Director of Libraries

The Libraries and Archives Department at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University invites applications for the full-time, benefit-eligible position of Director of Libraries.

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University seek an innovative, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as the next Director of the CSB and SJU Libraries. Reporting directly to the Provost, the Director provides leadership and strategic direction for the Libraries and Archives. They are responsible for all aspects of library and archives administration, including long term planning, policies and procedures, personnel management, facilities management, budgets, and ongoing assessment of library resources and services. The Libraries and Archives are a key partner in academic and co-curricular programming, and the Director collaborates with Academic Affairs to promote innovative teaching, learning, and research in the liberal arts.

With the library buildings on both campuses serving as service hubs, the Director also maintains partnerships with other academic support offices and building partners to ensure an integrated experience for our faculty, staff, and students. We are seeking a Director who is a creative problem-solver and who possesses a managerial approach that motivates, inspires, and fosters collegial working relationships within an inclusive framework. The successful candidate will possess broad intellectual curiosity and a vision for successfully guiding a leading liberal arts college library into the future.

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) is a liberal arts college for women, and Saint John's University (SJU) is a liberal arts college for men and a graduate School of Theology and Nursing for both men and women and is also the home of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library and the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research. The campuses are located in the central lakes area of Minnesota, surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of pristine forests, prairies, and lakes. The campuses are minutes away from St. Cloud, an increasingly diverse regional center with a population of over 100,000, and 70 miles from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some CSB and SJU faculty and staff choose to reside locally, while others commute from the Twin Cities. Both St. Cloud and the Twin Cities offer a wide range of fine arts, cultural, dining, recreational, and sporting opportunities.

With a total enrollment of approximately 2,900 students, faculty members develop relationships with students in small classroom settings and have opportunities to work closely with students on research projects, experiential learning experiences, and study abroad programs. Recent initiatives to create a dynamic general education curriculum and to develop plans for a new teaching and learning center demonstrate strong institutional support for faculty development.

Institutional Inclusion Visioning Statement

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU) believe that an excellent liberal arts education requires an understanding and appreciation of cultural difference and that everyone deserves to feel safe and morally valued. To that end, we will challenge our own practices and systems. Our commitment to an inclusive environment will be incorporated into all decision-making processes. We dedicate ourselves to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons.

CSB and SJU offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program (click the benefits tab above the position summary section to view more information). For further information regarding our institutions, visit CSBSJU.

ABOUT THE CSB AND SJU LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Libraries and Archives support student learning, faculty research, and the intellectual curiosity of all members of our community. We are committed to supporting student success, lifelong learning, community engagement, and inclusion efforts. The Director leads a dynamic team of twenty administrative and support staff across five Libraries departments: Learning and Research, Access Services, Technology Services, Collection Development, and Archives. The Libraries hold more than 690,000 physical items, including Artists’ Books and other special collections (https://www.csbsju.edu/libraries/special-collections), and provide access to over 580,000 electronic periodicals and eBooks. The total annual library budget is approximately $2.8 million dollars, including rules and restrictions unique to each of our multiple budget areas/budget lines.

Libraries facilities consist of Clemens Library and the Benedicta Arts Center Music Library at CSB and Alcuin Library and the Dietrich Reinhart Learning Commons at SJU. Both Alcuin and Clemens have been recently renovated. Alcuin Library, originally designed by architect Marcel Breuer in the 1960s, was renovated and the 22,000-square-foot Learning Commons added through a $25 million project showcased in American Libraries Magazine in 2018 (seehttps://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/09/04/2018-library-design-showcase/).

The Learning Commons includes state-of-the-art media labs, a recording studio, classrooms, and meeting spaces like The Schu coffee shop, and building partners now include Instructional Technology, The Writing Center, The Study (CSB and SJU’s academic skills center), The Center for Teaching and Learning, The Saint John’s Bible Gallery, and HMML (Hill Museum & Manuscript Library). Clemens Library’s renovation in 2019 brought campus partners like Information Technology Services and the Experience Hub into the building. Clemens Library is the location for the Makerspace supporting campus access to innovative fabrication technology.

