Head of Technical Services, Lewis Walpole Library

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Overview

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Ability to apply bibliographic standards and metadata practices with professional judgement, including working knowledge of AACR2/RDA, DCRM, MARC, and related standards, and the ability to interpret and implement them for describing special collections materials. 

Preferred Skills and Abilities 

Principal Responsibilities

1.    Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Lewis Walpole Library’s technical services. 
2.    Serve as the primary liaison between the Lewis Walpole Library and Yale Library’s technical services and discovery ecosystem. 
3.    Plan, prioritize, sequence, and execute technical services work at the Lewis Walpole Library. 
4.    Recruit, onboard, supervise, train, and mentor technical services staff. Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented environment that supports professional growth and adaptability to evolving practices. 
5.    Serve as the Lewis Walpole Library’s principal original cataloger, creating, enhancing, remediating, and maintaining complex bibliographic and authority records; applying national and local standards; exercising professional judgement for special collections materials. 
6.    Manage vendor services and relationships, as needed. 
7.    Implement and assess operational changes, including new or revised workflows, tools, and descriptive practices; evaluate outcomes; and contribute feedback to Special Collections Technical Services leadership to inform system-wide improvements. 
8.    Maintain oversight of onsite stacks management and coordinate closely with Preservation and Conservation Services to ensure appropriate housing, handling, and long-term preservation of collections. 
9.    Coordinate onsite digitization of Lewis Walpole Library holdings, following direction and guidance from the Beinecke Library’s Digital Special Collections and Access unit. 
10.    Support the vision of the Lewis Walpole Librarian & Executive Director. Collaborate closely with the Head of Public Services and curators at the Lewis Walpole Library ensuring alignment across functions and supporting sustainable stewardship. 
11.    Contribute to the overall management, assessment, and development of the Lewis Walpole Library, including reporting on technical services activities, participating in planning and assessment efforts, and supporting Lewis Walpole and institutional goals. 
12.    Provide reference services for researchers as needed and oversee Reading Room operations in the absence of the Head of Public Services, ensuring continuity of service and adherence to policies. 
13.    Participate in Yale Library committees, task forces, and professional activities at the regional, national, or international level, contributing expertise in service to the university and profession. 
14.    Serves as the designee for the Lewis Walpole Librarian & Executive Director as necessary. 
15.    Support institutional and operational continuity by assisting with disaster recovery efforts, working at other Library locations as assigned, and performing other duties consistent with scope of the position. 

Required Education and Experience

1.    Master’s degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited library school or a post-graduate degree in a related field. 
2.    Minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in a research library or a comparable cultural heritage institution, with increasing scope of responsibility. 
3.    Demonstrated understanding of current and emerging trends in special collections librarianship, including ethical standards and best practices in special collections cataloging, archival processing, discovery, collection management, and digital collections.  
4.    Demonstrated experience in cataloging special collections materials, including original and complex cataloging across a variety of formats. 
5.    Reading knowledge of at least one Western European language other than English. 
6.    Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and direction in a research library or similar organizational environment, including experience contributing to strategic or operational initiatives. 
7.    Demonstrated success managing and supervising staff, including experience with coaching, performance management, and leading individuals and teams through change. 
8.    Demonstrated experience working with integrated library systems and related discovery, metadata, or collection management systems. 
9.    Demonstrated experience with planning, coordinating, and completing projects, including setting priorities, managing completing demands, and bringing work to successful completion. 
10.  Experience working collaboratively and independently with a wide range of stakeholders. 

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Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.