Director, Scholars Portal (Librarian III/IV)

POSITION: Director (Librarian III/IV)
This is a five-year renewable term position. It is also a permanent status stream position.
DEPARTMENT: Scholars Portal
DATE REQUIRED: As Soon as Possible

Are you looking for challenging, meaningful work in a supportive and diverse environment? Are you looking for a career at one of Canada’s top employers? Work where the world comes to think, discover and learn. Consider a career at the University of Toronto.

About the University of Toronto Libraries

The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is consistently ranked in the top ten among academic research libraries in North America. The system consists of 40 libraries located on three university campuses: St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This array of college libraries, special collections, and specialized libraries and information centres supports the teaching and research requirements of over 300 graduate programs, more than 70 professional programs, and about 700 undergraduate degree programs. In addition to more than 12 million volumes in 341 languages, the library system currently provides access to millions of electronic resources in various forms and over 31,000 linear metres of archival material. More than 150,000 new print volumes are acquired each year. The Libraries’ data centre houses more than 600 servers with a storage capacity of 1.5 petabytes.

About Scholars Portal

Scholars Portal, a department within the University of Toronto Library, is the digital service arm of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), managing infrastructure and services that support Ontario’s 21 university libraries. The Scholars Portal team of librarians, developers, and systems staff support services in four broad areas: research & member services; data and geospatial services; digital collections; and digital preservation services.

The Opportunity

The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) invites applications for a Director, Scholars Portal. The position reports to the Associate Chief Librarian, Data Services, Digital Scholarship and Information Technologies with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Executive Director of the Ontario Council of University Libraries.

Scholars Portal has a strong history of engagement and collaboration with provincial and national networks. Building on these successful partnerships, the Director positions Scholars Portal as a recognized leader in delivering proactive, evidence-based, user-focused programs, collections and initiatives.

The successful candidate provides vision and strategic direction to Scholars Portal and offers leadership, support, and mentorship to the department’s employees. The Director builds relationships and proactively reach out to connect and advocate for Scholars Portal with OCUL library directors and other stakeholders in the OCUL member institutions. The Director also works with national organizations building information infrastructure and services as appropriate. UTL has a firm commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. The Director promotes UTL’s culture of diversity and inclusion.

The Director participates in OCUL and UTL library committees and works with Scholars Portal, the OCUL Executive Director, and UTL Information Technology Services (ITS) colleagues to implement the OCUL strategic plan, develop strategic directions and assess service quality for Scholars Portal. Additionally, the Director works with colleagues at OCUL to help develop and maintain strong relationships among OCUL member libraries and with national information initiatives. The position works closely with the OCUL Executive Committee and the University of Toronto University Chief Librarian.

The successful candidate will be a progressive, collaborative leader who is:

• Responsive to evolving user needs and services in an academic library environment, proposing innovative solutions to meet those needs at the local, provincial, and national levels
• Skilled in building support for multi-institutional initiatives
• Committed to the values of equity, inclusion, diversity and accessibility
• A mentor and leader to the staff and librarians
• Engaged in emerging technology trends and committed to their application in library collections, services and spaces.
• Flexible and acts with fairness and integrity
• Familiar with managing in a unionized environment

Responsibilities:

• Engages at the national level in initiatives such as Borealis and CRKN TDR, and works closely with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), and with schools across Canada.
• Leads Scholars Portal’s participation in some international work, such as Keeper’s Registry.
• Heads the Scholars Portal management team to oversee the day-to-day operations of Scholars Portal
• Holds overall supervisory responsibility for librarians and staff working within Scholars Portal portfolios, including recruitment and retention, training and coaching, leading project teams, tracking tasks and monitoring progress
• Executes project management duties, including task scheduling, evaluation and assessment, report writing, grant administration, and budget management and planning, in association with staff from the OCUL Executive office
• Participates in various governance groups established by OCUL to guide activities within Scholars Portal
• Participates in strategic planning initiatives for Scholars Portal and takes responsibility for successful completion of tactics assigned to goals related to the portfolio responsibilities
• Ensures that the needs of OCUL member libraries are being addressed quickly and effectively within Scholars Portal
• Works with vendors of Scholars Portal services and content providers to ensure that the needs of OCUL are communicated and addressed
• Participates in professional associations; presents on Scholars Portal and other library-related themes at professional conferences
• Negotiates software and hardware contracts and licenses as necessary
• Participates in committees and research initiatives to collaborate, develop shared initiatives, and maintain partnerships and share knowledge and regionally, nationally, and internationally including with government agencies and other academic institutions.

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A degree from an accredited Master’s level program in library and information studies
• Relevant management experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of equity, inclusivity, diversity, anti-racism, and accessibility; proven ability to promote respect and inclusion by working successfully with a wide variety of people and encouraging their participation and involvement.
• Demonstrated planning, decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, particularly in team building, with proven experience creating a common vision and fostering a positive work environment.
• Outstanding interpersonal, intercultural, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated deep understanding of research, teaching, learning and collections priorities in information and digital technology.
• Demonstrated experience in leading technology projects
• Record of effective collaboration involving diverse faculty, library staff, students and other stakeholders such as IT leaders in relevant government agencies and at peer institutions.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating contracts and license agreements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Academic background in information technology services, or equivalent library professional or work experience.
• Relevant research experience and expertise. Publication, teaching or other significant contributions to the profession that demonstrates substantial subject mastery.
• A demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in both official languages (English and French)
• Significant experience in relevant professional associations.

Salary and Terms of Appointment: Salary and appointment level are based on experience and qualifications.

This is a five-year renewable term position. It is also a permanent status stream position.

It is anticipated that this position will be filled at the Librarian III or IV level, subject to review and experience. Minimum salary: LIB III: $95,411; LIB IV: $ 112,418 (Salary is dependent on rank at hire and qualifications).

Benefits: We offer generous benefits packages to all employees. Additional information is available at: https://people.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/

Additional information
Librarians at the University of Toronto are members of the University of Toronto Faculty Association.

How to Apply

Application Materials Required: A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references of which at least two have supervised your work. Please send a single electronic file (MS Word or pdf) with a file name convention of [Surname,FirstName. DirectorScholarsPortal] to Library Human Resources at utlhr@utoronto.ca; or to Room 1140, 130 St. George Street, University of Toronto Libraries, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A5; by April 9, 2023.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statements

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

University of Toronto Libraries’ Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Statement:
https://www.library.utoronto.ca/inclusion-diversity-and-equity-statement

University of Toronto Libraries’ Anti-Racism Statement:
https://www.library.utoronto.ca/anti-racism-statement

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact utlhr@utoronto.ca.

The University of Toronto Libraries thanks all applicants but will only contact applicants selected for an interview.

University of Toronto Library System: https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/ University of Toronto: https://people.utoronto.ca/ Policies for librarians: https://people.utoronto.ca/policies/