Job Description
Position Description: Fort Hays State University, a regional comprehensive teaching institution, invites applications and nominations for the Dean of Library Services. The role of the dean is to be an administrative leader, collaborator, communicator, and a successful teacher scholar. A successful candidate will be an ethical academic leader who will respect the culture and history of this student-centered institution. They will embrace the practice of effective learning, the impact of research on the education of our students, and the role of professional service and mentoring. A successful candidate will be a strong team member who values students, advocates for library faculty and staff, and the needs of the university community, cultivating impactful relationships internally, locally, nationally, and globally. The candidate appreciates and demonstrates accountability, and utilizes data to inform decisions and measure success. They will foster a strong commitment to the educational role of libraries informed by reflection and a forward-thinking vision. The dean reports directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves as a member of the Academic Council, the President’s Cabinet, the Senior Leadership Team, and other university groups and committees related to administrative and planning activities. The appointment is a 12-month academic administrative position.
Forsyth Library actively seeks individuals committed to overcoming historical and divisive biases in our society. Successful candidates are prepared to engage meaningfully with audiences from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds.
Expected Leadership and Managerial Activities
Leadership:
- Participate in the processes of planning and executing a library renovation (planning starts in 2022)
- Lead the vision, strategizing, and goal setting for Forsyth Library in alignment with the university vision, mission, values, and strategic plan
- Facilitate collegial governance and healthy morale of the library, including the hiring, development, and supervision of direct reports
- Develop and maintain professional relationships and proactive communication with faculty, staff, students and other constituents
- Advocate, represent, and serve as the voice of the library both internally and externally
- Lead with compassion, accountability, courage, and a focus on solutions
- Support activities relevant to research, professional development, community service/involvement, and campus activities for faculty, staff, and students
- Collaborate with the FHSU Foundation to cultivate and steward donor relationships
Management:
- Manage, empower, and evaluate personnel
- Effectively manage library budgets and financial resources
- Ensure quality and assessment of library processes and programs
- Maintain open and transparent two-way communication within the library and across the entire university
- Support institutional and college diversity and inclusion, including recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students
- Develop collegial working relationships with administration, library, other academic affairs units, and university support units
- Keep abreast of the developing trends and needs of academic libraries
- Promote faculty, staff, and student academic citizenship and institutional values within the library and university learning community
- Commit to succession planning
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master’s degree from an ALA accredited program or its equivalent
- Record of academic and professional achievement that includes publications and warrants tenure and rank as full professor of librarianship
- Five or more years of professional academic library experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Demonstrated strong commitment to the educational role of 21st century libraries at a regional comprehensive teaching institution
- Supervisory experience in an academic library or related institution
- Experience with planning and implementation of library renovation
- Experience with library initiatives including information literacy, open education resources, scholarly communication, undergraduate research, promotion, tenure, program accreditation, community engagement, student success, or professional development
- Experience with university initiatives including partnerships (internal or external), internationalization, distance learning, or strategic planning
- Demonstrated commitment to building a diverse and inclusive environment for faculty, staff, and students
- Demonstrated ability to cultivate donor relationships or grant development for the library
- Demonstrated commitment to shared governance, consensus-building, transparency in leadership and management, and data-informed decision making
- Participation in library and information science organizations
Rank: Commensurate with experience
Appointment Date: Negotiable – January 2022 is preferable
Application Deadline: For full consideration, all materials should be received by September 24, 2021
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
Salary: Negotiable
Benefits: Competitive benefit package; see http://www.fhsu.edu/humanresourceoffice/Prospective-Employees/
Additional Info & Requirements
Application Process: To apply for this position, please visit https://fhsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CAREERS. Only electronic applications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
Required Application Documents: Applicants should submit a cover letter addressing the minimum and preferred qualifications, a resume/CV and names and contact information of at least three professional references. Applicants should also include a one-page statement reflecting how the recent past impacts their vision for the library meeting the needs of a diverse global population and an evolving world view. Applicant documents should be submitted in a single PDF.
The Community
About the Library: Forsyth Library fosters learning, scholarship, and enduring connections to history, culture, and heritage. Library initiatives are guided by the core values of social, civic, and professional engagement, recognition of the changing needs of the learner, intellectual freedom, and support of faculty and student research. Through library instruction, research consultations, and faculty collaborations, students learn to effectively and responsibly gather, evaluate, and use information for scholarship and problem solving, contributing to student success and academic excellence.
The library employs 18 full-time faculty and staff and 30+ students to provide resources and services to FHSU students, faculty and staff on campus, online, and across the globe. Physical and electronic resources, government publications and special collections support the teaching and research of the university. Special Collections include the University Archives and the Center for Ethnic Studies and concentrations in children’s literature, great plains research, military history, and rare books.
Among its resources, Forsyth has rich digital collections to make materials from special collections virtually accessible, and an institutional repository to preserve and showcase scholarship from the university community, open educational resources, and digitized archival materials. As a university partner in delivering accessible quality education, Forsyth Library advocates for and promotes the use of open educational resources and supports creation through the Open Textbook Grant Program.
Additional information about Forsyth Library is available at http://www.fhsu.edu/library.
About Hays, KS: Candidates will discover a locale where professional satisfaction and career achievement are paired with an optimal quality of life. Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas, a vibrant, growing community of over 20,000 that takes great pride in the University's presence. Hays is a celebration of historic and contemporary contrasts, evidenced in its frontier roots highlighted throughout the city and local museums and in its redeveloped downtown area where residents enjoy one-of-a-kind restaurants, unique shopping, and a vibrant arts scene. This community’s commitment to the future inspires Hays businesses to reinvest locally.
A welcoming and family-centered community, Hays offers premier healthcare services, a growing high-tech and retail business community, and excellent Pre-K and K–12 schools in both the private and public sectors. The City of Hays has long been known as a safe community, and the FHSU campus is recognized by the National Council for Home Safety and Security in 2018 as one of the Top 100 Safest College Campuses in America. For entertainment, recreation, education, employment, or simply for a comfortable place to live, residents of all ages will find in Hays the elements that contribute to a safe, enjoyable, and fulfilling lifestyle.
HR Info
If you have questions regarding the position or would like to nominate a potential candidate, please contact:
Name: Dr. Paul Adams, Search Committee Chair
Email: padams@fhsu.edu
Phone: 785-628-5344