Director, Catherwood, Hospitality and Management Libraries: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Cornell University Library
Position Announcement
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Title: Harriet Morel Oxman Director of the Catherwood, Hospitality, and Management Libraries

The Cornell University Library seeks an experienced and innovative academic leader who is able to conceptualize and implement a shared vision for a new library model at Cornell University. Responsible for three unit libraries that provide outstanding service to their communities, the Oxman Director has the opportunity to lead an innovative team that is charged with enhancing services, expanding access to online resources, increasing efficiency, and focusing on evolving user needs across the Catherwood, Hospitality, and Management library communities.

The Harriet Morel Oxman Director coordinates planning and development of services and collections, develops collaborative programs in support of the three schools, and works closely with the deans and the librarians of the School of Hotel Administration, the Johnson School of Management, and the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR) to understand, respect, and respond to the unique requirements of the students, faculty, and extension personnel in each of those programs. Provides leadership and works collaboratively with staff in Alumni Affairs and Development to identify and cultivate relationships with donors and alumni of the three schools. The Director supervises the assistant directors and works with a committed team of academic librarians and library assistants within the three unit libraries. She/he reports directly to the Associate University Librarian for Teaching, Research, Outreach, and Learning Services and to the deans or associate deans of the three schools.

Background: Cornell University is an Ivy League comprehensive research university located in Ithaca in the scenic Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The town and university offer a unique cosmopolitan and international atmosphere in a beautiful natural setting of waterfalls, gorges, and lakes. The university comprises 14 schools with over 2,700 faculty members and nearly 21,600 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. The Cornell University Library is a vigorous professional organization with a strong track record in innovation and service quality. It contains nearly 8 million printed volumes, 99,000 current serials in print or online, over 650,000 additional networked electronic resources, and rich materials in other formats. The Library was a recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in 2002.

The three schools and their libraries reflect the diversity of the social sciences at Cornell. The ILR School, which offers undergraduate and graduate education as well as career-long learning for professionals, focuses on advancing the world of work through teaching, research and outreach. The services and collections of Martin P. Catherwood Library reflect that mission and are housed in a state-of-the art facility. The Catherwood Library also includes the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives, a major repository for management and labor union archives, photographs, and oral histories. Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration is regarded as the premier hospitality management school. Learning takes place in classrooms, in the on-campus Statler hotel, and in varied industry settings around the world. The Nestlé Hotel Library provides responsive services to the School’s 60 full-time faculty as well as to the 800 undergraduate students who come from more than 30 countries around the world. Its collection focuses on hospitality accounting, cookery, food and beverage management, franchising, hotel and restaurant design, real estate, tourism and travel. The Johnson School of Management provides graduate-level education in four unique academic programs leading to a Cornell MBA. Intentionally small and highly selective (650 MBA and PhD students; 90 full and part-time faculty), the Johnson School forms a concentrated, invigorating culture that functions much like a high-performance workplace. The Johnson School Library, recent recipient of the SLA Center for Excellence Award, prides itself on being the school’s research partner. As the campus hub for business and entrepreneurial research, the Management Library offers information on subjects such as accounting, finance, investments, marketing, and organizational behavior as well as an extensive collection of online resources to match these concentrations.

Requirements: Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and work successfully with a team of staff within a complex environment with multiple constituencies. Excellent communication skills and the ability to foster effective working relationships with faculty, students, and donors. The successful candidate should have at least five years of management and leadership experience in an academic or research library and an understanding of trends related to a rapidly evolving information environment and to change management within an academic setting. MLS degree or equivalent as well as a subject background in the social sciences are required with an additional graduate degree preferred.

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions. Professional travel funding available.

Application Procedure: Applications will be reviewed beginning December 1st and will be accepted until this position is filled. To apply for this position go to http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, and select posting number 13621. Follow the instructions for online submission. Please include a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers, and addresses for three references. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Cornell University seeks to meet the needs of dual career couples, has a Dual Career program, and is a member of the Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to assist with dual career searches. Visit http://www.unyherc.org/home/index.cfm?site_id=671 to see positions available in higher education in the upstate New York area.

Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.