Director of Arts, Music, and Powell Libraries

Director of Arts, Music, and Powell Libraries

Department: User Engagement

Rank and Salary: Associate Librarian - Librarian ($70,635 - $152,955)

Position Availability: Immediately

Application deadline for first consideration: June 6, 2024

The UCLA Library seeks a dynamic, team-oriented leader to oversee research and teaching support efforts in Arts, Music, and Powell libraries. This includes managing three library locations, fostering strong relationships with the College, professional schools, and serving as an advocate for arts and music research practices, along with undergraduate needs in library decision-making. The position is one of three directors in the User Engagement division and works closely with their peers in a collaborative leadership environment. The incumbent will be joining UCLA Library at a time of opportunity with a new University Librarian and as the Library updates strategic goals in alignment with the new UCLA Strategic Plan (https://strategic-plan.ucla.edu).

Position Duties

Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Teaching, Learning and Research, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:

• Lead planning and management of all aspects of the Arts, Music, and Powell (AMP) division, including coordination of the liaison, research support, instruction, and collection development programs, as well as spaces and other facilities projects.
• Manage the division budget (~$3.7 million) including collections, operations, student staffing, endowments, and other initiatives.
• Establish vision, priorities, and guidelines for the ongoing work of the division. Use data and assessment to support evidence-based changes to collections and services, including development of new services, as appropriate.
• Manage hiring, supervision, training, coaching, performance reviews, and professional guidance for 11 FTE librarians and 3 FTE professional staff.
• Write job descriptions and lead recruitment efforts for the division, in alignment with best practices for equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Analyze and develop recommendations related to staffing, equipment, and training.
• Collaborate with Unified Access Services to plan and execute facilities projects and upgrades.
• Build collaborative relationships across UCLA Library to execute excellent public services.
• Advocate for resources and staffing to support research and teaching in the arts, music, and in support of undergraduate curricula, such as General Education.
• Establish and sustain relationships with campus stakeholders such as the Undergraduate Research Centers, Undergraduate Writing Center, Undergraduate Education Initiatives, Teaching and Learning Center, and the leadership and faculty of Art and Architecture, Music, Theater, Film, and Television, and the College to ensure strong services engagement and ongoing partnerships.
• Collaborate with peers to establish and adhere to best practices in management, talent development, and public services delivery.
• Foster a creative, inclusive, team-oriented environment.
• Serve as a member of the Library's Management Council and the User Engagement Leadership Council.
• Work closely with Library Development to identify and steward donors, collections, and endowed gift funds.

General Information

Professional librarians at UCLA are academic appointees. This is a non-represented position. Within the UC System, most librarians are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). As academic appointees, librarians are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. UC has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Relocation assistance may be provided.

Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork, and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library, and/or university and community service, and/or scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.

UCLA welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks applications and nominations from women and minorities. UCLA seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

Description of Unit

User Engagement (UE) unites public services librarians and staff across three major divisions (Sciences; Arts, Music, and Powell; and Management/Humanities and Social Sciences) and four functional teams (Collections; Outreach; Research; and Teaching and Learning) The UE group is a matrixed organization designed to enhance library services through a cross-disciplinary and cross-functional approach.

The Arts, Music, and Powell division unites librarians and staff from three library locations. The unit supports research and teaching in a wide variety of subjects and at all levels, including specialized collections and services for art, architecture, theater, film and television, music, musicology, and ethnomusicology. Powell Library collaborates with campus partners focusing on undergraduate education initiatives, which build foundational research and writing skills in student scholars. The team consists of 11 FTE librarians and 3 FTE professional staff.

Description of Institution and Library

As one of the world's great public research universities, UCLA integrates education, research, and public service so that each enriches and extends the others. From its beautiful neighborhood campus in a uniquely diverse and vibrant city on the Pacific Rim, teaching and research extend beyond the classroom, office, and lab through active engagement with communities, organizations, projects, and partnerships throughout the region and around the world.

UCLA's diverse community of scholars encompasses nearly 30,000 undergraduates pursuing 125 majors, 13,000 graduate students in fifty-nine research programs, and 4,000 faculty members including Nobel Laureates; Rhodes Scholars; MacArthur Fellows; winners of the Fields Medal, National Medal of Science, Pritzker Prize, and Pulitzer Prize; and recipients of Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, and Golden Globes. UCLA ranks tenth in the Times of London Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, twelfth in the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and fifth in the U.S. by Washington Monthly. The National Research Council ranks forty of its graduate and doctoral research programs among its top ten.

To enable these accomplished students, faculty, and staff to create, disseminate, and apply knowledge for the benefit of global society, the UCLA Library is re-envisioning how it is acquired, synthesized, and shared across academic audiences and with the public. It was among the first academic libraries to develop subject-specialist librarians and to launch a program to enhance students' research skills. Its Special Collections pioneered the acquisition by public institutions of rare and unique books, children's literature, pulp and detective fiction, works by or about women and minorities, screenplays, architectural plans, and Los Angeles-related materials and today leads the way in collecting archival resources in digital format such as emails and manuscripts. It has launched innovative data management services and an affordable course materials initiative that have served as models for other libraries.

The Library serves UCLA students, faculty, and staff whenever and wherever they need its resources and expertise. Reconfigured, high-tech spaces and services in its ten campus libraries enable users and librarians to explore and work with print and digital materials collaboratively or individually, pursue new lines of inquiry, and develop new pedagogical approaches as well as novel forms of scholarship. More than 3.5 million people visit annually, while an additional 3.4 million visitors enter online through its virtual front doors.

Whether on campus or online, the Library forms the intellectual heart of UCLA, a hub for cutting-edge discovery, scholarship, and instruction.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California policy on discrimination, harassment, and affirmative action see: University of California - Policy Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action in the Workplace at https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/DiscHarassAffirmAction

Under federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States as established by providing documents specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Employment is contingent upon completion of satisfactory background investigation.

Visit the Jobs @ UCLA Library website at: https://www.library.ucla.edu/about/jobs/

Required Qualifications

* ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library or Information Science required at the time of hire; OR Master's degree (or other advanced degree) in Information Sciences or related field at the time of hire and work experience in a library setting.

* Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in providing and managing academic library services and a record of progressively increasing responsibilities.

* Ability to use data and assessment to support evidence-based changes to collections and services, including development of new services.

* Excellent oral and written communications and interpersonal skills.

* Demonstrated leadership and analytical skills, creative and innovative problem-solving skills, and a strong commitment to service excellence.

* Experience managing budgets.

* Supervisory experience.

* Evidence of initiative and flexibility.

* Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.

Applicants with all the above basic qualifications and any of the following preferred qualifications or professional experiences are strongly encouraged to apply: 1) Advanced degree in a field related to the primary responsibilities; 2) Record of teaching, scholarship, and active leadership (elective, appointive, significant committee positions) in professional organizations; 3) Experience in donor relations and stewardship; 4) Experience or evidence of contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.