Curator of Rare Books, Job Requisition #33181

General Description

The Sheridan Libraries of the Johns Hopkins University seek a dynamic and energetic individual to provide leadership for its rare book collections. The Curator’s primary responsibilities are to develop the rare book collections and actively promote their use.  The Curator will design and implement strategies to support the teaching and research mission of the university and bring creative and fresh approaches to stimulate interest in the rare book collections.

Job responsibilities:

• Promote use of the collections by faculty, students, and independent scholars.
• Develop and implement instructional programs using rare book collection resources for faculty and students based on curricular needs.
• Collaborate with Sheridan Libraries liaison librarians to promote use of the rare books and develop collections.
• Keep abreast of current trends in scholarship in order to match research needs with collection holdings.
• Develop the rare book collections through gift and purchase including managing the book funds and maintaining working relationships with booksellers.
• Contribute to cultivation and stewardship of prospective donors and identification of potential collections for acquisition.
• Increase visibility of the collections through presentations, web-based projects, exhibitions, and public programs.

The position reports to the Head of Special Collections.  The Curator will be responsible for three distinct rare book collections located at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, the George Peabody Library and the John Work Garrett Library at Evergreen.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a humanities subject area
• Three years experience working with rare books in an academic library, museum, or comparable work setting.
• Experience conducting instructional programs in the use and interpretation of rare books.
• Ability to inspire interest and cultivate knowledge of rare books among diverse audiences including students, faculty and interested public groups.
• Experience developing rare book collections through purchase and gift programs including donor cultivation activities.
• Reading knowledge of two foreign languages, preferably German, French or Latin.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with a range of constituents including faculty, students and library colleagues.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:  MLS from an ALA-accredited library school

NOTE: For more information about the library, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore and Maryland see http://library.jhu.edu/about/employment/index.html

Salary and Benefits:
The Libraries offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits including 22 vacation days, 12 days sick leave, TIAA-CREF, tuition support for credit and non-credit professional development courses, a tuition grant assistance plan for dependent children,  several medical plans offering comprehensive coverage for a wide range of services ranging from preventive care to hospitalization and including prescription drug coverage,  several dental plans, leave time under the Family and Medical Leave Act, etc. The same benefits and privileges are extended to same-sex domestic partners. For further information, visit http://hrnt.jhu.edu/benefits/index.cfm .  Hopkins librarians have Senior Staff status (non-tenured).

Approximate starting salary:  $55,000-$60,000

To apply, see below.

Environment

Special Collections is an integral part of the Sheridan Libraries, the main research library of the Johns Hopkins University. Comprised of three separate libraries, the Eisenhower Collection, the George Peabody Library and the John Work Garrett Library, Special Collections is home to the rare book collection, historical manuscripts and sheet music, and the University Archives. Building on the foundation of early faculty collections, the Eisenhower Collection is strong in economic history and thought, German and French drama, English literature especially Tudor and Stuart and the Romantic poets, and abolitionist literature. The Peabody Library mirrors the interests and scholarship of the late-nineteenth century with strengths in archaeology, British art and architecture, British and American history, biography, English and American literature, Romance languages and literature, history of science, geography, and exploration and travel, including a large map collection. The John Work Garrett Library collection reflects the tastes of several generations of the family. The collection was started by T. Harrison Garrett, a great collector of prints, engravings, and books, as well as objets d'art. John Work Garrett was encouraged by his father to know and love great books, and his subsequent career as a diplomat broadened his fields of interest.  This library has strong collections in natural history including many of the most important and beautiful ornithological works ever produced, illustrated books, Americana, early printed books, and the Fowler Collection of Architectural History. The historical manuscript collections and the University Archives document the history of higher education in America especially as it pertains to the development of graduate education at Hopkins. Supporting the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music are 37 additional collections of ballads, waltzes, polkas, grand marches, hymns, operettas, and show tunes that have been part of America's musical heritage for two hundred years.  Special Collections is organized in three units.  Supporting Rare Books are the Non-Book Unit overseeing the manuscripts, archives, sheet music and map collections and the Materials Unit responsible for the support activities related to acquiring, processing and providing reader access to the collections in all 3 locations.

The Sheridan Libraries, which are a member of the Association of Research Libraries, encompass the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and its collections at the John Work Garrett Library, the George Peabody Library, the Albert D. Hutzler Undergraduate Reading Room, and the DC Centers.  A key partner in the academic enterprise, the library is a leader in the innovative application of information technology and has implemented notable diversity and organizational development programs.

The Milton S. Eisenhower Library is the university’s principal research library and the largest in the Hopkins library network, which includes specialized facilities and collections in medicine, public health, international affairs, and music. The primary constituency of the Sheridan Libraries is the faculty and students of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the Whiting School of Engineering, the Carey School of Business, and the School of Education. With over 2.8 million books and more than 36,000 print and electronic journal subscriptions, the library employs the latest information technology to offer users access anytime and anywhere to resources ranging from ancient texts to the latest scientific reports. The Electronic Resource Center serves as a teaching space where librarians guide students and faculty in the effective use of information resources in all formats. The Sheridan Libraries' Digital Programs engage librarians, information technology specialists, and faculty in the use of emerging technologies to enrich access to print and digital collections, advance innovative teaching strategies and integrate library resources in classroom and Web-based courses, and to provide customer-focused services that support teaching and research.   Through partnerships with faculty, other libraries, academic institutions, and corporations, the Libraries promote initiatives that serve as national models in information technology and library services.

The Sheridan Libraries are strongly committed to diversity. A strategic goal of the Libraries is to ‘work toward achieving diversity when recruiting new and promoting existing staff.’ The Libraries prize initiative, creativity, professionalism, and teamwork. For more information about the library visit  http://library.jhu.edu.

Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins University is America's first research university. Daniel Coit Gilman, the university’s first president, believed that the highest quality education must be carried out in a research environment and that the best training, whether graduate or undergraduate, takes place under the supervision of an active researcher. This belief has become the distinguishing feature of the university’s academic programs. The result is a low student-faculty ratio, highly flexible academic requirements, courses that focus on well-defined objectives in-depth rather than broad introductory surveys, and a relaxed distinction between graduates and undergraduates. Approximately 90% of students go on to graduate school. There is a significant number of distance learners enrolled in part-time programs in all the Homewood schools.

Hopkins has about 19,000 full and part-time students and is a world leader in research and education in medicine, public health, the arts, sciences, and engineering and ranks first among US universities in receipt of federal research and development funds. The Homewood campus is located in north Baltimore on 140 acres of stately Georgian architecture in a park-like setting. For more information about the university visit http://www.jhu.edu.

The Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore which has been called a city of neighborhoods, a fact which gives Baltimore a small city feel (pop. approx. 651,000) while providing all the amenities of a major urban center, including a symphony, theatres, opera, dance, museums, a renowned aquarium, a film festival, an active artist community, and fine dining. Baltimore is famous for steamed crabs, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, John Waters, Barry Levinson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Posy Parker, Kimmy Meissner, Thurgood Marshall, the Baltimore Ravens (football), the Baltimore Orioles (baseball), the setting of the TV series Homicide, and films such as Sleepless in Seattle, Diner, Serial Mom, to name a few. Hopkins is located in Charles Village, a largely residential neighborhood of traditional row houses and a village center with restaurants and shops. Go to  http://www.baltimore.org/  to learn more about Baltimore.

Maryland is a border state and exhibits characteristics of both the Northern and Southern regions of the United States. Except for the Baltimore/Washington corridor, Maryland is not heavily populated and is dotted with rolling hills, farmland, and lovely vistas. The Baltimore area has hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. Maryland's economy is diverse, but it has become known for its leadership in the biotechnical area due to the influence of various institutions and agencies located throughout the state including Johns Hopkins University, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the University of Maryland, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health etc. Major east coast cities are a short distance away and easily accessible by car or public transportation. Washington, DC (37 miles), Philadelphia (96 miles), New York City (196 miles).

To apply for this position online submission is required through the Johns Hopkins University Employment Website and search for requisition # 33181. Please fill out and submit:

• The JHU application form;
• A letter detailing how your education, background and experience relate to the required and preferred qualifications;
• A current resume;
• Three professional references (supervisors) and their contact information.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The Search Committee may invite candidates to participate in a pre-interview telephone screening.

Note: The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.