Job Description
The Associate Director provides expertise and leadership for User Services, one of five major functional divisions in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Randall Library. This position oversees circulation operations, information desk services (including email, phone, and chat services), staff and student employees, stack maintenance, and reserves. This position also coordinates assessment activities for the library. This position serves as a member of Randall Library’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) which is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the library and its services, spaces, and resources.
This is a 12-month, renewable, non-tenure track special faculty position reporting to the Senior Associate Director.
Upon initial appointment, this position will:
- Oversee the development, evaluation, and implementation of innovative, user-focused circulation and information desk services students, staff, faculty, and community visitors
- Provide strategic oversight of User Services division, including circulation operations, information desk services (including email, phone, and chat services), training and supervision of student Research Peer Navigators, training library staff and faculty and scheduling desk operations, stack maintenance, and reserves
- Develop and implement a tiered service model for a single service point, including student employees, paraprofessional staff and library faculty and actively participate in an overall student employee training program.
- Coordinate the development, interpretation, and enforcement of policies, procedures, training materials, and communication protocols to ensure the provision of seamless public service at service desks and throughout public spaces.
- Collaborate with the Information Technology and Digital Services Division in the delivery of user services in technology rich spaces and in the utilization of the integrated library system
- Collaborates with the Academic and Research Engagement division to deliver reference services to users
- Collaborates with Building Manager to assess, evaluate, and enhance public space needs provide excellent user experience
- Coordinate library assessment initiatives and manage collection of data for national surveys and University assessment activities.
- Serve in a leadership role in the development of Randall Library’s next strategic plan and the assessment of that plan’s outcomes.
- Serve as the library lead on ADA compliance and support and services for users with disabilities
- Maintain strong partnership with Library building partners.
In addition, Associate Directors have the following key responsibilities:
- Oversee overall operations of the division, including directly or indirectly supervising, supporting, guiding, and evaluating 7 – 14 full-time employees (both faculty and staff).
- Establish strategic goals and objectives for the division and develops, evaluates, and continually improves programs and services.
- Foster flexible, collaborative work environments and strong teams, encouraging staff to engage in creative initiatives and partnerships to meet student and faculty needs
- Provide strong leadership and demonstrated commitment to the mission, vision, values, of Randall Library
- Analyze, discuss, plan, and implement the strategic direction of Randall Library, including the development of new services, resources, and spaces
- Develop annual budgets and approve large and/or strategic expenditures
- Identify gaps in services and develop staffing plans and new positions
- Work collaboratively to make ongoing decisions about library operations
- Participate in the development, implementation, review and revision of Library policies, procedures, and services.
As a library faculty member, this position will:
- Provide in-person and on-call research help during scheduled Research Help Desk shifts, providing individual research assistance in person, by phone, email, and chat
- Participate in university and professional activities, including research, conference presentations, publications, service, and other evidence of scholarly activity
- Keep current with developments in librarianship, particularly in areas related to the division’s focuses
- Contribute to Randall Library’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Additional Info & Requirements
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
- Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program, or other relevant advanced degree and relevant experience
- Five years of increasingly responsible, professional librarian experience in an academic library or similar setting
Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- Demonstrated experience managing reference, information, and circulation services, with specific knowledge or experience with a single service point
- Experience building training programs for students and staff/faculty
- Knowledge and understanding of emerging practices, standards, and trends relating to academic library spaces, circulation services, information and reference services, and overall user experience
- Knowledge and understanding of circulation modules within integrated library system
- Experience with assessment data collection and reporting, and in analyzing data to provide recommendations for service improvements.
- Five years of experience in supervising professional and/or full-time para-professional staff within a library setting
- Demonstrated knowledge of emerging practices, standards, and trends in academic librarianship, particularly in areas related to the division’s focuses
- Strong leadership skills, including demonstrated analytical and decision-making skills
- Effective interpersonal, oral, written, and virtual communication skills using a variety of media and technologies
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate to achieve results
- Demonstrated understanding of the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
- Demonstrated initiative and flexibility, as well as the ability to adapt to and work creatively in a rapidly changing environment.
The Community
William Madison Randall Library supports the University’s mission through the provision of information resources, services and programs relevant to the needs of its students, faculty and staff. It also serves as a rich cultural resource for the surrounding community and the region. To accomplish this mission, the library provides (1) diverse collections of informational resources in multiple formats and specialized technologies to enable the creation of new knowledge; (2) efficient access to those informational resources and technologies; (3) assistance and instruction in identifying, evaluating and interpreting information; (4) a safe and comfortable facility which stimulates intellectual curiosity and reflective thinking; and (5) programs that connect scholars and interested individuals with information and expertise to inspire lifelong learning.
The User Services division provides user-focused circulation and information desk services for students, staff, faculty and community visitors. The division manages all circulation functions including user checkin/checkout, billing, holds, stack maintenance and hard-copy reserve materials. User Services members staff the information desk and provide direct information and reference services to users.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state’s coastal university, is dedicated to learning through the integration of teaching and mentoring with research and service. Guided by our Strategic Plan, the university is committed to nurturing a campus culture that reflects its values of diversity and globalization, ethics and integrity, and excellence and innovation. A public institution with nearly 17,000 students, the university is focused on supporting and enhancing the student-centered learning experience that has been a hallmark since its founding in 1947. UNCW offers an array of programs at the baccalaureate and master’s levels, and doctoral programs in marine biology, educational leadership, psychology and nursing practice. UNCW is one of the 17 institutions that make up the UNC System.
At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.