Director of the Library

Search:#1338
Date Posted: 05/16/2025
Type/Department:Administrator in Library
Search Status:Searching for Candidates - Accepting Applications
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Hampshire College

Department: Library

Job Title: Director of the Library

Position Type: Full Time

Schedule: 35 Hours a week

Pay Range/ Status: $90,000 – 95,000 / Exempt

Location: Hampshire College Campus in Amherst, MA

Reports to: VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty

Anticipated Start Date: August 1, 2025

 

Hampshire College seeks an enthusiastic and strategic Director of the Library to lead the Harold F. Johnson Library into its next chapter—as a dynamic, inclusive, and responsive center for learning at the heart of an innovative academic community. The Director leads a small, dedicated team in delivering outstanding library services while building deep partnerships students, faculty, and staff across the campus and within the Five College Consortium. With responsibilities that span strategic planning, research instruction, collections strategy, stewardship of archives, and budget management, the Director seeks the integration of library programs into the academic and co-curricular life of the college, strong campus and consortia partnerships, and a balance of visionary planning with daily operational leadership.

At Hampshire, we value innovation, independent inquiry, and community engagement. We’re looking for someone who believes in the power of libraries to transform learning—who brings curiosity and purpose to their work. The ideal candidate will bring a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a generous vision of how an academic library can foster intellectual exploration, discovery, and belonging. This is an opportunity for a hands-on leader who thrives in a collaborative environment.

Hampshire College, an independent, innovative liberal arts institution and member of the Five College consortium, is located on a beautiful rural campus in Amherst, Massachusetts. We provide residential undergraduate education to nearly 900 students.

 

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Provide strategic, inclusive leadership for all aspects of the Harold F. Johnson Library, aligning operations with Hampshire College’s academic mission and values.
  • Oversee all library departments, including access services, acquisitions and technical services, archives and special collections, media, and the campus gallery.
  • Develop and implement strategic and operational plans that support innovation, academic integration, sustainability, and equitable access to information.
  • Design and deliver research instruction and information literacy programs in collaboration with faculty, supporting course-integrated learning and independent student work.
  • Foster a welcoming, service-oriented, and intellectually vibrant environment for a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.
  • Supervise, mentor, and support library staff, including professional librarians and paraprofessionals, promoting a collegial and growth-oriented workplace.
  • Manage library finances, including budgeting for acquisitions and programming.
  • Lead collection development strategies to ensure timely, inclusive, and relevant physical and digital resources that reflect evolving curricular and scholarly needs.
  • Steward digital infrastructure and unique collections, including digital assets, archival materials, and the College’s art collection, ensuring long-term preservation and researcher access.
  • Represent Hampshire College within the Five College Consortium, Museums10, and other external partnerships, advancing shared services, resource access, and collaboration.
  • Lead planning of library space uses that promotes sustainability and academic engagement.

 

REQUIRED SKILLS:

  • Demonstrates knowledge of the mission and values of higher education and a creative, generous vision for how an academic library can partner with faculty, students, and staff.
  • Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.
  • Demonstrates and supports a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, with evidence of applying these values to collections, staffing, programming, and services.
  • Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.
  • Broad understanding of library operations and the roles of all library staff.
  • Demonstrated creativity and innovation in library service delivery.
  • Familiarity with budget planning and resource allocation.

 

REQUIRED CERTIFICATION, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Advanced degree in job-related field (MLIS or equivalent).
  • Demonstrates leadership and management experience, including at least 3 years of supervisory experience, in an academic library or comparable academic setting.
  • Experience designing and delivering research instruction and information literacy programs.

 

Alternatives to formal education and paid work experience may be considered as equivalent qualifications to include military service/training, volunteering, activism, and other non-traditional programs and experiences related to the position.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • At least five years of progressively responsible experience in academic libraries or comparable academic settings.
  • Experience with strategic planning, project management, and assessing organizational effectiveness.
  • Experience working within a library consortium or collaborative library system.
  • Familiarity with evaluating and designing physical library spaces to support evolving user needs.

 

BENEFITS:

Hampshire College offers an excellent benefits program for eligible employees such as medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plan contributions, flexible leave plans, and many other fringe benefits. For information on Hampshire College, including more information on employee benefits and our company culture, visit our website at www.hampshire.edu.

 

WHO SHOULD APPLY:

Hampshire College is an equal opportunity employer and deeply committed to a community of excellence, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are particularly committed to revealing and combating the social and institutional structures that support racism and white supremacy in all phases of employment and college life. We believe that the educational and employment environment is enhanced when diverse groups of people with diverse ideas come together to work and grow. We encourage applications from women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, sexual minority groups, veterans, and other candidates who will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives. Hampshire College is committed to removing barriers to employment faced by equity-seeking groups and encourages (but does not require) members of these groups to self-identify in their application materials. Applicants whose work incorporates a global perspective and a demonstrated commitment to issues of diversity in the work environment are particularly encouraged to apply.

 

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit via our website at https://jobs.hampshire.edu/:

  • A cover letter, including a statement addressing your approach to justice, equity and antiracism (JEA) in leadership philosophy and practice.
  • Resume/CV.
  • Names/phone numbers of three professional references.

 

Applications received by June 15, 2025 will receive priority consideration.

Hampshire College is an equal opportunity institution, committed to diversity and inclusion in education and employment.