POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT POSITION: Head Curator, Latin American and Caribbean Collection (LACC)
RANK: Associate University Librarian or University Librarian
REPORTS TO: Chair, Special and Area Studies Collections
SALARY: $ 63,415 minimum salary at the Associate University Librarian rank
$ 69,254 minimum salary at the University Librarian rank
Actual salary will reflect selected professional’s experience and credentials
REQUISITION #: 502196
DEADLINE: June 15, 2017 (applications will be reviewed beginning May 24, 2017) Please note the specific instructions to submit application materials on our website at http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/pers/careers.htm and in the APPLICATION PROCESS section below. Failure to include all required documents may result in your application being disqualified.
SETTING
Gainesville is a welcoming city offering unique outdoor activities, excellent museums, historical sites, a strong music scene, quality breweries, eclectic dining and local food choices, and a great variety of sporting events. One and half hours to either coast, four hours to Atlanta, and six hours to Miami, Gainesville is well situated for exploring the North Central Florida region and beyond. The George A. Smathers Libraries encourage participation in decision making and innovative projects, offering a unique grants management program and a strong learning environment. The Special and Area Studies Collections Department faculty and staff offer a collegial, supportive, and active tenure home, together promoting, curating, and providing public access to a broad array of distinctive special and circulating collections.
JOB SUMMARY
The Special and Area Studies Collections Department seeks an experienced leader to provide strategic vision and overall management of a preeminent collection in a dynamic, engaging environment at the University of Florida. The Head Curator of the LACC will contribute to scholarship at the Smathers Libraries in this full-time, tenure-track faculty position. A successful candidate will serve as the key liaison for the Libraries’ partnerships related to the Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí digitization project and other initiatives. The Head Curator will collaborate closely within the Libraries, with faculty and students at the Center for Latin American Studies, and with campus departments to promote distinctive collections and to support emerging research and teaching needs at the University of Florida.
The Head Curator will coordinate a collaborative team of experienced library faculty and staff in establishing LACC priorities, goals, and procedures for public services, technical services, and for the management of Latin American and Caribbean circulating and special collections, overseeing these materials budgets. The Head Curator will also participate in instructional, community, and fundraising outreach, bibliographical control, digitization projects, exhibits, and in consultation with the Chair, will liaise between the LACC unit and the Libraries’ administration. The Smathers Libraries encourage staff participation in reaching management decisions and consequently, the Head Curator of LACC will serve on department and library-wide committees and teams. The incumbent will pursue research, publication, and professional service activities to meet library-wide criteria for tenure and promotion.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Head Curator of the LACC is a faculty position with administrative responsibilities who will provide strategic leadership for the physical and digital holdings, personnel, and resources related to Latin American and Caribbean Studies in the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections. Responsibilities include overall management and development of the LACC holdings, programs, evolving and changing priority initiatives, and creating a strong team based unit through personnel management skills. This position initiates and manages strategic initiatives, programs, outreach activities, grants, and special projects, including a current initiative to digitize Cuba materials in partnership with leading North American repositories.
The following faculty responsibilities are integrated into the position of Head Curator of LACC:
- Advances the preeminence of UF through leadership in fields related to Latin American and Caribbean librarianship, with attention to the historically significant relationship of UF to Caribbean and Latin American studies and commitment to mutually-beneficial partnerships.
- Establishes and manages strategic projects that promote the national and international profile of LACC, its mission, and its holdings, in collaboration with and as requested by the Chair and other administrators. Serves as the key liaison with institutional partners, communicating effectively in English and Spanish.
- Maintains oversight for LACC collections, budgets, approval plans, and documentation, with supervision and evaluation of LACC faculty directly managing circulating and special collections. Establishes overall priorities for cataloging, selection, storage, transfer, and preservation, in consultation with circulating and special collections specialists.
- Provides consultative services and instructional outreach to faculty and advanced graduate students in Latin American and Caribbean studies, engaging with faculty and students to ensure Library support of university needs and awareness of relevant library resources and information; maintains currency with relevant emerging scholarship and resources at UF and in the field.
- Collaborates with Chair regarding support services and may directly supervise public services staff.
- Proactively advances access to LACC materials through UF digitization, creation and enhancement of metadata, and exhibition or other dissemination programs; as well as to related collections through partnerships such as Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) and the Cuban digitization project.
- Oversees the positioning of LACC within the Special and Area Studies Collections Department through collaborative services and alignment with departmental, Libraries, and UF goals; bringing the Libraries into close alignment with the Center for Latin American Studies faculty and programs.
- Works closely with the Libraries’ Development Office (Development Officers and Public Information Officer) to organize fundraising and donor relations activities.
- Pursues professional development opportunities, including research, publication, and professional association activities, to meet library-wide criteria for tenure and promotion.
- Serves on Library and departmental consultative bodies as appropriate.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- Professional level knowledge of Spanish and English.
- MLIS degree or equivalent experience.
- Eight years of relevant experience with subject and cultural expertise in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
- Record of progressive accomplishment as a scholar-librarian.
- Excellent oral, written, interpersonal, and international communication skills to successfully and proactively interact with colleagues in the Libraries, the scholarly community, and institutional partners including those abroad.
- Evidence of leadership and/or collaboration in one or more major projects related to creating, disseminating or maintaining scholarly or cultural resources, such as a library collection.
