Art History & Visual Arts Librarian - Wesleyan University. Full-Time, Salaried, $61,300- $72,300
Position Details:
Located in Middletown, Connecticut, Wesleyan University is one of the
nation’s premier colleges
of liberal arts and sciences with 3,000 undergraduates and 200
graduates. Established in 1831, Wesleyan University is known for its
rich, open curriculum and interdisciplinary curriculum combining
Humanities, Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Wesleyan attracts students who are creative, intellectually
independent, and driven to take risks to make the world a better place.
The University has a long-standing commitment to providing
underrepresented students from all racial, ethnic, cultural,
and socioeconomic backgrounds access to our dynamically diverse
campus.
The Wesleyan University Libraries are privileged to play
an important role in the educational, research, and creative endeavors
of Wesleyan faculty
and students. Our general and unique collections provide both
information and inspiration. The Art History & Visual Arts Librarian
serves as the library liaison and brings collections to life for the
departments of Art & Art History, Film
Studies, and Theater. They develop innovative educational
programming and communication pathways to help students and faculty
discover, understand, and employ informational sources in their work and
extracurricular pursuits.
Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Academic
Services, the Art History & Visual Arts Librarian works in and
contributes to a collegial and supportive environment. They will
initiate and participate in efforts that advance the student
experience and institutional priorities, such as diversity, equity,
and inclusion; practical idealism; and campus and community engagement.
They will also support and engage with colleagues within the library
and across
the university, including the Archaeology and Anthropology
Collections, Center for the Arts, Davison Art Center, Digital Design
Studio, East Asian Art & Archival Collection, IDEAS program, Special
Collections & Archives, and the World Music
Archives.
Responsibilities include:
Design, provide, and assess multimodal instruction on the use and
understanding of visual and performing arts resources, concepts, and
tools, including visual and
media literacy across the curriculum. Promote and provide reference
and in-depth research support in the visual and performing arts. Serve
as the primary communication conduit between the library and assigned
academic departments, developing creative
pathways that ensure faculty and students are aware of library
services, collections, and initiatives, including broader developments
in scholarly communication and digital initiatives. Design, provide, and
assess outreach programs that promote information
and visual literacy within and across the disciplines. Support the
growth and maintenance of analog and digital collections to meet the
needs of faculty and students, and represent the diversity of
contributors in the field. Build relationships with
members of the Wesleyan community and beyond to share information
and develop complementary or interconnected services that relate to the
Library and/or support the overall success of Wesleyan students and
faculty. Engage in professional development
to maintain current knowledge of trends and changes in academic
public services and scholarship, particularly those related to the
visual and performing arts. Perform additional duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
Graduate degree and knowledge in art history or a related field, or
an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Experience working in public services in an academic or special library,
or in providing specialized support in arts
research. Knowledge of information resources used in the study of
visual arts. Excellent interpersonal skills. Effective communications
skills with the ability to present information and ideas to various
audiences. Proven ability to work independently
and collaboratively in a team-based environment. Demonstrated
commitment to work within a diverse environment and interact collegially
with individuals of different backgrounds. Strong user-service
orientation and desire to work with constituents
in an academic environment. Ability to work occasional evenings and
weekends.
Preferred Qualifications: Masters
degree in Library Science or advanced study in another related field.
Working knowledge
or fluency in languages used in art research and art library
catalogs, especially German, French, or Italian. Understanding of visual
literacy. Understanding of information literacy in the visual and
performing arts. Experience providing group instruction.
Experience developing analog and/or digital collections in the
visual and performing arts. Knowledge and understanding of how trends in
scholarly publishing and academia are impacting library services,
collections, and physical spaces.
Competencies: Action oriented, Creativity and
innovation, Customer focus, Dealing with ambiguity, Decision quality/
judgment, Integrity and trust, Oral communications, Organizational
skills, Personal accountability, Planning/priority
setting, Presentation skills, Problem solving, Project management,
Respects diversity, Strategic agility, Teamwork/collaboration, Written
communications.
Additional Information: Any and all offers to
external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a
pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of
Wesleyan University. Wesleyan requires all employees
to be vaccinated against Covid 19 unless they meet the criteria for a
medical or religious exemption. New employees must be vaccinated prior
to their start date. If an employee needs an exemption for medical or
religious reasons, they must submit
a request to Wesleyan and be approved before their start date.
Benefits: Wesleyan
offers a broad range of growth and wellness opportunities,
comprehensive group insurance plans, fitness incentives, generous
paid time off, retirement plans, flexible work schedules and
educational benefits, including free employee access to Wesleyan’s
Graduate Liberal Studies program and undergraduate tuition reimbursement
for dependents of eligible employees.
Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at this link.
Full posting & online application: https://careers.wesleyan.edu/postings/8359. Application close date: November 29, 2021.
