Director (Tenure-Track) – Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections

March 29, 2023

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Position Summary

The University of New Mexico College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences (CULLS) seeks a skilled, enthusiastic, service-oriented leader to fill the position of Director of the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections (CSWR). This senior management position will articulate strategic leadership, clear vision, and direction for the CSWR; forge dynamic partnerships with academic departments, local communities, and regional, national, and international cultural organizations; advance a workplace culture that is collaborative, productive, empowering, and mutually respectful; cultivate and steward donors; and provide expertise in the acquisition, processing, management, and preservation of unique collections and archival materials in a variety of physical and digital formats.

This is a full-time, 12-month faculty position with a minimum hiring salary of $82,000 and generous benefits. Faculty rank (Assistant Professor or Associate Professor), tenure status, and salary are negotiable based on qualifications and experience. This position reports to the Associate Dean of Digital Scholarship and Collections. Prioritizing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, the College strongly encourages interested candidates who are members of minoritized or marginalized groups to inquire or apply.

The CSWR specializes in interdisciplinary subjects relating to New Mexico, the Greater Southwest, Mexico, and Latin America and includes the University Archives. Its collection strengths include Native American, Chicano/Hispano, Spanish Colonial, and environmental design history. The CSWR recently adopted the Protocols for Native American Archival Material. The CSWR’s activities are supported by 10 full-time faculty and staff. The department also works closely with campus units such as the Center for Regional Studies and the Latin American & Iberian Institute to employ graduate fellows. The Director must be familiar with and committed to ethical practices in decision-making, have relevant skills, experience, and knowledge of professional principles and practices relating to materials found in special collections.

The director is responsible for the stewardship and promotion of the CSWR’s collections and must possess strong, innovative leadership, collaboration, and communication skills, and they must have proven expertise in special collections and archives. The candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and will have a willingness to partner within the Libraries and across the University. The Director will work closely with the Dean and Director of Development to cultivate and steward donors and ensure gifts are processed and recorded with the UNM Foundation.

The University Environment

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New Mexico – Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache – since time immemorial, have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples. We gratefully recognize our history.

UNM is a Tier I Research Institution, a Hispanic-serving institution, and the flagship university in a majority-minority state. To support UNM’s diverse campus constituents and colleagues, the College affirms its commitment to honor diversity, ensure fairness and access, and create an environment where all employees are treated respectfully. These commitments include supporting the University and CULLS’ JEADI initiatives and the College’s Anti-Racism statement.

UNM is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, Center for Research Libraries, and the Greater Western Library Alliance and leads the LIBROS Consortium of seventeen academic libraries in New Mexico. The College is comprised of the University Libraries, an academic degree-granting unit (Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences), and the University of New Mexico Press. The UNM Libraries contain over 3.5 million volumes and includes three libraries: Centennial Science & Engineering Library, Fine Arts & Design Library, and Zimmerman Library (humanities, social sciences, business, and education). Zimmerman Library houses the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. UNM is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and educator.

Why Albuquerque? https://advance.unm.edu/why-abq/

Minimum Qualifications

An earned master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library/information sciences program or equivalent, or an earned doctorate.
Five years of progressively responsible experience working with special collections, rare books, archives, or digital collections.
Three years of management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Applicants with any combination of the following interests or desirable qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Advanced degree in the humanities, social sciences, or public history.
Evidence of scholarly engagement with the history and culture of the Southwest U.S. and/or Latin America.
Knowledge and experience in applying efficient processing techniques in accessing, appraising, arranging, describing, digitizing, and preserving archival collections of varying size and complexity. Understanding and ability to stay abreast of privacy, confidentiality, copyright, and use policies associated with archives and special collection materials.
Demonstrated initiative and proven ability to learn new technologies and adapt to changes in the profession.
Evidence of effectively leading and managing a special collections department in an academic/research library and successfully supervising faculty (or professional equivalent), staff, and graduate students.
Evidence of experience with cultivating and stewarding donors, fundraising, and grant management.
Experience working with faculty, students, and scholars to support their research and instructional endeavors and community outreach, exhibit development, and public programming.
Knowledge of Spanish or an Indigenous language of the greater Southwest. Evidence of effective communication, interpersonal, conflict management, and problem-solving skills.
Record of librarianship/teaching, scholarship, and service to support appointment as an Associate Professor or Professor.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success as well as working with broadly diverse communities.