Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology - UC Berkeley Library

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berkeley

Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology

Salary based on qualifications

This is a full-time appointment available to start as soon as spring 2025

The UC Berkeley Library is seeking a dynamic and collaborative leader to manage and grow the digital initiatives portfolio at one of the world's most iconic teaching and research institutions. The Associate University Librarian (AUL) for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology will lead the Library's rapidly expanding Digital Lifecycle Program (DLP), the Library IT department, Data Science Services, the Assessment Program, and Resource Sharing Services in support of the University of California, Berkeley's world-renowned culture of research and innovation. The Library is looking for a leader with proven experience, bold ideas, and the confidence and political acumen to execute them.

The AUL will be a user focused, knowledgeable thought leader and partner in the creative opportunities of current and emerging technologies to advance discovery and access of library resources and services. They will play a vital role in advancing the Library's use of emerging technologies, including generative AI technologies. The AUL will serve as the Library's representative on campus, national, and international initiatives around the use of emerging technologies in libraries. This is a tremendous opportunity for the right visionary leader.

The AUL will oversee the Library IT team, which provides Library-wide support and leadership for data, computing, innovative technology spaces, interface design, and infrastructure services following a user-centric, service-oriented philosophy. The AUL will lead planning for the delivery of digital information resources in a highly diverse computing environment to meet the research, teaching, and learning needs of a diverse community.

As part of the Library leadership team, the AUL will work closely with the University Librarian and all members of the Cabinet to help set the Library's strategic goals, priorities, and policies. The AUL will work collaboratively to manage the execution of initiatives in their portfolio and those that span across the organization in service of the Library's mission and its vision to "be a leader and partner in creating and implementing ideas and services that advance research, teaching, and learning."

The AUL's portfolio encompasses both traditional and new systems and services. The leadership team identifies and solves the most complex operational and strategic problems that confront the Library. The AUL will work closely with other Library leaders on a variety of services, including building a network of support for innovative digital scholarship; rapidly expanding digital collections; improving the findability and usability of scholarly resources; ensuring long-term preservation of digital materials; and influencing technology-rich spaces and programs such as those at Berkeley's undergraduate library, including the Center for Connected Learning.

The AUL has a formal relationship with Berkeley's Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology (CIO) and the campus IT Leadership Group, and will participate in the campus's collaborative IT governance structure. The AUL actively builds relationships with other research and technology partners - including those that support research data management and data science - on campus, within the California Digital Library, and across the other nine University of California campuses.

THE ENVIRONMENT

The University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world's most iconic teaching and research institutions. Since 1868, Berkeley has fueled a perpetual renaissance, generating unparalleled intellectual, economic, and social value in California, the United States, and the world.

Berkeley's culture of openness, freedom, and acceptance - academic and artistic, political and cultural - make it a very special place for students, faculty, and staff. Berkeley is committed to hiring and developing staff who want to work in a high-performing culture that supports the outstanding work of our faculty and students.

In a highly-diverse and intellectually-rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of more than 33,000 undergraduate students and more than 12,000 graduate students as well as approximately 1,500 ladder-rank faculty across 15 schools and colleges. The Library also serves the people of California, and the world through lending to over several countries a year, and making available a rapidly-growing archive of digitized materials and collections from its various collections across all the libraries. The UC Berkeley Library has also contributed hundreds of thousands of digitized books to HathiTrust, through in-house digitization and partnering with Google Books Project.

The Library comprises 20 campus libraries, with a collection of more than 14 million volumes, including more than 3 million e-books, and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with those collections and build their related research skills. UC Berkeley Library's digital collections platform hosts over two hundred thousand records and 1.8 million files and manages digital preservation of about 558 TB of items (through Merritt repository and HathiTrust Digital Library). In FY24, 1.75M files were digitized by the Library. The UC Berkeley Library actively partners with the other nine UC campuses and the systemwide California Digital Library. The Library manages the systemwide off-site Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF), which currently houses over 7.7 million items with a 2.9 million item expansion in Phase 4, which opened in 2020. The Library has a current operating budget of about $69 million with approximately 270 full-time employees and nearly 700 student employees each year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The AUL for Digital Initiatives will develop and lead Library initiatives that rapidly increase the digitization of the Library's collections; enhance discovery, delivery, accessibility, and usability of resources within and beyond the collections we hold; and, together with the AUL for Scholarly Resources and the AUL for Special Collections, ensure preservation of our born digital and digitized collections. The AUL will partner with fellow members of the Library's leadership team, Library staff, faculty, students, campus units, the California Digital Library, the UC campuses, and others.

