Senior Curator, John Hay

Job Description:

Reporting to the Director of the John Hay Library and University Archivist, the Senior Curator at the John Hay Library advances the Brown University’s research and teaching mission by providing team leadership for the Hay’s curatorial staff, overseeing the Hay’s primary source instruction program, and serving as the principal curator for one or more of the Hay’s strategic collection areas.

As the senior curatorial professional, the Senior Curator will provide collegial guidance, support, and partnership to other curatorial staff at the John Hay Library as well as to Library subject experts whose portfolios include special collections work. The Senior Curator will represent curatorial priorities and concerns in John Hay Library leadership meetings, liaise with other Library departments as appropriate (including Academic Engagement, the Center for Library Exploration and Research, the Center for Digital Scholarship, and Collections Care), and work with curatorial colleagues and Library leadership to budget and monitor spending plans for special collections acquisitions making effective use of John Hay Library acquisitions endowments.

The instruction program, with teaching responsibilities distributed across curatorial and other Library staff, includes partnership in faculty-led courses, graduate student training opportunities, collections-based digital initiatives, and programs for K-12 teachers and students. The Senior Curator provides overall coordination for instruction, develops standards and best practices, creates assessment tools, and conducts strategic analysis, and promotes the program with faculty and academic units.

The Senior Curator will hold primary curatorial responsibility for one or more major thematic collecting area at the John Hay Library, which include Global Lavender Voices, History of Health and Science, Ideology and Power, Performance and Entertainment, Popular Literature, Voices of Mass Incarceration in the US. Curatorial duties include reviewing, revising, and refining collection development guidelines to ensure the academic relevance and focus of rare and unique materials acquired through purchase and gift, and effective donor cultivation and stewardship. Other activities to promote the visibility and use of collections include engaging with academic stakeholders (faculty, departments, centers), curating exhibitions, developing special programs, and contributing to digital projects.

The Senior Curator actively participates in the academic life of the University and the larger scholarly community. Support for Brown’s diverse academic community includes subject-based reference and outreach services as well as creating and maintaining information resources for designated subject and curatorial areas. All of the Senior Curator’s work will be consistent with Brown’s academic mission and core values.

Job Qualifications

Required

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in Library and Information Science OR graduate degree combined with relevant experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in special collections in an academic or research environment.
• Experience or degree in a field of study related to Popular Literature, Performance and Entertainment, or Global Lavender Voices.
• Experience evaluating books and manuscripts for acquisition; working with donors and rare book and manuscript dealers preferred.
• Experience introducing primary sources and primary source literacy to a variety of learners in person and in virtual settings.

Preferred

• Experience with curatorial travel and in-person curatorial work with donors preferred.
• Experience promoting the use of primary sources through exhibitions, programming, and other outreach.
• Knowledge of current research trends and information literacy techniques.
• Knowledge of one or more languages other than English.

Job Competencies

• Strong customer-service orientation.
• Demonstrated ability to provide effective and efficient curatorial and research services. Knowledge of best practices in virtual and in-person curatorial service in a high-paced cultural heritage institution, educational institution, or similar environment.
• Demonstrated ability to bring inclusive, collaborative and engaging approaches to curatorial service and/or teaching operations and programming onsite and virtually.
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent planning, decision making, problem-solving skills with superior verbal and written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively in a diverse, dynamic, team setting and to balance multiple competing priorities.
• Commitment to Brown University’s core institutional values of the pursuit of knowledge and understanding; academic freedom and freedom of expression; openness to a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and experiences; and a thriving academic community.

Best Consideration Date: 1/9/2026

Candidates please note: all offers of employment are contingent upon a criminal background check and education verification satisfactory to Brown.

Benefits of Working at Brown:

Information on the Benefits of Working at Brown can be found here.

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Submission Guidelines:

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any staff position at Brown University you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Still Have Questions?

If you have any questions you may contact [email protected].

EEO Statement:

Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, in the administration of its policies, programs, and activities. The University recognizes and rewards individuals on the basis of qualifications and performance. The University maintains certain affirmative action programs in compliance with applicable law.