Our library locations are vibrant campus centers for scholarship, creativity, and collaboration. The CSB and SJU Libraries also maintain oversight of the College of Saint Benedict Archives, located in Corona Hall, and the Saint John’s University Archives in Alcuin Library. Both archives’ collections include official records, publications, photographs, and other print and digital materials documenting the histories of our institutions. You can find out more about the CSB and SJU Libraries and Archives by visiting https://www.csbsju.edu/libraries andhttps://www.csbsju.edu/libraries/special-collections/collections/archives.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Provides strategic data-driven vision, direction, budget oversight, and operational support for Library and Archive staff.
• Lead a multi-level department, providing direct supervision to management staff and administrative support. Promote excellence in staff training, mentoring, and professional development.
• Foster a collegial work environment. Promote an organizational culture of transparency, inquiry, innovation, collaboration, service, mindful stewardship, Benedictine hospitality, and respect for persons.
• Foster a learning and working environment that is accessible, inclusive, and welcoming and remains actively engaged in inclusion initiatives.

Planning and Assessment

• Ensure the Libraries and Archives’ services and spaces support the diverse needs of our community.
• Lead the Libraries and Archives in aligning plans with institutional missions and priorities.
• Strengthen opportunities for student learning through the application of innovative services, policies, and technologies.
• Advance forward-thinking collection development, facilities stewardship, resource sharing, and preservation plans.
• Maintains a strong culture of library assessment and evaluation that serves to inform decisions, improve operations, and demonstrate impact.

Communication and Advocacy

• Advocate for the Libraries and Archives and help communicate their value, impact, and needs with stakeholders on and off campus.
• Communicate plans and strategic vision for the Libraries and Archives with all library employees.
• Act as the Libraries and Archives’ liaison to senior college administrators and work closely with the Provost and CSB and SJU’s leadership team.
• Serve on or appoints Libraries and Archives’ representatives to institutional committees.
• Represents the Libraries and Archives to internal and external audiences, and highlights the Libraries and Archives as foundational for maintaining the Benedictine values of community and stability.

Collaboration and Service

• Develops and maintains partnerships with academic departments, programs, and other campus units, including Information Technology Services and offices in the Experience Hub and Network for Academic Success, to better support the learning, teaching, and research needs of the CSB and SJU community.
• Maintains and strengthens collaborative efforts with consortia and other regional cultural heritage partners, including Minitex, the Minnesota Library Association, the Minnesota Council of Academic Library Directors, and the Oberlin Group of Libraries.
• Serves the Libraries and Archives, College and University, the profession, and the community through active participation in committees, meetings, professional associations, research, and/or other activities.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Required

• Master’s degree from ALA-accredited program of library or information science, or equivalent international education credential.
• Demonstrated leadership effectiveness, including managing a team.
• Understanding of trends and best practices in academic librarianship, higher education, and archives.
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills.
• Experience building and maintaining strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence.
• Familiarity with a range of technologies and tools used by libraries and archives, including instructional technologies, digital multimedia, data reporting tools, and library management systems.
• Aptitude for learning and applying new information, technologies, and practices.
• Ability to manage a complex budget.

Preferred

• Understanding of the functions and purpose of undergraduate liberal arts education and the role libraries and archives play in that experience.
• Grant writing and implementation experience.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move throughout library and archive facilities, including navigating multiple floors, stacks, workrooms, and public service areas.
• Ability to use a computer and other standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, via telephone, and through virtual platforms.

Travel Requirements

• Regular travel between the campuses of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.
• Ability to attend meetings, events, and professional activities off campus, which may involve occasional travel.

To Apply:

Applications are accepted online by clicking on "Apply". Candidates are asked to complete the application form and submit a current CV, a cover letter, and a list of at least three professional references. The position will remain open until filled, with application review beginning on May 18, 2026. Anticipated start date is August 1, 2026. Please contact search committee chair Jennifer Schaefer at jschaefer@csbsju.edu with any questions.

If you require an accommodation to participate in the CSB and SJU hiring process, please contact Human Resources at (320) 363-5501 or employment@csbsju.edu.

It is the policy of CSB and SJU to conduct a pre-employment background check. An offer of employment is contingent upon a successful background check. The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University also utilizes E-Verify as part of its onboarding process to confirm work authorization.

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.