Director, Public Services - Library for the Performing Arts
About The Position
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA), located at Lincoln Center, houses extensive circulating, reference, and rare archival collections related to dance, theatre, music, and recorded sound. The Director of Public Services is a service-oriented, collaborative operational leader responsible for developing and implementing a unified, high-quality public-service vision across LPA. The role oversees public services and operations across the building, ensuring that casual visitors and specialized researchers alike receive welcoming, efficient service and can access the library’s varied collections. The Director leads a team of approximately 70 staff and oversees onsite and remote research and public services across multiple reading rooms and service points, including electronic document delivery. The position develops operational strategy and staffing structures, supports staff training and career development, manages budgets for multiple cost centers, and uses service data and observation to assess and improve the patron and staff experience. The Director also collaborates with LPA departments, NYPL research centers, and system-wide partners to improve access, discovery, education, outreach, and service quality. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday for 35 hours per week, is largely onsite with occasional remote work possible, and requires some evenings and Saturdays. Applicants are asked to submit a letter of interest and resume to Diane Carlyle Executive Search at [email protected].
Requirements
- ALA-accredited Master of Library Science and Information Science degree or equivalent.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership and management experience in a research library or public library.
- Extensive, proven experience managing and mentoring complex teams.
- Experience with budget and administrative management.
- Demonstrated commitment to high-quality, patron-centered service in a diverse urban environment.
- Demonstrated success leading patron-services operations in libraries, archives, museums, or comparable settings.
- Experience providing access to varied collections, which may include books, archival materials, audiovisual materials, or digital resources.
- Ability to collaborate across functions, including curatorial, preservation, and technology teams, to advance collections access, build consensus, and solve complex problems.
- Proven ability to build and maintain relationships across departments and divisions to accomplish institutional goals.
- Demonstrated record of providing and fostering excellent, patron-forward customer service.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, problem-solving, advocacy, de-escalation, and decision-making skills.
- Collaborative and visible leadership approach that builds trust, inspires teams, develops and mentors talent at all levels, and guides staff through change with clarity, transparency, and care.
- Ability to manage staff, including managers and managers of managers.
- Some light lifting or moving may be required.
- Some evenings and Saturdays are required.
Nice To Haves
- Personal connection to the performing arts.
- Exposure over the course of a career to serving both general audiences and specialized research communities.
Responsibilities
- Develop, articulate, and execute a strategic vision for public services across circulating, general, and special collections, coordinating with public-service leaders across the research libraries.
- Promote a seamless user experience and excellent, efficient, welcoming, and inclusive customer service for all library users.
- Identify and implement new technologies and tools that improve user experience, and establish staff training on their use in collaboration with Collections and Research Services and Digital teams.
- Lead Librarian and Library Technical Services staff delivering onsite and remote research and public services across reading rooms and service points, including electronic document delivery.
- Identify staff training needs and support staff empowerment, cross-functional leadership, and professional development.
- Collaborate with LPA’s Deputy Director to compile and analyze public-service metrics, understand collection use, and evolve services.
- Oversee budgets for multiple cost centers.
- Promote a holistic service approach across LPA’s branch, general, and special collections to broaden and simplify patron access.
- Collaborate with curators and senior leadership on education, exhibition, and public outreach initiatives, including blog posts, research guides, and social media campaigns.
- Engage funders, scholars, and local community members to promote LPA’s visibility and relevance.
- Provide expertise on complex special-collections reference questions involving permissions, copyright, and intellectual property.
- Collaborate with public-service counterparts at the Schomburg Center and Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library to improve system-wide service.
- Collaborate with BookOps on branch collection development.
- Help identify and pursue grant and funding opportunities to build public research-service capacity.
- Partner with Executive, Deputy, and other Library Directors to develop LPA’s strategic plan in support of NYPL’s overall five-year strategy.
- Serve in leadership positions on NYPL-wide working groups and committees.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
