Assistant/Associate Museum Librarian, Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, NY
The
Thomas J. Watson Library in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is pleased
to announce an opening for the position of Assistant/Associate Museum
Librarian, Reader Services.
This full-time position is a special opportunity to contribute to the
success of an innovative and productive art library at a world-class
museum while learning and applying new skills.
The
Assistant/Associate Museum Librarian, Reader Services takes the lead in
managing public service functions that include circulation, stacks
management, and collection
storage. The Reader Services Librarian facilitates access to the
collections by coordinating circulation and access policies for Met
staff and outside researchers; manages collection storage and space
utilization; ensures that effective security protocols
are in place; and serves on a team that coordinates the preservation of
the library's print collection. This position has a leadership role in
delivering and developing reference and research services for Met staff
and outside researchers; this includes training
reference staff; leading instructional programs; scheduling service
points; and active monitoring and ongoing assessment of reference and
access services. This position requires high level competencies of print
and online resources in art history and the humanities;
strong commitment to public services coupled with a vision for using
emerging technologies; and evidence based decision practices to develop
and implement the highest standards of access and service.
The work schedule for this position is Tuesday through Saturday,
9am-5pm.
Please submit a cover letter stating your interest and
your CV, addressed to the search
committee, to lib.search@metmuseum.org.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILIES & DUTIES:
·
Takes the lead in managing library operations related to the storage,
maintenance and circulation of the libraries’ physical collections; this
includes managing and monitoring offsite storage (currently 300,000
items with 1,100 transactions per month and an
additional 3,000 onsite circulation transactions per month).
· Monitors and
analyzes on and off-site collection storage needs and prepares
recommendations for the most effective and economical strategies for
collection storage.
· Ensures effective access to and maintenance of departmental library collections.
· Develops and
maintains best practices and standards related to stacks maintenance and
preservation in a large research library. Actively reviews local and
national trends to improve efficiencies of stacks
and storage operations.
· Works closely
with Book Conservation staff to ensure that the highest standards are
maintained in the storage, security, and use of the collection; actively
promotes guidelines and standards for the general
care, handling and treatment of library materials.
· Develops in
depth knowledge of the circulation functions of the library system and
its report generating functions. Analyzes circulation statistics,
including collection use data; tracks collection use
by museum staff and outside researchers, and provides regular reports.
· Leads a team
that manages an ongoing inventory of Watson Library’s collections and
works to resolve discrepancies in circulation records, e.g. books not on
shelf, missing books, and provides regular status
reports.
· Compiles and
analyzes visitor data and coordinates monthly reports on library use by
museum staff and outside researchers.
· Takes the lead
in the development, evaluation, implementation, and continuing review of
documentation policies and practices for access and reader services;
creates training materials and opportunities
to ensure excellent customer service; manages education and marketing
materials on library resources and services.
· Participates in
the design of surveys and assessments and uses the abundant data
available through the library system to improve efficiency and
effectiveness of service; assesses needs of library researchers
and opportunities for new programs and services by consulting with
Museum staff and other researchers.
· Supervises one full-time position and monitors all public service activities.
· Provides
scheduled reference service in Watson Library (approximately 12 hours
per week) as well as research consultations for museum research staff
and outside researchers; participates in the library’s
instruction programs and provides in-depth orientations and
presentations for museum staff and for researchers from local
institutions.
· Participates in Nolen Library’s reference service and related programs.
· Works in close
collaboration with the Florence and Herbert Irving Associate Chief
Librarian to develop and implement programs for staffing service points
in Watson and Nolen Library and ensures effective
scheduling, monitoring, and continuous assessment and evaluation.
· Engages in
active outreach and marketing of library services and collections and
develops presentations and programs for Met staff and other
constituencies that highlight instructional programs, and general,
special and digital collections.
· Participates in
the selection of print and online resources; works to ensure that the
library has the appropriate resources to meet the needs of the staff;
reviews usage data on a regular basis and consults
with Museum staff and other researchers about their needs.
· Contributes to the Library’s social media efforts including writing blog posts.
· Participates in
Museum and library activities such as Teen’s Take the Met, Friends of
Watson Library programs and other programming that often take place in
the evening.
· Other related duties.
REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience and Skills:
· Minimum of three to five years of supervisory and management experience in a research library required.
· Three to five years of reference and instructional experience in an academic or research library required.
· Ability to plan,
manage, and oversee multiple projects, meet deadlines, and prioritize
work in alignment with the strategic goals of the library required.
· Strong
quantitative and analytical skills and the demonstrated ability to
gather and analyze data to inform policies and programs required.
· A broad
knowledge of scholarly resources in art history and the humanities
including print and online reference resources, rare books and special
collections, and digital collections and initiatives required.
· Excellent
communication skills and the ability to provide high quality reference
services and to make presentations to a broad range of researchers from
novice to advanced required.
· Understanding of
the evolving nature of the scholarly communication landscape and
experience working with various content providers.
· Ability to
develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders
including curatorial and research staff, fellows, and local academic
programs required.
· Experience or
capacity for developing creative and entrepreneurial approaches to
promoting and delivering reference, instruction, and outreach services.
· Strong
interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish positive and
productive collaborations with library colleagues and museum staff
required.
· Experience working with content management systems and updating websites required.
· Ability to adapt to changing organizational priorities and to evolving technological environments required.
· The ideal
candidate will have a strong sense of the future directions of research
libraries and be able to articulate this in meaningful ways to
colleagues, museum staff, outside researchers.
· Solid understanding of Social Media platforms and how each platform can be deployed for specific objectives required.
The
Thomas J. Watson Library is the central research library of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reflecting the depth and scope of the
Museum’s collection, the library
collects scholarly material from the art of early antiquity to
contemporary art. Like the Museum, the library’s holdings are
encyclopedic and global in nature and provide a broad range of research
materials on Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek and Roman,
Asian, Islamic.
European
and American art. In addition to its extensive collection of
monographs, exhibition catalogs and rare books, the library includes
150,000 auction and sale catalogs
dating from the eighteenth century to the present day. Watson Library’s
staff of thirty eight adds nearly 20,000 volumes a year, manages a
large collection of electronic resources, and continues to build its
digital collections, now comprising over one million
pages of online content.
The
Museum’s library system includes The Robert Goldwater Library, covering
the art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas; Nolen Library, providing
materials for all ages
on the history of art and also curriculum related material for
teachers; The Lehman Collection Library, a collection on European
painting and decorative arts; The Joyce F. Menschel Library in the
Department of Photographs; The Onassis Library in the Department
of Greek and Roman Art; The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library;
and the Cloisters Library for medieval art and related topics. The
Museum’s departmental libraries contribute to combined holdings of more
than one million volumes, a collection unrivaled
in depth and coverage for the history of art on a global scale.
