Director, Rare Books & Special Collections
Deadline to apply: May 23, 2024, 11:59pm
Assistant Librarian or Associate Librarian (tenure track)
Duration: three years, with possibility of renewal
Salary: commensurate with experience
Posting number: JR0000052830
The McGill Libraries seeks applications for a strategic, visionary, and collaborative leader for the role of Director, Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC). Rare Books and Special Collections houses many thousands of items ranging from published works to objects and is especially renowned for its holdings related to Canadiana, the history of printing, natural history, Enlightenment philosophy, and architecture. This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-looking leader in the field of special collections to provide organizational leadership and to collaboratively design new and innovative services that demonstrate the importance of McGill Libraries’ outstanding collections to the scholarly community.
THE McGILL LIBRARIES
Located in Montréal, one of the world’s great multicultural and multilingual cities, McGill University is internationally recognized for its excellence as a leading institution of higher education and research. For over 200 years, through the work of dedicated people, McGill has been breaking ground in diverse fields and contributing solutions to some of the world’s most significant issues. McGill is also the most internationally diverse research-intensive university in Canada, with over 32% of its students coming to McGill from more than 150 countries. The University systematically appears on the annual list of the best employers in Montreal.
The McGill Libraries is committed to delivering high-quality, innovative information products, services and programs that focus on client needs and support the University’s strategic mission and directions. The Libraries proactively supports the teaching, learning and research needs of faculty and students to fulfill McGill’s strategic mission of excellence as a research-intensive, student-centred university.
The McGill Libraries has the largest collection in Quebec and is one of Canada’s largest academic libraries with over six million monograph titles and 150,000 e-journals and databases. The Library is a member of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Partenariat des bibliothèques universitaires du Québec (PBUQ), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), and the HathiTrust Digital Library.
INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STAFF
Information about the University and the McGill Libraries can be found on the University’s web site. As a tenure stream appointee, the successful candidate is expected to satisfy the requirements in the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Librarian Staff
DUTY STATEMENT
Position Summary
The Director, Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) has leadership, management, policy and planning responsibilities for rare books, manuscripts, research archives, and special collections. Reporting to the Trenholme Dean of Libraries, the Director is responsible for developing and implementing a vision for RBSC that anticipates and addresses emerging trends in acquisition, curation, access, digitization and preservation in an increasingly diverse and complex environment. The Director has responsibility for building scholarly and diverse collections, developing programs as well as innovative and responsible services meeting users’ growing needs. The strategic plan, its programs and realizations will consolidate and grow the reputation of McGill Libraries’ RBSC as a prominent and unique centre for meaningful scholarly activities. The Director is a member of the academic staff, as such the position includes conducting research and teaching activities both within the library and in collaboration with faculty.
Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Reporting relationship
The position reports to the Trenholme Dean of Libraries.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Required qualifications and experience:
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applications should address the above selection criteria, be accompanied by a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of three referees.
To apply, please visit:
External Candidates: Applicants who are not current McGill employees must apply via external postings on Workday. Use the filters on the left-hand side to focus your search. The website will direct you to create a Workday account. Please note you must use a personal email address when creating this account. Do not use @mail.mcgill.ca or @mcgill.ca email addresses. Please refer to the job aid: Applying at McGill Guide for External Candidates
COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND DIVERSITY
McGill University is committed to equity and diversity within its community and values academic rigour and excellence. We welcome and encourage applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to engage productively with diverse communities.
At McGill, research that reflects diverse intellectual traditions, methodologies, and modes of dissemination and translation is valued and encouraged. Candidates are invited to demonstrate their research impact both within and across academic disciplines and in other sectors, such as government, communities, or industry.
McGill further recognizes and fairly considers the impact of leaves (e.g., family care or health-related) that may contribute to career interruptions or slowdowns. Candidates are encouraged to signal any leave that affected productivity, or that may have had an effect on their career path. This information will be considered to ensure the equitable assessment of the candidate’s record.
McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated equity groups to self-identify. It further seeks to ensure the equitable treatment and full inclusion of persons with disabilities by striving for the implementation of universal design principles transversally, across all facets of the University community, and through accommodation policies and procedures. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, this email or phone at 514-398-2477.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.