Head, Rare Books and Special Collections

The University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries seeks a highly motivated and innovative leader who will excel at managing the Rare Books and Special Collections Department, a primary repository of rare books and archival collections at the University of Notre Dame. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Distinctive and Academic Collections, the Department Head will provide strategic vision, leadership, and program development for the University of Notre Dame’s distinctive collections in alignment with the Libraries’ strategic framework.  The Department Head will collaborate with stakeholders both inside and outside of the Libraries to develop and enact a forward-thinking, inclusive stewardship strategy and to extend the impact of distinctive collections on and beyond campus. Leading a team of curators and digital collections and user services professionals, the successful candidate will facilitate and support a cohesive departmental vision around developing and sharing Hesburgh Libraries’ preeminent collections in ways that equip users to access, create, and share knowledge. The Department Head will maintain and expand connections across the campus community and coordinate regularly with University Archives and processing archivists. Along with strengthening foundations, the Head of Rare Books and Special Collections will work with the Associate University Librarian and across Hesburgh Libraries to build and implement a digital collections strategy and identify and act on opportunities to further local, consortial, and global connections and collaborations.  The Department Head will apply knowledge of current professional best practices within the Hesburgh Libraries setting and contribute to analyzing and assessing stewardship and service effectiveness. They will also maintain a high level of engagement with professional organizations in the rare book, archives, and higher education fields.    About Rare Books and Special Collections: Rare Books and Special Collections holds more than 132,000 volumes of printed books and periodicals and over 7,000 linear feet of non-book materials including manuscripts, printed ephemera, broadsides, prints, posters, numismatics, and philately. Aligned with Hesburgh Libraries’ mission to cultivate curiosity and discovery, Rare Books and Special Collections advances the University’s research, teaching, and learning goals while fostering Notre Dame’s engagement with the larger scholarly community. Collection strengths in global Catholic history, Irish studies, Italian literature, Latin American and Iberian history and literature, sports and physical culture, and theology and church history support new and innovative scholarship and student research. The department collects broadly in terms of chronology, language, subject, and format, with an eye toward inclusive development that maintains existing strengths while building more heterogeneous and holistic collections for a fuller documentary record.  Responsibilities:

• Leads, administers, and/or coordinates all RBSC services, programs, and personnel, including facilitating change where indicated and promoting a culture of support and development for all employees
• Develops and implements strategic vision around stewardship and outreach on and beyond campus for the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, in collaboration with key stakeholders
• Develops and implements policies, procedures, and best practices relevant to distinctive collections development and management, in collaboration with key stakeholders  
• Develops partnerships across the Libraries, the University of Notre Dame campus, the local community, and the global scholarly community that strengthen and promote the role of distinctive collections in research and teaching
• Contributes meaningfully to the advancement of the new strategic frameworks of the Hesburgh Libraries and the University of Notre Dame.

• As a member of the University faculty, seeks opportunities to participate in faculty and

