[PADG:1415] Position Available: Head, Preservation Department - Stanford University Libraries

[Laura Cameron <slash@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Head, Preservation Department
Librarian / Senior Librarian

March 1, 2007

Apply via:  http://jobs.stanford.edu/find_a_job.html

            Put job number 24339in the keyword search box at the bottom.

Preference is given to applications received by April 15, 2007

 
Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources (SULAIR) collect a wide range of materials in support of world-class teaching and research.  SULAIR's collections include 8.7 million volumes and 2,600 archival collections.  The Head of the Preservation Department reports to the Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and is responsible for assuring that these resources are accessible to current and future generations of scholars and students.  This position includes a significant role in developing strategic directions as well as a serious tactical role managing and enhancing the programs which preserve and provide access to library assets of all formats in all collections.

Proactive advocacy and application of preservation principles and practices within SULAIR is core to the position.  The Head is our preservation conscience, activist, and leader.  This role extends beyond Stanford into national and international preservation and library communities.  Technical Services, and SULAIR itself, has a deep organizational culture of collaboration within and beyond itself; we reward a willingness to experiment, and we operate with a high level of comfort for working in and leading a state of continual process change.  The duty of the department head is to embrace this mode of operation and to model it within the department and within all interactions with other departments.

The Head of Preservation takes a lead role in collection life-cycle management, documenting and resolving preservation issues as general and special collections are considered, acquired, processed, reformatted, used, and stored.  The Head is responsible for investigation of new strategies and technologies to address the current challenges to long-term preservation and access to SULAIRs heterogeneous collections.  This assessment and consultation role includes responsibility for coordination with curators, selectors, facilities staff, and technology staff. 

Examples of current projects anticipating such leadership include developing a more formal preservation plan for the Archive of Recorded Sound (http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ars/) and, in collaboration with peers in Digital Library Systems and Services (DLSS), planning for its media reformatting lab.

Stanford follows national preservation practices, which evolve with the shifting needs presented by new library material types as well as by emerging technology solutions.  The Department Head plays a visible role for Stanford in national review of proposed new practices, and ultimately must assess their impact on local resources.

Responsibilities:

The Preservation Department Head will:

·        Provide leadership across SULAIR as it continually assesses values, risks, and costs of preservation treatments associated with assuring long-term access to the full breadth of collection materials, both physically in the stacks and storage, and digitally through the Stanford Digital Repository.

·        Develop and manage the programs and activities of the Preservation Department to support the Libraries' requirements for a wide variety of preservation services. These include, but are not limited to:  preventive preservation, conservation, book repair, commercial library binding, end-processing, and reformatting paper-based materials.  Manage the departments activities within the allocated space, budget, and personnel resources.

·        Coordinate the activities of the Preservation Department and advocate SULAIRS preservation mission with the Libraries' Collections and Services Program, including strong cooperation with and support for Special Collections.

·        Collaborate closely with Digital Library Systems and Services (DLSS) regarding standards and processes related to their responsibility for preservation of media materials. Actively champion effective overlap between analog and digital preservation policies, practices, staff, and priorities.

·        Work closely and effectively with SULAIR Facilities Office to routinely monitor and review, and occasionally remediate, environmental conditions as they affect collections.

·        Provide managerial oversight to Conservation OnLine (CoOL) and develop plans for its future sustainability.  http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/

·        Participate actively in program planning within Technical Services and the Libraries as a whole.

·        Identify potential sources of grant funding for preservation projects and write grant proposals.  Negotiate with vendors for services and partnership deals. 

·        Build and foster productive relationships with those groups both locally and nationally involved in the full range of preservation responsibilities.  Participate in standards development and articulation.  Build partnerships with libraries, other non-profits, and the commercial sector to address preservation challenges.

Requirements:

·        Minimum of 5 years in a related preservation field

·        MLS or equivalent in education or experience

·        Substantial experience with a wide range of preservation principles and practices; management principles and techniques; library physical environments, programs, and procedures.

·        Demonstrated knowledge of deterioration mechanisms of all media and their mitigation strategies.

·        Interest in current and emerging activities in materials science and scientific research in conservation of modern media.

·        Familiarity with all, and expert level experience in at least one of the following is required:

·        Book and paper preservation and conservation
·        Preservation of non-print materials, including audio and video through electronic formatting;
·        Reformatting of print and manuscript materials into digital form;
·        Preservation of electronic materials: born-digital as well as reformatted to digital forms
·        Digital repository implementation.

Appointment at the Senior Librarian rank will be based on breadth of expertise and years of experience.

The Preservation Department:

The Preservation Department comprises Binding and Finishing, the Conservation Laboratory and Repair, and Conservation OnLine.   The department has an annual budget of $1.44 million (fy2006) which includes $450,000 allocated to commercial library binding services.  Staff consists of 13 regular staff: exempt, non-exempt, and bargaining unit employees. These include conservators, conservation technicians, and library specialists. The department is geographically distributed:  Binding and Finishing is housed on campus with Technical Services colleagues, while the Conservation Lab and Repair occupies a newly renovated building 1.2 miles from campus.

 
To Apply:

Apply via:  http://jobs.stanford.edu/find_a_job.html

            Put job number 24339in the keyword search box at the bottom.

Preference is given to applications received by April 15, 2007

Laura Cameron
Head, Binding & Finishing
Preservation Department
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA  94305

650 723 3401
slash@xxxxxxxxxxxx


Laura Cameron
Head, Binding & Finishing
Preservation Department
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA  94305

650 723 3401
slash@xxxxxxxxxxxx


Laura Cameron
Head, Binding & Finishing
Preservation Department
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA  94305

650 723 3401
slash@xxxxxxxxxxxx


Laura Cameron
Head, Binding & Finishing
Preservation Department
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford, CA  94305

650 723 3401
slash@xxxxxxxxxxxx