[LIBJOBS] Assoc Dir of the Center for Humanities and Information, Penn State University Libraries, University Park, Pennsylvania USA

Associate Director of the Center for Humanities and Information
The Pennsylvania State University Libraries

 

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Director of the Center for Humanities and Information (CHI), a new research center jointly managed and run by the Libraries and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). This is a twelve-month, tenure-track, library faculty position based at the University Park campus, and will report to an Associate Dean in the University Libraries’ administration.

The successful candidate will have a background in the humanities and a broad and sophisticated understanding of the digital scholarship landscape. The Associate Director will embrace an expansive, integrative view of research practices, methodologies, outputs, and dissemination modes in the spirit of interdisciplinary scholarly inquiry. A key responsibility will be to co-direct CHI projects in collaboration with the Center’s leadership and provide strategic and practical oversight for a newly conceived Digital Humanities Lab (DHL), an exciting new initiative of the University Libraries that will provide opportunities for faculty and students to engage in digitally enriched humanities scholarship and pedagogy. The Associate Director will be expected to lead, design, plan, and implement a service and program model for the Lab in collaboration with colleagues in the Libraries and the CLA.

The Libraries’ Associate Director will be one of three roles leading CHI; the other partners are the Center’s Director and an additional Associate Director, both of whom also are teaching faculty in Liberal Arts. Because of the Center, the Lab, and the Libraries’ continuing vibrant partnership with the College of Liberal Arts, the Associate Director role presents a unique opportunity - a chance to make a transformative difference in the operations, research activities and services, promotion and outreach initiatives, and strategic vision for the humanities and digital scholarship at Penn State. For more information about CHI, please visit its website: http://chi.la.psu.edu/.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Center directors, Advisory Board, and Library stakeholders to develop and implement the Center’s strategic vision.
• Lead, in partnership with other relevant parties, in the planning, development, and implementation of the DHL.
• Build community and connections, as well as capacity, for advancing digital humanities scholarship and the Center’s mission.
• Oversee general financial operations, managing the budget for the Lab and the Libraries’ support of the Center.
• Manage and help coordinate, as needed, programming for the Lab, in partnership and consultation with relevant librarians and Center directors.
• Identify, explore, and cultivate partnerships with campus entities across the university, including the Commonwealth campuses, and inter-institutionally and regionally, to broaden programming base and possibilities for large-scale grant projects.
• In collaboration with the Center leadership and librarians, research, develop, and write grant proposals to fund innovative CHI and/or DHL projects.
• Have liaison responsibilities for a humanities subject area.
• Supervise and mentor staff, including graduate assistant(s), a library and information science fellow, and a humanities postdoctoral fellow.
• Engage in research, scholarly publication, and professional service activities in areas appropriate to academic librarianship and the humanities or digital scholarship.

Required Qualifications:

• MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited program or advanced degree in the humanities, or equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of trends and methodologies in the humanities.
• Experience with strategic planning or road-mapping for services and other activities in a research center or academic program, department, or library; or demonstrated experience managing projects in an academic research environment.
• Exceptional ability to balance multiple priorities effectively, as well as excellence in organizational skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of digital scholarship trends and methods.
• Supervisory experience and a willingness and capacity to lead and manage in a fluid, changing environment as the Lab develops.
• A desire and ability to learn and adapt new approaches, practices, and skills.
• Excellence in collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills - including presentation skills and the ability to translate effectively, across diverse audiences and communities, the mission and value of the Center and the Lab.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience collaborating with technology units to provide and build out infrastructure for supporting digital scholarship programs and projects.
• Experience with grant proposal writing.
• Experience in space planning, particularly in relation to programming and service needs that involve innovative technology approaches to research, teaching, and learning.
• Understanding of agile development practices in the context of digital scholarship projects.
• Depth of understanding in scholarly communication issues, including open access, scholarly publishing, repository services, peer review, and humanities data curation.
• Experience building strong cross-campus and inter-institutional partnerships and alliances.

Environment:

Penn State, a land-grant institution, is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of the Big Ten universities plus the University of Chicago. Based on current Association for Research Libraries investment rankings, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries are ranked among the top ten research libraries in North America. A student survey completed in 2014 found overall student satisfaction with the University Libraries to be at the top of its category. The University Libraries hold membership in ARL, CRL, CLIR, and DLF. Collections exceed 5.8 million volumes and include more than 102,000 current serial subscriptions. The University Libraries are located at University Park and 22 other locations throughout Pennsylvania, and they serve approximately 6,000 faculty and 44,000 students at University Park, and more than 92,000 students system-wide.

 

The University Park campus is set in State College, a university town located in central Pennsylvania. State College offers a vibrant community with outstanding recreational facilities, a low crime rate, and excellent public schools. The campus is within a half-day drive to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, or Pittsburgh. The University Park Airport is served by three major carriers with flights to Washington, Philadelphia, and Detroit. For more information, please visit http://www.libraries.psu.edu and http://www.cbicc.org.

 

Compensation and Rank:

Rank and salary are dependent upon qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits include liberal vacation, excellent insurance and health care coverage, state or TIAA/CREF retirement options, and educational privileges. In addition, faculty in the University Libraries are afforded funds for professional development travel annually. Faculty may be asked to travel as official representatives of the Libraries to certain events and those trips are reimbursed at full cost within limits established by the University.

 

To apply, please visit http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/jobs/facjobs/adchi.html.   To be considered for the position, interested candidates should upload a letter of application, resume or C.V., and the names and contact information of three professional references (including email addresses).   Review of applications will begin June 1, 2015 and continue until position is filled.  Employment will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.  Questions may be addressed to Lindsey Harter, Faculty Search Coordinator, at lap225@psu.edu.

 

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, disabled individuals, and other protected groups.

 

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: For more about safety at Penn State, and to review the Annual Security Report which contains information about crime statistics and other safety and security matters, please go to www.police.psu.edu/clery/, which will also provide you with detail on how to request a hard copy of the Annual Security Report.