- Successful human resource management experience including supervising, managing and motivating team members.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team within a diverse client community of faculty, students, community members, administrators, staff, and library patrons.
- Strong potential to meet requirements for tenure and promotion (outlined at http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/cdh/Index.aspx).
Preferred:
- Advanced degree in a field relevant to position, with PhD or equivalent preferred.
- Strong knowledge of existing and emerging trends in scholarship related to Cuba or the Spanish Caribbean.
- Excellence in bibliographical research, heritage preservation, or area related to librarianship.
- Experience in grant writing, budget management, and/or development.
- Record of including individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, genders, and perspectives in research, teaching, service and other work.
THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
The University of Florida (UF) is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university. The state’s oldest and most comprehensive university, UF is among the nation’s most academically diverse public universities. UF was ranked 9th among public universities in Forbes’ “America’s Best Employers 2015.” UF has a long history of established programs in international education, research and service. In 2013 the Florida Legislature designated UF as the state’s preeminent institution which grew into an opportunity to achieve national and international recognition for the University’s work in serving students and the world. It is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belong to the Association of American Universities. UF traces its beginnings to a small seminary in 1853 and is now one of the largest universities in the nation, with more than 50,000 students. For more information, please consult the UF homepage at http://www.ufl.edu.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA LIBRARIES
The libraries of the University of Florida form the largest information resource system in the state of Florida. The UF Libraries consist of seven libraries on the Gainesville campus and three off-campus facilities; six of the campus libraries, and all of the off-site facilities, are in the system known as the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The remaining library is the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center. Collectively, the UF Libraries (the Smathers Libraries and the Legal Information Center) hold or provide access to over 5.45 million print volumes, 8,100,000 microfilms, 1.25 million e-books, over 152,000 full-text electronic journals, over 1100 electronic databases, 1.26 million documents and 1.35 million maps and images. The UF Libraries have built several nationally significant research collections, including the Latin American and Caribbean, Judaica, Florida History, Children’s Literature, and Map and Imagery collections. The UF Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), and the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL). The library staff consists of more than 300 FTE librarians, technical/clerical staff and student assistants. The organizational chart is available at http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/orgchart.pdf.
SPECIAL AND AREA STUDIES COLLECTIONS
Special and Area Studies Collections encompasses Area Studies Collections, the Map & Imagery Library, and the Special Collections of the University of Florida. The Area Studies Collections are the Latin American and Caribbean Collection; the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica; and the African Studies and Asian Studies collections. Special Collections include the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, the Belknap Collection for the Performing Arts, the P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, the General Manuscript Collection, the Rare Book Collection, and the University Archives.
LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COLLECTION
The LACC is one of the finest collections for the study of Latin American and Caribbean studies in the world. It contains approximately 500,000 volumes, 1,100 current / active serial titles, some 50,000 microforms, and a growing body of computer-based information and digital material. The LACC is a major contributor to the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), supports the study of Latin American and the Caribbean studies at the University of Florida and internationally, and is closely associated with the UF Center for Latin American Studies. The LACC is one of the few such collections in the United States that maintains its own reading room and specialized reference staff. It is now open in newly renovated quarters on the 3rd floor of Smathers Library. COMMUNITY Gainesville, Florida and the surrounding community are home to approximately 257,000 people and both the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. Situated just over an hour from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the city is surrounded by over 40 nature parks, including many spring-fed lakes and rivers. In 2015, Gainesville was named the “Best Midsize College City in America” by WalletHub and ranked no. 7 on Livability.com “Top 10 College Towns”. Gainesville is known as an innovative municipal government and an innovative city. Gainesville continues to receive national recognition as a top-rated city. Some of Gainesville’s accolades are listed at the Gainesville Awards and Recognition link. The Guide to Greater Gainesville combines award winning photography and compelling articles that capture all the reasons for calling Greater Gainesville your next home. The area has numerous cultural institutions and is a haven for sports fans. Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee, and St. Augustine are all within a two-hour drive. Gainesville is an affordable city and area to live in – using a cost of living calculator you can compare cities across the United States. See how affordable Gainesville really is!
BENEFITS
Vacation days, paid holidays, and sick leave days; retirement plan options; insurance benefits; tuition fee waiver program; no state or local income tax. Prospective employees should review the information about employment and benefits at UF available at http://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, submit 1) a cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for this position; 2) a written statement regarding creating and supporting a preeminent Latin American and Caribbean collection (250 words); 3) your current resume or CV; and 4) a list of three references including their contact information (address, telephone number, and email). Apply by June 15, 2017 (applications will be reviewed beginning May 24, 2017). Submit all application materials through the Jobs at UF online application system at http://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/cw/en-us/job/502196/head-curator-latin-american-and-caribbean-collectionlacc Failure to include all required documents may result in your application being disqualified. If you have questions or concerns about the process please contact Bonnie Smith, George A. Smathers Libraries Human Resources Office, at bonniesmith@ufl.edu.
The University of Florida is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from women and minority group members. We are dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic environment; we strongly encourage applications from women, members of underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. As part of the application process, applicants are invited to complete an on-line confidential and voluntary demographic self-disclosure form which can be found at: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/job/datacard.htm. This information is collected by the University of Florida’s Office of Human Resources to track applicant trends and is in no way considered by the Smathers Libraries in the selection process.
Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/.
