College Librarian

People are drawn to Guilford College for a number of reasons, including the College’s Core Values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice, and stewardship.

Working at Guilford provides you with a rewarding opportunity to impact the developing lives of students from a range of diverse backgrounds. Guilford attracts those who are seeking a professional challenge and career advancement. It also attracts those who want to enjoy a beautiful campus and location in the dynamic city of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Guilford College offers a wide range of benefits for full-time regular employees, including 13 paid holidays, tuition remission, health insurance, telemedicine, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, a retirement plan, and optional dental and vision insurance. In addition, employment at the College provides employees with access to numerous discounts for products, services, and attractions.

Position Summary

As the primary leader of Guilford’s Library and Learning Technologies enterprise during a time of transformation and reengagement, the College Librarian creates, through strategic planning, policy development, and sustainable operations, a community of teachers and learners with knowledge engagement and effective connection to information and resources. This includes supervising any librarians and associates employed outside of the Special Collections unit and serving in partnership with the College Archivist as co-lead in advancement of strategic directions and effective development of and access to Guilford’s educational resources. As budget manager, they seek sustainable ways to foster exploration by providing intellectually and culturally responsive resources, technologies, and expertise in an inclusive, collaborative community of teaching and learning. The College Librarian provides leadership and administration for digital and information literacy initiatives and for access to physical and virtual library collections, library technology, and to learning spaces throughout the Hege Academic Commons. They model and promote a positive, accessible, and enriching user experience within both physical and virtual learning and creation environments. The College Librarian also serves as the primary point of contact and consultation on matters related to copyright, fair use, and intellectual property; providing leadership in support of Open Educational Resources (OER) development and adoption.

The College Librarian coordinates general library operations, providing overall support, guidance, and coordination for team members; and ensures the effective management and professional development of LLT team members. The College Librarian is responsible for ensuring appropriate campus constituent outreach and liaison for the development and implementation of services and support that are characterized by responsiveness, efficiency, and open engagement with students, faculty, and staff for the advancement of the Library’s vision for furthering teaching, learning, and research.

The individual in this position performs the duties and responsibilities of this role at all times in a fashion that supports the college’s commitment to creating an inclusive institution of academic excellence where a variety of persons and perspectives are welcome, as well as to providing an environment where students from all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, cultures and backgrounds may succeed.

• Serves as team lead to provide support and overall coordination for Library and Learning Technologies operations, including establishing policies and procedures, preparing and managing applicable budgets, planning departmental workflow, and coordinating shared projects;
• Partners with the Quaker Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, with particular emphasis on shared policies and procedures, and overall unit planning;
• Fosters a responsive and student-centered service ethic to ensure a variety of proactive outreach and educational initiatives to support all students in their academic and creative endeavors. This includes instilling the information literacy and technological competencies needed for progressive academic success and civil and useful lives;
• Collaborates with librarians, educational support colleagues, and teaching faculty to deliver innovative instruction on research methods, information literacy, digital literacies, and related topics;
• Actively advises and participates in work of ad hoc and standing committees when perspectives on information literacy, digital competencies, and development relating to digital scholarship, open educational resources and research are involved;
• Participates in collections review and engagement with collection development policy to support the active evolution of collections to meet campus education needs.
• Strengthen scholarly communications initiatives as these further public scholarship, open access, and advancing the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or free/low cost options for educational content;
• Ensures the integrity and reliability technical support for the Library’s integrated systems and digital information resources;
• Collaborates with teaching faculty, staff, ITS partners, and external providers in the exploration, implementation, administration, and management of current and new technologies required for optimal access to digital information resources and tools.
• Maintains up-to-date, professional knowledge of current trends and best practices in higher education, academic libraries, and information and educational technology, to encourage innovation and ensure the excellence of Hege Library and Learning Technologies services.
• As a member of the Educational Support Faculty, participates within the faculty governance structure.
• Provides such other service to the College community as may be required and compatible with the professional responsibilities of the position.

• Masters of Library and/or Information Sciences from an American Library Association accredited program;
• Five or more years of experience and demonstrated expertise in academic librarianship with evidence of resourceful and effective leadership;
• Knowledge of current trends, developments and significant innovations integrating in-person, blended, and online approaches to student learning, faculty teaching, and research; demonstrated ability to inspire, mentor, and model teaching excellence;
• Proficiency in the technological aspects of library systems across all information and digital media services functions, with particular emphasis on strategic directions for and implementation of the Integrated Library System (ILS) and database, ebook, and streaming media resources.
• Understanding of and competence in utilizing an automated library system for bibliographic access and control (i.e. of acquisitions, cataloging, circulation and interlibrary loan functions and workflows), preferably the OCLC WorldShare Management System (WMS).
• Familiarity with collections management (inclusive of vendor agreements and e-resources acquired directly and via consortial opportunities) and collections stewardship and development;
• Evidence of experience in successfully designing and implementing strategies to prepare students to develop critical thinking, research, and technological competencies.
• Demonstrated understanding of copyright, fair use, and intellectual property;
• Knowledgeable of the Open Educational Resources movement, as well as associated program development strategies and best practices;
• Understanding of principles of effective administration and management, including budget control;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong interpersonal skills, including demonstrated ability to work effectively and in authentic collaboration with a diverse group of faculty, students and staff.
• Exemplary organizational and time management skills and attention to detail with a demonstrated ability to effectively balance and manage multiple priorities simultaneously within a challenging public services environment.
• Dependability, punctuality, and flexibility with a demonstrated commitment to service excellence.

Preferred Qualifications
Preference will be given to qualified candidates:

• Demonstrating innovative and successful leadership.
• With varied experience in academic library settings.
• With personnel management experience.
• Familiarity with digital technologies and maker services.
• Familiarity and facility with the tools of and approaches to digital pedagogy and scholarship, including project management; knowledge of emerging trends in this area, and demonstrated ability to work with and create digital teaching, learning, and research tools.
• Who demonstrate a commitment to recruiting, retaining, mentoring and actively engaging with underrepresented and underserved populations both on campus and in the broader community.
• With experience developing and utilizing information resources and tools to promote understanding of privilege and oppression among people.

Education, planning, development, and communication are essential aspects of this position, which regularly requires both stationary activity and movement throughout the Library and across campus; the effective use of computer hardware and software, and digital media; effective self-expression, discernment, and information exchange; and the ability to engage in observation and perception of situations related to interaction with others in both formal and informal learning settings and collegial gatherings. Occasional movement, transport, positioning, and/or installation of furnishings, equipment, and information resources also may be required.

Disclaimer: This position description is reflective of essential functions and is not proscriptive or restrictive of other tasks that might be assigned. It is subject to change at any time. Assignment or reassignment of duties may occur as deemed necessary and appropriate in response to changing organizational requirements within the Library and/or at the College.

Guilford College does not discriminate on the basis of sex/gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable local, state or federal law, ordinance or regulation. See our full Statement of Non-Discrimination.