Reporting to the University Librarian, the AUL will:

Oversee and promote the discovery of library resources

The Digital Lifecycle Program is one of the Library's key strategic initiatives and the Library continues to grow its digital program. More broadly, the AUL provides campus-wide leadership and serves as the primary spokesperson for the Library's digital strategies and services to faculty, students, and other Library patrons. The AUL, collaboratively with the AUL for Scholarly Resources and the AUL for Special Collections, designs, develops, and sets best practices in areas such as digitization, digital curation, digital preservation, metadata, and the design and development of library and archival access and discovery services. The position will represent the UC Berkeley Library in projects with the California Digital Library and other partner institutions as we explore new ways to strengthen collaborative services and co-investments of resources to support research, teaching, and learning.

It is expected that the AUL will have substantive knowledge of digital assets and the technical infrastructure required for their lifecycle management, including metadata requirements, migration strategies, best practices in digital preservation, and relevant national and international standards. The AUL must have knowledge of issues and trends related to digital scholarship, discoverability, accessibility, and usability of information resources. As an innovative leader, the AUL will lead pilots and experimental technology projects to leverage emerging technologies, including the use of AI, for the benefits of all scholars.

Lead and design support for current and emerging digital scholarship

The AUL will provide leadership for Library services related to data and digital scholarship across disciplines. The AUL will design and develop best practices for areas and units in their portfolio, including IT system requirements and priorities, and collaboratively set Library-wide policy and protocols related to technology support for the work of subject liaisons; special collections, metadata, access, and technology specialists; and other library staff.

Provide leadership for departments in collaboration with Library leadership

The AUL will supervise, lead, and manage budget resources for the Digital Lifecycle Program, Library IT, Library Assessment, Research Data Management Program, and Resource Sharing Services, comprising 75 FTE in a variety of academic and professional staff classifications, including classifications represented by collective bargaining units. In addition, due to the highly-matrixed nature of our Library's leadership, the AUL will also lead project teams that include staff who report to other AULs, other directors, and other units. The AUL will share decision-making authority with the Library leadership team for personnel actions, resource management of the Library's budget, and development of policies for all Library operations and services. In our team-led, interconnected organization, the AUL will work closely with other members of the leadership team on shared planning, prioritization, problem solving, and vision for supporting Library staff, faculty, students, and campus partners from a wide range of departments, disciplines, and specializations.

The university has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Associate University Librarians are entitled to two days per month of vacation leave, and one day per month of sick leave.

The Library at the University of California, Berkeley, is committed to the support and encouragement of a multicultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive and imaginative contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity.

This associate university librarian position is covered by the UC Academic Personnel Manual (APM).

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The university reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check. This recruitment will remain open until filled.

Berkeley has retained Storbeck Search, a higher education executive search firm, to assist in this search.

Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter.

Why Berkeley: http://jobs.berkeley.edu/why-berkeley.html.

Library's Statement of Values: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/statement-of-values

Library Strategic Plan: https://stories.lib.berkeley.edu/strategicplan/

Advanced degree (Masters, PhD, or equivalent international degree) by application date

Three or more years of experience leading a unit, including leading, supervising, and/or directing personnel.

• Minimum of five years' experience in academic research libraries or archives leading, supervising, and/or directing academic, professional, and technical library staff.
• Minimum of five years' experience in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership for current and emerging information technology in academic libraries, including experience designing and/or managing library systems, digital asset management systems, discovery systems, and digitization services.
• Demonstrated capability to function as a collaborative leader and partner.
• Demonstrated strong commitment to user-centered services for all constituencies.
• Superior analytical, problem solving, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated project management and organizational skills, including change management skills for an adaptive learning organization.
• Demonstrated effective fiscal management.
• Substantive knowledge of digital assets and the technical infrastructure required for their lifecycle management, including metadata requirements, migration strategies, best practices in digital preservation, and relevant national and international standards.
• Demonstrated knowledge of policies, best practices, and strategies for opening access to and use of digital assets and scholarly content.
• A strong commitment to equity and inclusion in supporting a diverse workforce and serving the needs of a diverse population.
• Experience and success with fundraising and grant writing, and in managing grant-funded projects.
• Substantive knowledge of digital assets and the technical infrastructure required for their lifecycle management, including metadata requirements, migration strategies, best practices in digital preservation, and relevant national and international standards.
• Knowledge of issues and trends related to digital scholarship, discoverability, accessibility, and usability of information resources.

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

Please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.