Head, Library Resource Acquisitions Unit

 

ULS Technical Services

University Library System

University of Pittsburgh

 

The University Library System is seeking an innovative and future-oriented leader to be the Head of the Library Resource Acquisitions Unit, a full-time faculty Librarian position in the ULS Technical Services Department. The Head of the Library Resource Acquisitions Unit provides guidance in the acquisition of all formats of materials, including the critical and quickly evolving world of electronic resources that support research, teaching and learning. The successful candidate will provide leadership both in managing current staff and services and in collaboratively envisioning and implementing evolving services of this user-oriented department.   This position reports to the Head of Technical Services.

 

Responsibilities:

 

• Oversees the strategies, processes and workflows of acquiring and paying for content in all formats for the University Library System while ensuring that we are obtaining resources in a timely, fiscally responsible and effective manner.
• Provides management and leadership for the Acquisitions Management Unit (3 support staff), Acquisitions Payments Unit (2 support staff), the Electronic Resources team (3 support staff), and the Serials Check-in (2 support staff). 
• Coordinates electronic resource acquisition, licensing and access management for the University Library System, working closely with the Health Sciences and Law Library systems for shared resources.
• In consultation with the Head of Technical Services, allocates, monitors and reports out on the acquisitions budget for acquisitions activities and expenditures.
• Engages with publishers, vendors, subscription agents, and consortia to acquire content and conducts ongoing evaluation of their services.
• Maintains a deep understanding of best practices and emerging trends in collections procurement and scholarly publishing in academic research libraries and alerts colleagues to these trends as appropriate.

·         Ensures best practices to provide excellent user centered services.

• Serves as a resource person for staff in Technical Services, the ULS and for other University personnel for issues relating to library materials acquisitions.

·         Works in a collegial manner with colleagues in the ULS and in the Law and Health Sciences libraries, primarily by providing oversight and expertise on issues and activities with the University’s local ILS acquisitions module.

 

 

Librarians at the University of Pittsburgh are members of the faculty and are expected to demonstrate continuous professional development in addition to performing their specific responsibilities.  This expectation includes such activities as participating in and contributing to departmental, library and campus-wide committees or working groups as well as the profession at a regional, national, and/or international level, maintaining a broad awareness of current and emerging issues that affect their particular areas of expertise, participating in relevant publishing and presentation opportunities, and pursuing knowledge of professional trends and developments that can be applied to evolving research, services and collections.

 

 

Qualifications

 

Required: 

·         MLS/MLIS degree from an ALA-accredited program or other relevant advanced degree (e.g., MBA).

·         Experience with procurement and budget analysis.

·         Minimum of 3 years experience at the professional level including experience working with vendors, publishers or subscription agents.

·         Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience.

·         Strong communication skills.

·         Demonstrated ability to be flexible, embrace ambiguity, adapt to change and successfully work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

·         Demonstrated strong planning and project management skills and experience.

·         Ability to identify problems, think creatively and carry out solutions independently or as part of a group or team, particularly when several priorities arise at the same time.

·         Broad knowledge of acquisition issues, trends, workflows, and best practices in an academic library.

 

Preferred:  

·         Experience working with license for electronic resources.

·         Demonstrated ability to train staff.

·         Demonstrated ability to integrate technology into workflow

 

 

The University of Pittsburgh Library System

The University of Pittsburgh's University Library System (https://www.library.pitt.edu/) is a member of the Association of Research Libraries and contains over 4.7 million print and electronic volumes, including access to over 300,000 journals and 570 databases. The University Library System (ULS) consists of 14 libraries and employs 75 faculty librarians and 103 staff. In addition to the ULS, the University of Pittsburgh includes libraries for the health sciences and law school.

 

The ULS stands at the center of intellectual life at the University of Pittsburgh, fostering connections and knowledge creation and dissemination that help faculty, students, and researchers from around the world to excel in research, scholarship and creative expression. It supports and enhances faculty and student productivity through its extensive collections, innovative Open Access publishing, and user-centered focus.

 

The ULS has recently enacted a major organizational realignment and is currently aggressively hiring in many areas of strategic priority, including research support, digital scholarship and creation, entrepreneurship and innovation.  We are repositioning our services to respond to and anticipate changes in research, teaching, and learning. We are also in the midst of a top-to-bottom renovation of Hillman Library, the central library of the University of Pittsburgh campus which saw 1.9 million visitors in FY17.  The reinvented Hillman (http://library.pitt.edu/hillmanreinvention) will be a light-filled home to spaces, from vibrant to serene, for digital making and exploration, showcasing unique collections, advancing academic study, and fostering energetic, collaborative exchange.

 

This is an exciting time to join the Pitt library system and contribute to envisioning the library of the future.

 

The University of Pittsburgh

Founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh (http://www.pitt.edu/) is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Today Pitt is an internationally recognized center of learning and research, strong in the arts and sciences and the professions. Pitt serves approximately 32,000 students, including more than 9,000 graduate students, in the 16 schools at the Pittsburgh campus and the four regional campuses. Pitt attracts, on average, more than $700 million in research funding every year.  It is also one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright students and scholars for the 2017-18 academic year (according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs), and is among only 16 institutions in the country to be named a top producer in both the Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholar programs.  In 2018, for the second consecutive year, the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings named Pitt as the best public university in the Northeastern United States.

 

The City of Pittsburgh

The city of Pittsburgh is located in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  Consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States, Pittsburgh is recognized for its natural beauty and unique blend of cultural, education, and technological resources.  Additional information on the city of Pittsburgh can be found at: https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/

 

Salary:  Commensurate with experience.  Comprehensive benefits package including one month vacation per year; excellent medical plans; TIAA/ Vanguard; and tuition assistance.

 

Successful candidate will meet the criteria for appointment at the rank of Librarian I or II, and will be hired on an initial 3-year renewable contract.  For further information, please see:  http://pi.tt/NESLibrarianApptReview

 

To apply, submit letter of application and CV with the names/addresses/phone numbers of three professional references via email to:  Sharon McMasters, Personnel Coordinator (sam989@pitt.edu)

 

Visa sponsorship is not offered with this position.

 

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled; primary consideration will be given to those received by April 10, 2019.

 

The University of Pittsburgh is an Equal Opportunity Employer -Minorities/Women/Vets/Disabled