Assistant Dean of the Library

Wofford College•Spartanburg, SC

16d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Dean of the Library is a new position that offers exciting opportunities to help shape the role and the future of the library as a dynamic hub for learning, discovery, and collaboration at a time of rapid change. Working closely with the Dean of the Library, this position provides strategic leadership for collections, access services, and library systems while fostering an inclusive and innovative environment that supports student success and advances the institution's academic mission. As a collaborative leader and forward-thinking strategist, the Assistant Dean of the Library oversees the development and management of library collections across all formats, ensuring resources are discoverable, accessible, and aligned with curricular needs. This role leads the library's systems infrastructure, including the integrated library system, discovery tools, and authentication platforms, and the institutional repository while guiding efforts to enhance the user experience through an accessible and user-friendly website. The Assistant Dean of the Library supervises and mentors the Collections Services and Access Services teams, promoting professional growth and cultivating a culture of respect, teamwork, and continuous improvement. With responsibility for the library’s materials budget, vendor relations, and collection assessment initiatives, this position requires the making of data-informed decisions that maximize the value and impact of library resources. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced library leader who is passionate about innovation, collaboration, and service excellence. The ideal candidate brings strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build meaningful partnerships across campus and beyond. The Assistant Dean of the Library is an exempt, 1.0FTE position located in the Sandor Teszler Library, and the normal work schedule is 8:30am to 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday. Minimum work expectations are 37.5 hours/week (7.5 hours per day, five days per week).

Requirements

Education and Professional Experience: ALA-accredited Master's degree in Library/Information Science (or accredited international equivalent) and minimum 3 years of relevant management or leadership experience in academic libraries.
Systems and Technical Expertise: Working knowledge of a Library Services Platform (preferably Alma/Primo or similar integrated library systems) with strong understanding of discovery layers, electronic resource management, and authentication systems. Ability to evaluate and implement emerging technologies while ensuring accessibility and usability.
Strategic Leadership and Management: Proven ability to manage complex projects, diverse teams, and library budgets. Experience with library strategic planning, change management, and data-informed decision making. Demonstrated skill in fostering environments of collegiality, respect, and continuous improvement.
Communication and Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences. Strong interpersonal skills to build partnerships with faculty liaisons, campus partners, vendors, and consortial networks. Demonstrated ability to unify teams behind a shared vision.
Professional Knowledge and Commitment: Current awareness of library trends, scholarly communication models (particularly open access), and assessment methodologies. Commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Understanding of intellectual freedom principles, copyright compliance, and the liberal arts college environment.

Nice To Haves

Five years of leadership experience
Experience administering Alma/Primo or similar integrated library systems
Experience with web development workflows, usability testing, and accessibility standards
Experience with consortia and collaborative collection development initiatives
Knowledge of open access initiatives, institutional repositories, and digital scholarship

Responsibilities

Collaborates with the Dean of the Library to lead library-wide strategic planning and assessment in support of a shared vision for library resources, services and spaces.
Develops and implements comprehensive strategies for collection development, acquisitions, discovery and access services aligned with institutional priorities and curriculum needs
Assesses emerging trends in publishing, scholarly communication, open access, and digital collections to inform strategic decisions
Engages in outreach and collaboration with campus and consortia partners on behalf of the library
Serves as acting Dean of the Library in the Dean's absence
Supervises, mentors and evaluates staff in Collections Services and Access Services
Oversees library student employment program
Fosters professional development opportunities and continuing education for team members
Promotes a collaborative and inclusive work environment and cross-functional project teams
Leads team members toward a common vision and shared goals through effective change management, creative problem-solving, active listening and implementation of best practices.
Leads the library's systems strategy, including the integrated library system (Alma), discovery service (Primo), and authentication tools (OpenAthens). Partners with state consortia (PASCAL) regarding configuration, optimization, and support of the shared library system and discovery service.
Collaborates across the library to manage and evolve the library website, ensuring usability and accessibility
Coordinates library efforts to ensure that resources are discoverable and accessible across all platforms and formats
Collaborates with the Dean of the Library, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian to develop a comprehensive institutional repository strategy
Evaluates and recommends emerging technologies to enhance library services
Oversees and manages the library's materials budget
Oversees contracts and licensing agreements with vendors and publishers
Maintains active partnerships with library consortia at state, regional and national levels including purchasing, resource sharing, and shared print collection agreements
Directs comprehensive collection development policies and procedures across all formats and disciplines
Leads collaborative assessment and evaluation of existing collections to identify strengths, gaps, and deselection opportunities
Works with library liaisons to ensure collections support curricular needs
Oversees the management of library collection stacks and physical space organization
Empowers and supports Access Services staff as they provide circulation services, course reserves, resource sharing, marketing and outreach, stacks maintenance and space management in a welcoming, patron-centered environment
Develops and maintains positive campus partnerships through active outreach and collaboration
Facilitates the implementation of innovative Access Services models to address evolving patron needs through active collaboration with Access Services staff
Ensures compliance with copyright and license requirements for shared resources