professional activities within the University and broader community, to contribute to the University’s mission and strategic initiatives. Salary and Benefits Faculty appointment, salary, and rank are nationally competitive with peer Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members and commensurate with experience and qualifications, with a minimum starting salary of $72,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Per the University’s Academic Articles, librarians at Hesburgh Libraries qualify for non-tenure library faculty appointments.  Candidates may learn more about Library faculty status through the University’s “Academic Articles” and the Hesburgh Libraries’ information circular “Criteria for Library Faculty Appointment and Promotion”. Both documents are available in the “Library Faculty Positions” section of Hesburgh Libraries’ Employment Opportunities web page, at https://www.library.nd.edu/employment/ In addition, the University of Notre Dame offers an outstanding benefits package. Candidates can view summaries of benefits at Human Resources’ Benefits Summaries web page, at https://hr.nd.edu/employment/benefit-summaries/. For this role, view the summary entitled “Regular Faculty {Full-Time}.” Finally, the University of Notre Dame supports the needs of dual career couples and has a Dual Career Assistance Program to assist relocating spouses and significant others with their job search. Candidates can view summaries of this program at Human Resources’ Dual Career Assistance Program web page, at https://hr.nd.edu/employment/dual-career-assistance-program/ Environment The University of Notre Dame is a highly selective global Catholic doctoral research university with very high research activity whose idyllic campus is located in northern Indiana’s Michiana region, and about 90 miles east from Chicago. For more information about the University of Notre Dame, please visit the University of Notre Dame homepage at http://nd.edu/. The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame advances institutional priorities by utilizing a talent process that maximizes professional and personal potential, implementing innovative services that further intellectual inquiry, and facilitating access to knowledge across a wide range of scholarly resources in numerous disciplines and formats. As the primary library system on Notre Dame's campus, Hesburgh Libraries is a dynamic organization that features the flagship Hesburgh Library. Hesburgh Library, along with the Main Building and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is one of three iconic buildings that define the skyline of the Notre Dame campus. It also features the world-famous Word of Life mural (affectionately known as “Touchdown Jesus”). The Hesburgh Library building houses the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, the Medieval Institute Library, Rare Books & Special Collections, University Archives, and the Visual Resources Center. The Hesburgh Libraries organization also includes three specialty libraries located across the Notre Dame campus (Architecture Library, Business Library, and Music Library). In 2022, the Hesburgh Libraries developed a new mission, vision, and strategic framework [pdf] designed to help advance Notre Dame's aspirations to become one of the world's leading research universities while prioritizing human and professional flourishing. Within this new framework, each member of the library community plays a key role in advancing strategic goals and objectives, sustaining critical operations, and defining shared values. The Hesburgh Libraries organization employs nearly 200 people, including more than 50 library faculty members, and has been a longstanding member of several organizations, including Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, and the OCLC Research Library Partnership. Additional information about Hesburgh Libraries can be found on the Libraries’ website https://www.library.nd.edu/employment/. For additional information about working at the University of Notre Dame and various benefits available to employees, please visit http://hr.nd.edu/why-nd.  Qualifications: Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited program (or international equivalent) or terminal degree in another relevant discipline. 
• 5 years of professional experience in special collections or related area, including supervisory experience. 
• Experience developing, implementing, and assessing services and programs in a special collections, archival, or cultural heritage setting
• Understanding of the role of special collections in research & teaching
• Understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion issues and scholarship in special collections and/or archives work
• Demonstrated knowledge of issues and best practices for one or more of RBSC’s collecting areas. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional graduate degree in a relevant subject area
• Conversant in history of the book, manuscript studies, and rare book trade
• Experience developing internal and external partnerships and collaborations
• Experience in fundraising, grant management, and/or donor relations/cultivation

Diversity and Inclusion We expect that the successful candidates will increase the diversity of voices within research libraries, higher education, and cultural heritage institutions. Through their materials, applicants should clearly demonstrate how they have embodied, fostered, or implemented an equitable culture that considers diversity to be a competitive advantage. While the University of Notre Dame welcomes and actively seeks Catholic intellectuals, what the University asks of all its scholars and students is not a particular creedal affiliation, but a respect for the objectives of Notre Dame, and a willingness to enter into the conversation that gives it life and character. Therefore, the University insists upon academic freedom that makes open discussion and inquiry possible. The University of Notre Dame is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and requires affirmative action by covered contractors to employ and advance veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). Application Instructions: This position posting and application instructions can be found on the Interfolio website: http://apply.interfolio.com/148528 Review of applications will begin immediately, and the application period ends on July 29, 2024.   Interested candidates should assemble four (4) items, in the following sequential order, in a single, unlocked Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file: (1) A formal letter of application (3 pages maximum), addressed to: Head, Rare Books and Special Collections Search Committee Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 46556 (2) A résumé or curriculum vitae (15 pages maximum); (3) Final, accepted, or complete draft publication or comparable non-confidential writing sample (10 pages maximum); and (4) The name, title, institution, and email address of three (3) professional references. At least one of these references must have been your direct supervisor within the past three years. (Hesburgh Libraries search representatives will begin contacting professional references once selected candidates accept an invitation for a campus visit.) Please name the submitted Acrobat file as follows: hesburghlibraries_HRBSC_lnamefirstinitial  (Example: hesburghlibraries_HRBSC_DoeJ) Failure to comply with these directions may disqualify your application from being considered or delay review of your materials.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration.  The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace.  We strongly encourage applications from female and minority candidates and those candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.  Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and requires affirmative action by covered contractors to employ and advance veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). Background Check  This appointment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.  Applicants will be asked to identify all felony convictions and/or pending felony charges.  Felony convictions do not automatically bar an individual from employment.  Each case will be examined separately to determine the appropriateness of employment in the particular position.  Failure to be forthcoming or dishonesty with respect to felony disclosures can result in the disqualification of a candidate.  The full procedure can be viewed at https://facultyhandbook.nd.edu/?id=link-73597.

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