Director of Library and Archives in Rochester, New York

The Director of Libraries and Archives at The Strong is responsible for managing all aspects of operations of both the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, a research library consisting of over 230,000 scholarly works, and the Grada Hopeman Gelser Library, a mini-branch of the branch of the Rochester Public Library and the Monroe County Library System (MCLS). This full-time position requires experience in library supervision and administration; excellent interpersonal, verbal, written, organizational, customer service, problem-solving, and planning skills; and a demonstrated commitment to working with diverse communities and interests.

Essential Functions- The specifications described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Lead all aspects of library and archives administration and actively advocate for ways in which the libraries and archives can contribute to the museum’s mission.
Manage the work of the library and archives staff: monitor and assess performance, coach for improvement, and participate in various personnel procedures such as hiring, training, goal setting, discipline, dismissal, and other related actions.
Prepare, monitor, and manage the library and archives budget, including negotiating vendor agreements.
Consistent with the museum’s mission and strategic plan, foster and implement plans to grow the collections and integrate appropriate technologies into library services through purchase and donation.
Collaborate with the vice president of collections to establish new and maintain existing relationships with donors to support and enhance the mission of the library and archives.
Manage and monitor library and archives collections policies, including criteria for purchases, accessions, loans, deaccessions, and donations, in accordance with the museum’s overall collection management strategy.
Supervise the daily technical operation of library and archives acquisitions processes, including vendor contact and accounts records management; collections inventory, cataloging, circulation, and deaccession data management; periodical subscriptions; and interlibrary loan requests.
Manage the Grada Hopeman Gelser Library, purchase new resources, and act as primary liaison with the Rochester Public Library System.
Nurture an organizational culture of collegiality and service within the library and archives. Establish standards for interaction with museum staff, volunteers, guests, and the general public. Set direction and goals for meeting the needs of library patrons.
Oversee all facets of the online public access catalog (OPAC), ensuring consistent functionality and addressing library patrons’ needs.
Provide research assistance for onsite and offsite patrons and museum staff.
Lead the ongoing assessment of library resources. Compile routine reports and analyze statistics within area of responsibility.
Oversee management of the library and archival digital collections, including migration, quality control, and data verification, as well as ingest into the museum’s digital asset management system. Maintain the museum’s Digital Preservation Handbook and oversee its annual update.
Provide leadership for institutional efforts to plan and implement actions to digitize the maximum amount of library and archival holdings, with the goal of increasing access to the collections and ultimately becoming a Trusted Digital Repository.
Maintain an awareness of emerging technologies and service trends and their applications to libraries and archives through participation in local, state, regional, and/or national associations.
With the vice president of collections and director of grants and foundation relations, determine potential grant and fundraising opportunities, assist in writing narratives, and prepare and monitor grant budgets. Serve as project manager for library and archives grants.
Supervise the preservation of library and archives collections. Together with the conservator and facilities team, maintain storage of the library and archives collections in accordance with established library and museum preservation procedures and environmental standards.
Monitor allocation of storage space as the library and archival collections expand. Develop strategies for creating space for future collections growth, including moving portions of the archival holdings into new storage space in the museum’s expansion.
Participate in the development and achievement of annual library and museum-wide goals and objectives.
Additional Responsibilities:

Serve on the museum’s acquisitions and deaccessioning teams, among others, including exhibits planning teams, as needed.
Contribute to the museum’s blog.
Serve as an editorial assistant for the American Journal of Play, with specific responsibility for editing bibliographic notes and references and checking citations.
Participate on museum committees, project teams, or process teams, as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

The candidate may have any combination of education and experience, but should possess the required skills and knowledge for successful performance. Our general minimum requirements are:

Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution.
Five years’ experience in a museum, academic, special collections, or research library/archives, with two years in a supervisory capacity
Knowledge of collection management systems, library and archival cataloging, and metadata standards.
Knowledge of library automation, collection development, reference, and information technology.
Ability to create mutually beneficial partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
Willingness to work in a research library with visits by appointment only.
These qualifications are considered a plus:

Professional experience at a museum of similar size.
Public speaking skills and willingness to present at conferences.
Membership and involvement in related professional organization(s).
Familiarity with design thinking, service design, or human-centered design.
Ability to project and forecast trends for libraries in museums.