Director of Collections Strategy and Discovery

UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package, paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.

At the University Library, you are part of a welcoming, open library community that advances research, teaching, healing and creativity on campus and far beyond. Here, we strive to create an environment of respect and collaboration, where vision and innovation can flourish.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:

The University Libraries aspires to set the standard for public university research libraries in the digital age.

As one of the premier libraries in the South, we are an essential partner in the research, education, clinical care, and public service missions of UNC-Chapel Hill. The library system includes 10 on-campus Libraries, with nearly 10 million volumes, rich archival collections, and a growing investment in digital collections.

The University Libraries serves campus and broader communities that reflect the socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious diversity of the state of North Carolina, and we maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and open educational and workplace climate for all. We strive to create an environment of respect and collaboration where vision and innovation can flourish. Learn more about our Strategic Framework — including our pillars, values, and priorities by visiting https://library.unc.edu/about/strategic-framework/’.

Position Summary:

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Collections Strategies and Services, the Director of Collections Strategy and Discovery provides vision, direction, and leadership for the Library’s general collections from selection to discovery and the infrastructure that supports it. The Director leads two established departments — Resource Acquisitions and Management (RAM) and Resource Description and Management (RDM) — with 26 FTE and will be charged with creating a third department focused on collection analysis and strategy. The Director is part of a deeply engaged team of library professionals committed to the responsible management of resources through thoughtful decision-making, licensing, description and access, and in support of a world-class research library.

Collection development and management
The Director uses data-informed assessment to shape the Library’s collection development and management strategies, help manage the multi-million-dollar materials budget, support complex vendor agreement negotiations, and respond to emerging trends in scholarly publishing, open access and accessibility.

Access and discovery
Working collaboratively with Library and Information Technology (Infrastructure Management Services, User Experiences and Repository Services), the Director ensures that the technical workflows of acquisition, licensing, and metadata creation are optimized to provide seamless, user-centered discovery, and accessibility of library resources. Additionally, the Director works closely with User Experience to license and describe content that is fully accessible.

Collection analysis
The Director will form and lead a new unit focused on collections analysis, assessment, and planning. This unit will support evidence-based decision-making by developing and applying metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools to evaluate collections use, cost effectiveness, overlap, gaps, and alignment with institutional priorities. The unit will also monitor trends in scholarly communication, licensing models, and user needs to inform strategic planning and guide future collections investments.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead the holistic development, implementation, and continuous evaluation of the Library’s collection strategies across formats.
• Manage implementation of innovative and creative approaches to discovery and content management in keeping with emerging trends in collection development, purchasing, licensing, open access, and metadata standards.
• Overall management of functions and employees in units responsible for purchasing and licensing, collections’ analysis, and metadata, including oversight of hiring, mentoring and professional growth of librarian and professional staff.
• Seek out and foster relationships with library vendors and partners.
• Coordinate the creation of standards for the collection and analysis of usage data across formats
• Serve on relevant library committees such as the Collections Steering Committee and the Cataloging and Metadata Policy Working Group.
• Collaborate with colleagues on the Collections Strategies and Services Leadership Team to lead the Collections Strategies and Services division.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the Library.
• Build strong collaborative relationships with partners and stakeholders on the Chapel Hill campus, the UNC System, and the Triangle Research Libraries Network.
• Represent the University Library and actively participate in emerging conversations and projects related to acquisitions and resource descriptions in regional national and international consortia and professional associations.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Relevant post-baccalaureate degree: relevant undergraduate degree with 5 -7 years of related professional experience may be substituted for the advanced degree.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science and/or an advanced degree in a related discipline.
Minimum of 5 years progressively responsible leadership experience in an academic or research library, with responsibilities in collection strategies, purchasing, licensing or description.
Broad knowledge of acquisitions and cataloging procedures and principles, including an understanding of the e-resource lifecycle, current issues in licensing and discovery, purchasing models, emerging metadata standards and bibliographic utilities.
Strong understanding of current developments in scholarly publishing, open access models, and the lifecycle of electronic resources
Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including the ability to foster productive communication among team members and lead, motivate, and manage staff through organizational change.
Demonstrated commitment to professional growth and development.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

Minimum of 3 years demonstrated experience supervising or managing a large or complex team
Ability to holistically approach workflows, analyze connections and iterate processes
Familiarity with integrated library systems.
Experience using data visualization or advanced assessment tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI, advanced Excel).
Demonstrated experience in regional, national, or global standards development and adoption.
Experience creating welcoming and inclusive work environments.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities:

Not Applicable.

Special Instructions:

For a more detailed vacancy announcement, please visit: https://library.unc.edu/hr/employment/ A minimum of three references are required upon application submission.