access, scholarly communication and digital humanities.
• Fosters a climate of inclusiveness, belonging and respect. Supports and maintains a positive environment through respectful interaction with faculty and staff, open and effective communications and support for policies that promote a culture of collegiality.
• Envisions physical and virtual space differently to provide student-facing services that enhance student learning and success within the library platform to align with institutional priorities. Collaborates with others to model the library as an instruction-innovation laboratory through pilots and rapid prototyping of initiatives and programs.
• Engages in strategic leadership on research data management and sharing. Works closely with the Office of Research, Chief Information Officer and Chief Compliance Officer to ensure compliance and institutional requirements are met.
• Leads others and builds a strong team to support operations and administration within the KU Libraries. Sets priorities, optimizes opportunities and establishes a collaborative dialogue with constituents for feedback and involvement in significant areas, including but not limited to policy and procedures.
• Provides oversight of Assistant/Associate Deans in the areas of Collection Development, Digital Initiatives, Scholarly Communication, Research & Engagement, Technical Services, User Services, Distinctive Collections and administrative staff in the areas of Facilities and Communication & Advancement.
• Represents the Libraries within the KU, local, regional, national and international communities to benchmark best practices and to enhance visibility and reputation.
• Develops resources for the Libraries’ programs and projects, through strategic initiatives, philanthropy and support for faculty in pursuing externally funded research.
• Oversees hiring, management, and evaluation to foster development of a highly skilled, diverse workforce of faculty, staff and students; evaluating and advancing performance criteria to measure excellence in research, professional performance and/or service.
• Oversees policy development to ensure collections are built and are represented in ways that are consistent with how the university frames diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion and its goals. Develops policy and invests appropriately to increase the representativeness of collections, addressing repatriation when needed. Improves practices to balance openness of collections, respecting rights, and display of materials to address equity measures without erasing historical context.
• Facilitate improvement, dissemination of innovations, and promotion of information literacy to students, faculty, staff and community members to foster and informed citizenry and critical thinking.
• Sets priorities and budgets for the Libraries. Develops, implements, and manages the Libraries’ resources to support the mission and priorities of the Libraries in alignment with the university’s objectives. Initiates a needs assessment and implements a plan for selection, acquisition, cataloging, classification, circulation of library media materials and collaborative library agreements.
• Guides long-term quality improvement to ensure the most current and effective operations of the libraries.
• Prepares library for sustainable digital initiatives, and responsible for developing guidelines for the copyright, legal and administrative issues connected with digital preservation.

Req ID(Ex: 10567BR)

23676BR

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

Conditions of Employment

Serve at the Pleasure

Contact Information to Applicants

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:

Jessica Herrington, Cathryn Davis or Lucy Leske
KULibrariesDean@wittkieffer.com

Position Number

00202796

Required Qualifications

• An ALA-accredited terminal degree in library and information science,
• Scholarship credentials that meet the standards for tenure and appointment at the rank of Full Librarian in the KU Libraries,
• Minimum of five years of experience with academic library services (or related area) and initiatives and two years of management experience,
• Significant experience in leadership positions, working collaboratively in goal-setting, performance evaluation, talent development and rewarding and recognizing high-achievement,
• Significant experience with budgeting, public service and supervisory experience in a complex organization,
• Record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts in the workplace,
• Experience with strategic planning and assessment of library programs, operations and services,
• Experience managing multiple libraries to enhance resource access and curation,
• Broad understanding of library automation systems, library technologies, online and electronic resources, instructional technologies, and trends in scholarly communication and digital initiatives,
• Demonstrated knowledge of emerging areas of librarianship, including the capabilities and future trends of service models, library technologies, and systems to maximize discovery and access to scholarly resources as well as a holistic understanding of academic libraries and how different units work together,
• Ability to work effectively with all levels of leadership, supporting and retaining a strong team,
• Excellent organizational, written and oral communication skills as demonstrated by application materials, work history, interview and references.

Employee Class

F-Faculty

Advertised Salary Range

commensurate with experience

FTE

1.0

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. or additional advanced degree in a related field,
• Ten or more years experience with libraries, including five years of administrative and leadership experience,
• Demonstrated success in executing transformational change,
• Experience with fundraising and donor relations,
• Expertise in grant acquisition and management,
• Demonstrated history in implementing and supporting programs that promote student recruitment, retention and success,
• Ability to think creatively, demonstrate creative problem solving and collaborate with a strong team of professionals,
• Possess an understanding of the research process, including funding agencies processes,
• Possess understanding and respect for the process of shared governance,
• Possess understanding and respect for tenure status for librarians.

Position Overview

The University of Kansas seeks a Dean of the Libraries to serve as an innovative, collaborative member of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor’s leadership team who can guide the libraries beyond its traditional responsibilities to serve the emerging needs of the university and the communities it serves. Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited.

As the leader of the libraries, the Dean has oversight of multiple facilities, collections (hard copy and digital), archives, and the faculty and staff supporting these resources. The Dean is also responsible for exercising strategic leadership in areas of research data management and sharing, resource stewardship, future use of the Libraries for student learning and success, use of space for instructional innovation, consideration of regional workforce development and economic initiatives, and implementing and monitoring policy and practice to ensure access and openness.

As a member of the Provost’s leadership team, the Dean has the responsibility to develop strong partnerships (internally and externally) focusing on outcomes that are strategically aligned with the goals of the University. The Dean will work to recruit and retain an excellent team of faculty, staff and student employees while building upon the university’s priorities of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. The Dean oversees the operations of libraries and manages a $19 million budget and $23 million in endowment holdings, while working to strengthen and grow initiatives with academic units, the Office of Research, economic development, human resources, information security, compliance, facilities and operations, student success and other areas.

Externally, the Dean promotes the library as a resource available to all Kansans and seeks to extend the library licensing to facilitate research outputs throughout the state, as well as leads all fundraising activities. The Dean actively works with external organizations to ensure collaborations support technology transfer and economic development efforts, talent development, public education, etc.

The Dean must continuously develop and utilize library resources to support user needs and address compliance requirements within a digital age for scholarship and research activities, while understanding and balancing the operational and organizational needs of the libraries in alignment with the strategic priorities of the university.

The ideal candidate will be an established professional within the field who has broad connections and who employs emotional intelligence that advances the mission of the libraries and the university. They should be a great communicator, an innovative thinker, and a strong collaborator with a record of successful partnerships. They should possess a work history of productive engagement with a broad constituency of leaders, faculty, staff, students, community partners and strong relationships with peers in academic research libraries at other universities. The Dean is a 12-month, tenured faculty position. This position serves at the pleasure of the Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor. It is expected that this leadership position has a visible presence at KU Lawrence and KU Edwards campuses.

Reg/Temp

Regular

Application Review Begins

06-Dec-2022

Anticipated Start Date

01-Jul-2023

Additional Candidate Instruction

WittKieffer is assisting the University of Kansas in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by December 5, 2022.

Application materials must be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal .