Special Collections Librarian

Benefits

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

JOB PURPOSE:

The Special Collections Librarian reports to the Head of Collection Services and Special Collections. The Special Collections Librarian is responsible for overseeing the School of Law Library archives and special collections. Responsible for arranging and describing the archival and special collections according to best practices. Performing reference, building relationships with alumni, community organizations and engaging in activities that promote the special collections and archives that demonstrates and showcases the history and role of the School of Law and African-American attorneys in the history of the United States.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

Responsible for directing library specialists and student library research assistants. Reports to the Director of the Law Library, Alicia Jones.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Internal contacts include administrators, faculty, students and staff of the School of Law and the university at large. External contacts include vendors, representatives from other colleges and universities, visitors and the general public

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Manages and processes rare books and other printed materials, archival materials in all formats for the law library archives and special collections department.
• Develops processing plans for new materials and backlog.
• Creates digital collections and finding aids in the University’s and School of Law’s institutional repository.
• Engages in education planning and instruction for first year legal research and advanced legal research courses.
• Creates and develops library displays to showcase special collections programs and special events.
• Other duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Assess the condition of materials and initiate repairs and/or digitization where needed
• Assess potential donations to the collection and recommend whether to accept
• Prepare documents needed to transfer or add collection materials and update collection administrative files to reflect changes/additions.
• Accession of new materials into the collection and update finding aids to reflect additions
• Monitor and report on collection usage.
• Prepare for and participate in tours and outreach; create displays of representative items from the collection and associated talking points.
• Prepare physical materials for digitization; coordinate in-house and external digitization production; and collaborate with digital archivists to preserve and present the digitized content.
• Ability to lift and move books and manuscript boxes, climb ladders to retrieve materials, and push book trucks.
• Ability to respond to research and reference questions

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree from ALA-accredited library and information science program (or equivalent)
• Work effectively with a diverse, accomplished community of students, faculty, and staff
• Commitment to advancing the missions of the law school and library
• Model positive, solutions-driven responses to challenges; creative problem-solver
• Excellent communication skills; emotionally intelligent
• Project management skills (e.g., ability to prioritize, manage deadlines and expectations, make appropriate adjustments, communicate proactively)
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Strong service orientation