Collection Description Manager
Title
Collection Description Manager
Division
Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health
Mission
The New York Academy of Medicine advances the health of people in cities. An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research.
Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are
The New York Academy of Medicine’s Library is looking for a creative individual to serve as Collection Description Manager for its library collections. The position involves overseeing the descriptive practices for the extensive collection, containing 550,000 volumes ranging from the middle ages to the present. The collection contains a rich variety of formats, including rare books and journals, contemporary monographs and serials, bound manuscripts, archives and archival collections, historical and contemporary pamphlets, blueprints, graphical materials, audio-visual materials, and digital content. The incumbent will manage the online public catalog, and set and maintain descriptive standards for all forms and levels of cataloging and collection description. The position will supervise professional and paraprofessional staff, lead a working group on collection description, and participate in working groups on collection development, preservation, digitization, and other areas as needed. The incumbent will be responsible for acquisition and incorporation of new materials into the collection, both physical and electronic, including maintenance of digital subscriptions. The position has significant leadership responsibilities and will require broad engagement in the world of libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions in order to ensure that the Center’s significant information resources are well known and readily accessible.
The successful applicant will be imaginative, flexible, and looking to thrive in a changing workplace. The Library is midway through the process of shifting services and focus from being a major contemporary medical library to a historical library holding one of the country’s premier collections in the history of medicine.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Think strategically and creatively about the intellectual management of the Library’s collections and identify specific cataloging and description needs within those collections.
• Manage the ILS system of the Library, currently Koha managed through ByWater Solutions.
• Engage in and oversee the cataloging and descriptive practices of the Library, including reviewing standards, ensuring content accuracy, timeliness, and completeness, and providing guidance to staff.
• Work collaboratively with other Library staff (e.g., Head, Gladys Brooks Book & Paper Conservation Laboratory, digital systems manager, curator, archivist, etc.) to establish cataloging and collection description priorities and manage staff workflows to meet those priorities.
• In collaboration with the collection development team, manage the technical portion of the acquisition process for purchasing monographs and for online/print subscriptions to serials, databases, and other resources.
• Remain up-to-date with current collection description standards, practices, and technologies.
• Identify cataloging and collection description projects and support grant-writing efforts for their funding.
• Manage professional and paraprofessional staff.
• Lead and participate in Library working groups.
• Work effectively with other Library and Academy staff.
• Secure contracts with vendors; evaluate services for compliance; process invoices to ensure payment.
• Plan work; evaluate outcomes; and prepare and execute budgets
• Engage with local, national, and international library, museum, and archival communities, developing collaborative projects and representing the Library.
Qualifications
Minimum of five years’ experience in cataloging or description in a mid-size library or archives at a college, university, museum, or other cultural institution, including knowledge of cataloging and descriptive standards for special collections. Experience with staff management, project management, and budget preparation and execution is essential.
Experience
The MLS degree.
To Apply
Please forward cover letter and resume with "Collection Description Manager" in the subject line to hr@nyam.org.
For more information, visit our website: www.nyam.org.
The New York Academy of Medicine is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Collection Description Manager
Division
Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health
Mission
The New York Academy of Medicine advances the health of people in cities. An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research.
Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are
- To create environments in cities that support healthy aging
- To strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health
- To implement interventions that eliminate health disparities
The New York Academy of Medicine’s Library is looking for a creative individual to serve as Collection Description Manager for its library collections. The position involves overseeing the descriptive practices for the extensive collection, containing 550,000 volumes ranging from the middle ages to the present. The collection contains a rich variety of formats, including rare books and journals, contemporary monographs and serials, bound manuscripts, archives and archival collections, historical and contemporary pamphlets, blueprints, graphical materials, audio-visual materials, and digital content. The incumbent will manage the online public catalog, and set and maintain descriptive standards for all forms and levels of cataloging and collection description. The position will supervise professional and paraprofessional staff, lead a working group on collection description, and participate in working groups on collection development, preservation, digitization, and other areas as needed. The incumbent will be responsible for acquisition and incorporation of new materials into the collection, both physical and electronic, including maintenance of digital subscriptions. The position has significant leadership responsibilities and will require broad engagement in the world of libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions in order to ensure that the Center’s significant information resources are well known and readily accessible.
The successful applicant will be imaginative, flexible, and looking to thrive in a changing workplace. The Library is midway through the process of shifting services and focus from being a major contemporary medical library to a historical library holding one of the country’s premier collections in the history of medicine.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Think strategically and creatively about the intellectual management of the Library’s collections and identify specific cataloging and description needs within those collections.
• Manage the ILS system of the Library, currently Koha managed through ByWater Solutions.
• Engage in and oversee the cataloging and descriptive practices of the Library, including reviewing standards, ensuring content accuracy, timeliness, and completeness, and providing guidance to staff.
• Work collaboratively with other Library staff (e.g., Head, Gladys Brooks Book & Paper Conservation Laboratory, digital systems manager, curator, archivist, etc.) to establish cataloging and collection description priorities and manage staff workflows to meet those priorities.
• In collaboration with the collection development team, manage the technical portion of the acquisition process for purchasing monographs and for online/print subscriptions to serials, databases, and other resources.
• Remain up-to-date with current collection description standards, practices, and technologies.
• Identify cataloging and collection description projects and support grant-writing efforts for their funding.
• Manage professional and paraprofessional staff.
• Lead and participate in Library working groups.
• Work effectively with other Library and Academy staff.
• Secure contracts with vendors; evaluate services for compliance; process invoices to ensure payment.
• Plan work; evaluate outcomes; and prepare and execute budgets
• Engage with local, national, and international library, museum, and archival communities, developing collaborative projects and representing the Library.
Qualifications
Minimum of five years’ experience in cataloging or description in a mid-size library or archives at a college, university, museum, or other cultural institution, including knowledge of cataloging and descriptive standards for special collections. Experience with staff management, project management, and budget preparation and execution is essential.
Experience
The MLS degree.
To Apply
Please forward cover letter and resume with "Collection Description Manager" in the subject line to hr@nyam.org.
For more information, visit our website: www.nyam.org.
The New York Academy of Medicine is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Source: http://www.nyam.org/about-us/careers/collection-description.html
