Dean, Library & Learning Resources

Description

Sierra College has committed to foundationally re-engineer its programs and services using Guided Pathways to increase student achievement, ensure student equity, and effect timely goal completion. Under administrative direction of the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services, this position provides critical technical and professional leadership in matters related to the library and academic support services, with a keen strategic and systemic focus on student diversity, equity, inclusion, and success. This position centralizes equity-mindedness in collaboration with deans, program directors, and managers to align student academic support services with departments, divisions, centers, and institutional guided pathways. This position will supervise, support, motivate, and evaluate faculty members, managers, and support staff in related programs, services, and within the Library/Learning Resource Center (LRC) and other assigned areas to affect the mission of the District.

Sierra College has a strong commitment to the achievement of equity and inclusion among its faculty, staff, and students and values the rich diverse backgrounds that make up the campus community. The Dean of Library, Learning Resources must demonstrate a profound understanding of and experience with successfully supporting individuals with varying backgrounds. This includes persons with disabilities, various gender identities, various sexual orientations, individuals from historically underrepresented communities, and other groups to ensure the District provides strategies for success, as well as proactive, student-centered practices and policies committed to eliminating equity gaps.

Examples Of Functions and Tasks

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Provides strategic leadership for, as well as oversight and administration of: the Library, including, but not limited to, the College archives, and the Sierra College Press; the Learning Resource Center and Academic Support services, including Tutoring and the Writing Center.
2. Provides innovative leadership in the development, execution, evaluation and improvement of the library, and academic support strategies that result in increased student success and equity, goal attainment, and successful transition into the workforce or on to a 4-year college or university.
3. Provides leadership for and coordination of skill development curriculum.
4. Ensures the planning and delivery of a robust system of academic support that leads to increased student achievement, the closing of equity gaps, and a campus culture that supports and represents diversity, equity, and inclusion.
5. Manages and coordinates the library and learning commons operations, programs, and activities.
6. Coordinates, monitors and provides leadership for the programs, activities and use of the LRC
7. Works collaboratively with the Student Services administrative team, under direction of the Vice President, to effectively pursue Guided Pathways, Interest Area-based support, and student equity at scale across the District.
8. Fosters and maintains collegial and collaborative working relationships with division faculty, managers, and staff in all areas, and represents the District in the professional and local community in matters related to areas of responsibility.
9. Manages, mentors, evaluates, and supports assigned staff, faculty, and managers across all areas of responsibilities.
10. Coordinates, maintains, and oversees budgets and annual planning for all areas of responsibility.
11. Works collaboratively with colleagues and on interdepartmental teams to.
    • Improve student access by contributing to help develop responsive, timely student-centered services;
    • Increase cultural programming and culturally responsive activities, events and support services designed to further the success of diverse students and create an inclusive and equity-minded campus;
    • Provide activities and data-informed interventions to increase access, persistence, completion and achievement rates.
12. Maintains currency and knowledge of legal and academic regulations, as well as accreditation standards, as they relate to areas of responsibility.
13. Other duties as assigned: specific assignments are subject to change and flexible depending on the needs of the Student Services Division and initiatives of the District.

Minimum Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - The following describes the education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to enter the job and successfully perform the assigned duties.

Education and Experience Guidelines: A master’s degree in any field from an accredited institution and at least one year of experience related to the duties of the position is required. A master’s degree in library science, Library and Information Science, or the equivalent from an accredited institution is preferred.

Knowledge of:

• Laws and regulations pertinent to the administration of the areas of responsibility;
• Laws and regulations pertinent to the administration of library/learning resources in the California community colleges;
• Instructional practices, culturally-responsive curriculum development, and program approval processes;
• Student success, equity, engagement, and completion strategies;
• Current higher education, retention and success trends, issues, strategies, regulations and compliance in the state, regionally, nationally, and internationally;
• Current best practices and trends for providing library and academic support services in a community college or similar setting;
• Collaborative problem solving and conflict resolution techniques;
• Accounting and budgeting methods, audit procedures, statistics, and data interpretation;
• Management concepts and practices, including organizational and motivational techniques;
• Personnel management practices and techniques of supervision and staff evaluation;
• Role of higher education, specifically community colleges in supporting marginalized populations;
• Employment processes and collective bargaining processes;
• Data collection and report writing;
• Student technology needs;
• National and State trends and innovative technologies relevant to assigned program areas;
• Proposal writing and grantsmanship;
• Facility management techniques and processes;
• Research methods and techniques;
• Public speaking skills;
• Methods to successfully support individuals with varying backgrounds, which includes persons with disabilities, various gender identities, various sexual orientations, individuals from historically underrepresented communities and other groups; and
• Trauma-informed and culturally-responsive practices.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate the work of assigned staff; • Apply an equity-minded framework and ensure programs, services and processes are designed and delivered to meet the varying needs of all students;
• Supervise, support, and evaluate faculty, classified, and managerial employees;
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• Read and analyze technical and professional journals, textbooks and other pertinent material;
• Conduct research, interpret data, and report results;
• Provide visionary and change management leadership, under executive direction;
• Promote, design, and implement integrated, comprehensive solutions involving a diverse, collaborative body of stakeholders and a culture of participatory governance;
• Bridge gap between instruction and student services;
• Foster a culture of innovation;
• Conduct ongoing research of best practices and monitor operations for efficiency and effectiveness;
• Facilitate difficult conversations to effect student-centric and systemic change;
• Analyze and assess related programs, policies, and operational needs and make systemic recommendations for improvement;
• Identify and respond to sensitive organizational issues, concerns, and needs;
• Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations in support of goals;
• Prepare and administer complex budgets and reports;
• Adhere to critical deadlines while working with frequent interruptions;
• Inspire and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships;
• Develop measurable outcomes and apply assessment strategies;
• Compile data and prepare accurate reports;
• Commit to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success;
• To interact and work effectively with a diverse population utilizing exceptional interpersonal and intercultural skills;
• Present effectively to small and large groups;
• Perform effectively under the pressure of deadlines and other administrative demands;
• Plan and manage in an environment of shared governance;
• Apply patience, tact, empathy, and courtesy in supporting students, staff, and the general public;
• Exercise sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, faculty, and staff.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT - The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
 

• Environment: Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting.
• Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally walk, stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.
• Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents; and to operate assigned equipment.
• Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.