East Asian Library Operations Supervisor

Q: What are the key qualifications for the East Asian Library Operations Supervisor role?

Essential requirements include a Bachelor’s degree , at least 5 years of relevant experience with 1 year supervisory experience , and 1 year of academic library work . Candidates need strong organizational skills, experience managing staff/students, English communication proficiency, and reading knowledge of at least one East Asian language . Physical ability to lift and shelve books is required. Explore similar administration jobs .

Q: What responsibilities does the East Asian Library Operations Supervisor have?

The role oversees daily branch operations including circulation, Course Reserves, ILL, and ReCAP transfers . Key duties involve hiring/training/supervising 2 union staff and 20+ students, managing space and security, data analysis for space needs, MARC record maintenance, policy enforcement, and patron services. View administration roles .

Q: Is supervisory experience mandatory for this Princeton library position?

Yes, at least 1 year of supervisory experience including staff training is essential. Preferred qualifications include extensive academic library supervision experience. This ensures effective management of union staff and student workers in a specialized East Asian collection environment.

Q: What is the application deadline and location for this job?

Applications close on August 11, 2026 . The position is based at Princeton University’s East Asian Library in Princeton, NJ. The library serves global scholars with unique China, Japan, and Korea collections.

Q: Does this role require knowledge of East Asian languages or library systems?

Yes, reading knowledge of at least one East Asian language is essential for handling bibliographic citations. Strongly preferred: experience with Ex Libris Alma, OCLC WorldCat, ILLiad , and MARC records. Familiarity with East Asian cultures is also advantageous.

East Asian Library Operations Supervisor

Overview

The East Asian Library (EAL) at Princeton University is seeking a diligent, motivated, and independent individual to be the Library Operations Supervisor of its Public Services unit.

The East Asian Library is a unique library at Princeton due to its extensive and specialized collections, space limitations, and independent interlibrary loan and technical services operations. It is one of the most famous collections of its kind in the United States, serving not only faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Princeton on all kinds of research on China, Japan, and Korea but also, visiting scholars from across the globe.

The Operations Supervisor is fully responsible for all daily branch operations and functions of the East Asian Library, including circulation, shelving, stack maintenance, shifting, and physical space presentation, management, and security.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Manage branch library operations, including Course Reserves, Document Delivery, Borrow Direct, Interlibrary Loan (ILL), and the transfer of materials to off-site storage (ReCAP).
Hire, train, and supervise two unionized staff positions (including writing evaluations and maintaining payroll) and 20+ students to ensure coverage of essential back-of-house and public service functions.
Facilitate use of rare and special collections held on-site and off-site for library patrons.
Perform data driven analysis to determine future space and material needs.
Coordinate with Cataloging, Acquisitions, and Serials staff within the EAL to streamline workflows and ensure efficient circulation of materials across departments.
Maintain and update EAL MARC records.
Establish priorities and design workflows for both ongoing operations and special projects.
Develop, interpret, and enforce library policies and procedures.
Serve as the primary point of contact for patrons, including faculty, students, and external visitors, with creativity and tact.
Participate in outreach initiatives and programs.
Apply and adapt policies related to patron services, carrel assignments, and patron records.
Address access and general use inquiries while referring advanced research questions to librarians.
Oversee and continuously update staff schedules, procedural manuals, and training programs.
Fostering a collaborative and productive work environment and motivating and guiding staff to achieve performance goals.
Build and maintain strong cross-departmental relationships through comprehensive understanding of the library policies, procedures and interdepartmental operations.
Participate in university library committees and working groups
Coordinate with external departments, including Frist Campus Center management and public safety.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
At least 5 years of practical work with at least 1 year of supervisory experience including training off staff
At least one year of academic, research, or corporate library work and ability to learn quickly library policies and procedures
Strong organizational and excellent service-oriented interpersonal skills
Experience in managing, training and motivating staff and/or students
Excellent ability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing
Ability to make decisions and work independently with minimal supervision, as well as working well as a team leader
Reliability, good judgement, leadership, and resourceful problem-solving skills
Ability to prioritize workflows and respond creatively to changing circumstances
Intermediate computer skills (Microsoft Office), and the demonstrated ability to learn new computer programs as needed
Aptitude for working with bibliographic citations in several languages with reading knowledge of at least one East Asian Language
Must be able to lift and shelve books (using stepladders) and handle large book trucks holding approximately 300 books (other physical tasks may involve careful handling of heavy and dusty books)

Strongly Preferred:

Extensive experience in a similar educational (academic), preferably, library position (involving the supervision of staff and students)
Ability to respond to emergencies calmly
Experience with large-scale and long-term library projects
Knowledge of MARC record structures and catalog systems in general, and of Ex Libris’s Alma integrated library system and OCLC (WorldCat) in particular
Knowledge of library software (Alma, ILLiad), reserves processing applications, course management systems (Canvas), and scanning software
Familiarity with East Asian cultures

🎓What are the key qualifications for the East Asian Library Operations Supervisor role?

Essential requirements include a Bachelor’s degree, at least 5 years of relevant experience with 1 year supervisory experience, and 1 year of academic library work. Candidates need strong organizational skills, experience managing staff/students, English communication proficiency, and reading knowledge of at least one East Asian language. Physical ability to lift and shelve books is required. Explore similar administration jobs.

📋What responsibilities does the East Asian Library Operations Supervisor have?

The role oversees daily branch operations including circulation, Course Reserves, ILL, and ReCAP transfers. Key duties involve hiring/training/supervising 2 union staff and 20+ students, managing space and security, data analysis for space needs, MARC record maintenance, policy enforcement, and patron services. View administration roles.

👥Is supervisory experience mandatory for this Princeton library position?

Yes, at least 1 year of supervisory experience including staff training is essential. Preferred qualifications include extensive academic library supervision experience. This ensures effective management of union staff and student workers in a specialized East Asian collection environment.

📅What is the application deadline and location for this job?

Applications close on August 11, 2026. The position is based at Princeton University’s East Asian Library in Princeton, NJ. The library serves global scholars with unique China, Japan, and Korea collections.

🌏Does this role require knowledge of East Asian languages or library systems?

Yes, reading knowledge of at least one East Asian language is essential for handling bibliographic citations. Strongly preferred: experience with Ex Libris Alma, OCLC WorldCat, ILLiad, and MARC records. Familiarity with East Asian cultures is also advantageous.

East Asian Library Operations Supervisor

Princeton University