Dean of University Libraries

Job Purpose
Towson University (TU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of University Libraries with appointment to begin July 1, 2020. Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean serves as the chief administrative officer of the Libraries and an essential member of university leadership. 

As a transformative and collaborative academic leader, the Dean will further the Libraries’ commitment to the mission of Towson University by providing resources, services, instruction, and spaces that support student, faculty, and staff learning, teaching, research, and scholarship. Albert S. Cook Library is the campus library for Towson University, the largest university in the Baltimore area and the second largest in the University System of Maryland. Cook Library also serves the Towson University Northeastern Maryland campus. With 24 faculty librarians and 25 staff, Cook Library provides superior support to Towson University. For more information about Albert S. Cook Library click here.

Recently named by U.S. News & World Report among the top 100 public national universities, Towson University enrolls close to 20,000 undergraduates and over 3,000 graduate students across six academic colleges (business, education, fine arts and communications, health professions, liberal arts, science and mathematics); over 865 full-time faculty; and offers more than 65 bachelor’s, 45 master’s, and 5 doctoral programs. Our centrally located campus sits on 330 rolling green acres and is 10 miles north of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, 45 miles north of Washington D.C., and 95 miles south of Philadelphia.  

Description
The Dean of University Libraries provides the leadership for establishing a shared vision and developing strategic priorities, plans, and goals for library resources, programs, services, and facilities that support the missions of both the Library and the university. The Dean ensures the Library is a vibrant presence integrated throughout the university, and fosters collaborative and creative opportunities within the Library, across campus, and with other institutions that advance student learning and success. The Dean understands the evolving role of academic libraries and trends in higher education; facilitates the integration of appropriate and emerging technologies; creates and maintains an inclusive and diverse environment; and fosters the professional growth and development of all library personnel.

The Dean is committed to advancing the Libraries’ role in instruction, information services, and scholarly communications; facilitates a culture of assessment within the Libraries; ensures special collections and university archives are integral academic, research, teaching, and learning resources for the university and external scholars; provides leadership for grant applications, donor cultivation, fundraising, and giving. 

The Dean of University Libraries serves on the Deans’ Council and the Provost’s Council, works in partnership with the university’s academic leadership, and participates in the shared governance activities of the Libraries and the university. The Dean is a member of the Council of Library Directors of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Library Consortium.

Qualifications

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in Library Science (MLS, MLIS, or equivalent)
• Five years of successful library administrative experience with progressively more responsible positions such as department head, assistant dean, or associate dean
• Successful administrative experience with library and archives strategic planning, fiscal management, personnel management, and relevant technologies
• Knowledge of current issues, developments, innovations, and challenges in academic libraries and archives, information technology, scholarly communications, and higher education
• Record of creative leadership and strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Successful experience with grant writing, development, and fund raising activities
• Demonstrated commitment to developing a diverse and equitable library culture and evidence of work with a diverse community
• Successful experience cultivating relationships and partnerships within and outside of the Libraries and university
• Record of engagement in professional associations
• Achievement in scholarly productivity
• Must meet criteria to be eligible for the rank of Librarian IV with permanent status

Preferred Qualifications:

• Earned doctorate or a second master’s degree

A Criminal Background Investigation is required for the hired candidate and the results may impact employment.

Salary and Benefits
Competitive salary and full university benefits that include 22 days of annual leave, up to 14 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. To learn more about our benefits, click here.

Procedure for Candidacy
Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Applications received by March 4, 2020 will receive fullest consideration. Candidates should provide, as three separate documents, a curriculum vitae, a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the job description, and the names and contact information for at least 3 and no more than 5 professional references. Candidates will be informed before references are contacted. Please submit inquiries, nominations, and application materials to DeanLibrarySearch@towson.edu.

Towson University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity.