Head of Technical Services – The Bancroft Library

The University of California, Berkeley is seeking an experienced, inclusive, and collaborative leader to serve as the Head of Technical Services at The Bancroft Library. Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Head of Technical Services leads a team in providing and enhancing discovery and access and prioritizing the responsible stewardship of Berkeley’s world-renowned special collections.

The Head of Technical Services leads the teams responsible for Acquisitions and Collections Control, Accessioning and Processing, Digital Collections, Visual Materials Processing, and Cataloging with four direct reports and approximately fourteen indirect reports, project staff, interns and student employees to ensure the broadest possible access to Bancroft collections.

The Head of Technical Services will be responsible for setting strategic vision, redesigning workflows, and implementing new policies and tools to increase operational effectiveness and deepen collaboration within Bancroft and with colleagues across the Library. The Head of Technical Services is a key member of Bancroft’s senior leadership team and collaborates closely with the Head of Public Services and other key partners throughout the Library on the creation and implementation of Bancroft and UC Berkeley Library-wide goals and initiatives, cultivates leadership and management skills for themselves and their team, and contributes to the development of a library culture that promotes our Library Statement of Values.

The Environment The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at one of the nation's premier public universities. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 33,122 undergraduate students, 12,812 graduate students, and 1,525 faculty.

The Library comprises 20 campus libraries, including the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, The Bancroft Library, The C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and numerous subject specialty libraries. With a collection of more than 12 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with the collections and build their research skills.

Discover more about our collections and services at the UC Berkeley Library website. The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of rare materials in the West. Its holdings include more than 800,000 volumes, 210 million manuscript items, 9 million photographs and other pictorial materials, 86,000 microforms, 9.

4 million digital files, and 25,000 maps, as well as numerous other categories of unique material. The two largest collections are the Bancroft Collection of Western and Latin Americana and the Rare Books Collection. The archival and rare book materials of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life are also part of the Bancroft holdings.

The Bancroft Library is home to three research groups: the Oral History Center, the Mark Twain Papers, and the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri. The Bancroft Library is an active center of teaching and research. Supporting the programs of about 30 campus departments annually, it mounts a regular series of public exhibitions, roundtable lectures, and open houses.

For additional information, please visit the Bancroft Library website.

Responsibilities

Leads and manages the Technical Services team for The Bancroft Library by developing and articulating strategic vision and direction, overseeing day-to-day operations and special projects, establishing priorities, and coordinating work within the department and with other units in Bancroft and the broader UC Berkeley Library system.

Manages a team of 14 career staff, as well as project staff, interns, and students dedicated to technical services functions. Creates a workplace culture that aligns with the Library’s values including collaboration and community, equity and inclusion, learning and growth, openness and transparency. Oversees the technical services operations of The Bancroft Library (on campus and offsite), including acquisition, collection control and management, accessioning, processing, digitization, and cataloging a diverse range of formats, ensuring the broadest possible access to Bancroft collections.

Ensures a comprehensive, collaborative, standards-based, strategic, and sustainable approach to technical services and metadata practices, working collaboratively with the Technical Services team to prioritize, measure, and track work. Fosters innovation by cultivating collaborative change, partnering with staff to explore and implement new institutional approaches, technologies, workflows, and tools to improve collection management, address technical debt and enhance access to collections.

Serves on the Bancroft leadership team as well as Library and/or University-wide committees, task forces, or working groups to set goals, engage in long-term planning, approve policies, and lead significant organizational change. Contributes to the national and international reputation of The Bancroft Library and the UC Berkeley Library through professional research, service, and collaboration with appropriate colleagues and organizations.

Maintains up-to-date, professional knowledge of current trends and best practices in higher education, academic libraries, special collections, and information and educational technology, to encourage innovation and ensure the excellence of Bancroft Technical Services. Manages the technical services operating budget and tracks expenses.

Partners with the Deputy Director on financial planning for Bancroft Technical Services, and leads efforts to identify grant opportunities and draft proposals. All UC Berkeley librarians are expected to participate in library-wide planning and governance, and work effectively in a shared decision-making environment. Advancement is partially based upon professional contributions beyond the primary assignment, including contributions to the Library, campus, UC system, and profession.

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging respect and empathy, and nurturing a culture where all employees thrive. We recognize and appreciate one another’s contributions, expertise, and accomplishments, and strive to provide equitable access to a diverse set of collections and services. For more information, please see the UC Berkeley Library Statement of Values.

This librarian-manager position is not represented by a bargaining unit and is covered by the UC Academic Personnel Manual (APM). Librarians are entitled to appropriate professional development leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits.