Head of Digital Library & Academic Technologies
Please apply directly on our website, https://careers.mtholyoke.edu
Department Summary & Job Purpose:
Mount Holyoke College’s Library, Information and Technology Services (LITS) Division empowers a diverse and inclusive learning community equipping every person to purposefully engage the world. We connect people with the information, expertise, spaces, and technologies that enhance their work and fuel scholarly endeavor.
Reporting to the Director of Technology Infrastructure and Systems Support (TISS), the Head of Digital Library and Academic Technologies (DLAT) manages a team of technical professionals responsible for administering and maintaining academic technologies, including digital repositories, web applications, and other platforms core to supporting the College’s mission. They lead the team in ensuring a user-focused mindset around the delivery of these services. They partner with other areas of LITS to support an outstanding technical environment for teaching, learning, research and unique digital content and collections management. This work is centered in consultation and collaboration with the wider LITS and College community to advance institutional goals.
This position is a member of the TISS Group, which focuses on providing the technology foundation and its accompanying framework for the infrastructure, resources, and services that support the College. Operations within the TISS Group include: data center operations, networking, web application support, business intelligence, academic, and administrative computing.
Core Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provides leadership in alignment with the strategic goals of the College, and contributes to TISS and LITS long range and strategic planning. Takes a proactive, adaptive, and highly collaborative approach, develops and implements services and technologies, using ITSM as a framework, to support the success of the Mount Holyoke College community.
- Oversees the department, and actively engages in the management and maintenance of applications and systems that support the digital collections, academic, research and pedagogical needs of the College. Ensures the day-to-day operations of services run smoothly, through the implementation of well organized and defined change management processes, support workflows, and communications with end users and stakeholders.
- Mentors, guides, and supports their staff with a focus on excellent service and a cooperative mindset in support of institutional priorities. Fosters and encourages professional growth and ensures cross-training around critical systems and services. Sets and maintains high standards of service and quality, ensures continuous assessment, and prepares annual and periodic reports of department activities.
- In consultation with LITS partners and campus stakeholders (i.e. Alumnae Association, Art Museum, and other academic areas of the College), coordinates the evaluation, integration, testing, development, configuration, securing, and overall integrity and accessibility of the College's digital repository systems, academic applications and technical services. This includes helping to develop related project plans, budgets, policies, standards, and workflows. Supports subject matter expertise and consulting.
- Analyzes and evaluates products and services, and makes recommendations to the Director of Technology Infrastructure and Systems Support. Formulates annual goals and objectives in partnership with LITS and campus stakeholders.
- Serves on committees and project teams for College-wide and Five College Consortium academic technology and digital library initiatives, contributing to digital repository strategy leadership. May lead aspects of projects and coordinate the work of staff across the institutions to achieve stated goals.
- Develops additional strong working, collaborative partnerships within LITS, with the College, Five Colleges, and the broader higher education community (ie CLAC and DLF) to proactively identify, recommend, facilitate, and implement appropriate and effective policies, services, resources, support, and procedures that improve the ability of the College community to accomplish its teaching, learning, and research goals.
- Ensures compliance with professional and technology standards, license and regulatory requirements, accessibility standards and practices, and other College standards, policies, and procedures.
- Seeks out and engages with professional development opportunities to develop and maintain understanding of standards, best practices, and methodologies around management, development, maintenance, and support of modern academic and digital library/collection systems.
- Actively works with colleagues in LITS to create a welcoming, inclusive, accessible, and user-centered environment in which a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff can thrive.
- Evening and weekend work, as necessary. In some circumstances, it may be important to assist during adverse weather and emergency situations to ensure essential services and service points are covered. Performs related duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education needed:
--Degree in an area that relates to information systems preferred, such as a MLS or Information Technology degree, but we welcome and will consider otherwise qualified candidates with a combination of education and experience that support the job functions and responsibilities of the position.
Experience required:
--Three to five years of progressively-responsible leadership and/or supervisory experience related to duties and responsibilities of the position.
--Working knowledge of a range of digital library, asset, and content management platforms and technologies supporting teaching, research, and scholarly efforts. These include tools such as Islandora, DSpace, ResourceSpace, Drupal, and WordPress.
--Demonstrated ability to imagine, plan, and implement innovative, effective, and sustainable actions to advance successful academic technology and digital library services in support of institutional goals, particularly those embedded in pedagogy, research, scholarly communications, and digital collections lifecycle management.
--Excellent oral and written communication, organization, and problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
--Creativity, with a passion for supporting a collaborative work environment. Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
--Knowledge of metadata management best practices.
--Expertise with current practices related to digitization and digital preservation.
--Proven ability to manage and lead projects within a higher education environment.
--Flexibility to accept, manage, and incorporate change and the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously and effectively in a fast-paced environment.
--Maintain a professional and tactful approach in all interactions, ensuring confidentiality and an individual’s right to privacy regarding appropriate information.
--Ability to travel as needed to participate in consortia and professional meetings and events. Enthusiastic service orientation with sensitivity to the needs of users at all skill levels; the ability to convey technical information to a non-technical audience is essential.
License/Certifications:
Compliance Requirements:
Physical Demands:
--The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and
analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and extensive reading.
--Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction.
Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the
discriminations in sound.
--Sufficient clarity of speech required includes those which permit the employee to discern verbal
instructions and communicate effectively in person and by telephone.
Working Conditions:
--Employee operates office equipment and computers to perform essential duties and
responsibilities.
Background Checks:
Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secure environment, supported by qualified
employees that will allow all of its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them to successfully
carry out the mission of the college. As a condition of employment, the College will conduct appropriate
background checks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Office of Human Resources as
the office responsible for ensuring that background checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & Driver
Credential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process and Five College Office of Compliance and
Risk Management as the office responsible for facilitating background checks as articulated in this policy.
Special Instructions for Applicants:
Apply online by application deadline. Application materials must include 1) a cover letter summarizing
interests and qualifications, 2) a complete resume or curriculum vitae, and 3) contact information for 3
professional references.
Mount Holyoke College is a women’s college that is gender diverse. The College is committed to providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students. In compliance with state and federal law, Mount Holyoke College does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, genetic information, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, ancestry, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law. The College does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the recruitment and admission of students to its graduate program.
Mount Holyoke College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.