Syracuse University Library
Head of Cataloging and Metadata Department
Summary:
The mission of the Syracuse University Library’s Cataloging and Metadata Department is to enable discovery of materials in all formats (electronic resources, visual resources, sound recordings, print, and cartographic materials) selected to support Syracuse University (SU) teaching and research. The Head of Catalog and Metadata Services leads the department to accomplish this mission The successful candidate will think broadly about bibliographic control and resource discovery, and how cataloging can aid students, faculty, and the numerous research endeavors of the University in today’s rapidly changing information environment. Under the direction of the Associate University Librarian for Academic Resources, and in collaboration with others, this senior management position contributes to the development and implementation of Syracuse University Library (SUL) cataloging and metadata services procedures, policies, and future directions. Typical issues s/he will address include significant utilization of vendor records, displays in and the functionality of the Libraries’ user interface, and assessment of participation in national cataloging programs. The Head will be knowledgeable about pertinent professional developments and applicable commercial products, and will be creative in applying this knowledge to SUL needs.
Responsibilities:
- The Head directly supervises the Assistant Head/Principal Cataloger for general collections; the
Principal Cataloger for Special Collections Research Center, and two catalog librarians.
- Assists in the overall management of Academic Resources (Acquisitions, Cataloging & Metadata Department, and Interlibrary Loan), in collaboration with the heads of the other departments and units.
- Provide leadership and expertise to the Catalog and Metadata Department.
- Provide direction and support to department personnel: the assistant head/principal cataloger; the principal cataloger for the Special Collections Research Center; two catalog librarians; three supervisors (including one supervisory position shared with another department), and 20 copy catalogers and support staff. Share responsibility for currency of skill set and knowledge of this group and ongoing training.
- Create an environment to encourage new ideas, to assess and evaluate processes and procedures for continual improvement and maximum efficiency, including but not limited to workflow changes and the adoption of new tools and technologies.
- Monitor and contribute to the development of national standards regarding bibliographic control.
- Monitor national trends, developments, and best practices in cataloging/metadata provision for an academic research library and incorporate these into the department as needed.
- Attend, actively participate, and contribute to relevant state and national organizations, conferences.
- Provide leadership in the development of local standards, policies, and procedures for cataloging and metadata provision to Library resources; coordinate implementation to insure consistency.
- Allocate resources within the department to meet priorities determined by Library Administration.
- Primary responsibility for the integrity of bibliographic data in the Library’s local catalog, including authority control and database maintenance.
- Provide leadership for developing the functionality of the cataloging module of the Library’s integrated library system (currently the Voyager system).
- Contribute to the development of the public presentation and public interface of the Library’s local online catalog.
- Help coordinate the movement of resources, both physical and virtual, from acquisitions through cataloging.
Requirements:
Required;
- Master's degree from an ALA-accredited library school, with minimum 5 years of professional cataloging experience, demonstrating increasing responsibility in an academic library or research setting or an equivalent combination of education and experience
- Ability to understand and assess new and emerging technologies for the delivery of library services
- Evidence of potential to lead change and implement new technologies and methods.
- Demonstrated awareness of national trends and developments in cataloging, metadata standards and information retrieval.
- Management and budgetary experience
- Supervisory experience
- Knowledge of AACR2r, LCSH, LC classification, USMARC bibliographic and authorities formats, integrated library system software, and OCLC Connexion
- Knowledge of digital asset management systems, such as CONTENTdm
- Experience with one or more of the following standards: EAD, Dublin Core, XML, OAI, METS, VRACore and PBCore
- Strong technical skills and problem-solving abilities
- Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills
- Strong commitment to service and the ability to work independently and collaboratively with a wide variety of library staff and users. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and experience working in small groups
- Strong reading knowledge of one or more languages in addition to English
- Ability to work well with a diverse employee and user community and to work within a collegial environment
Successful candidate will also have the best combination of the following;
- Experience with BIBCO, NACO, SACO and/or CONSER, and OCLC ENHANCE
- Experience cataloging materials in non-Roman languages
- Experience in evaluating and implementing vendor supplied services
- Experience with cost-benefit analysis
- Experience supervising professional staff
- Demonstrated ability to transliterate from a non-roman alphabet, such as Cyrillic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese using ALA-LC romanization tables.
Environment:
The Syracuse University Library comprises a large central library and five branch libraries serving a diverse community of over 800 faculty and many visiting researchers. The libraries hold almost 3,000,000 volumes, with significant special collections, and extensive electronic resources. The Library's annual collections budget is $5.7 million. The Library has a staff of approximately 46 librarians and 135 support staff. The Library is a member of the Research Libraries Group, the Association of Research Libraries, SPARC, the NorthEast Regional Libraries Consortium, OCLC, EDUCAUSE, the Coalition of Networked Information, the Council on Library and Information Resources, and other national and regional organizations. It is committed to the development of digital resources and is working actively to initiate new digital programs. Library staff members are committed to providing excellent and responsive services to a culturally and racially diverse campus.
Syracuse University, founded in 1870, is a private, not-for-profit university, identified by the Carnegie Foundation as a large university with high research activity, balanced arts & sciences and professional schools and high graduate coexistence. Its thirteen schools and colleges include a number of nationally ranked programs, including the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Whitman School of Management, the Newhouse School of Public Communications, and the School of Information Studies, and serve a population of over 10,000 undergraduate and 5,600 graduate and law students.
Syracuse is located in the center of New York State within reach of New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto. Local cultural opportunities include a symphony orchestra, jazz festival, chamber music society, nationally recognized art museum, and an Equity theater, along with excellent opportunities for sports and recreation nearby.
Salary and Benefits:
Salary is commensurate with education and experience. The University's generous benefits package includes an 11% contribution to TIAA/CREF, health and dental plans, tuition remission, adoption assistance, insurance, and other work/life options and benefits. The University offers a guaranteed mortgage-assistance program in targeted neighborhoods. More information can be found on the Department of Human Resources website at <http://humanresources.syr.edu/benefits/>.
Contact:
To apply for this position, please log on to www.sujobopps.com
Applicants must attach a cover letter, resume, and the names of three professional references to their application.
Review of applications will begin immediately and the search will remain open until the position is filled.
Syracuse University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
