Posted: 20-May-25
Location: Portland, Oregon
Type: Full Time (Hybrid)
Salary: $118,000-135,000
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The Oregon Historical Society seeks a visionary library and archive professional with a passion for providing leadership for collections stewardship, broad public access to library collections and digital resources, building visibility and resources, cultivating relationships, and community engagement for the position of Library Director. The Library Director will lead an experienced and dedicated team of professional librarians, archivists, and public historians to drive mission-related projects and priorities supported by OHS’s strategic plan. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with a proven record for collections management, project planning, outreach, fundraising, developing and managing a complex budget, and directing staff and library operations, as well as a solid grounding in Pacific Northwest and/or US history.
OHS’s research library is committed to providing broad access to its collections for teaching, learning, and research, both onsite in our beautifully renovated downtown Portland library and online through robust digital collections and digital history websites. The library holds the largest collection of archival and published materials relating to the history of Oregon, including the historical regions of Oregon Country and Oregon Territory. Our collections serve as a foundation for scholars, teachers, students, and the public to research and reflect on our state and regional history. The resources and staff of the OHS Research Library play a significant role in fulfilling OHS’s mission to “preserve our state's history and make it accessible to everyone in ways that advance knowledge and inspire curiosity about all the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon.”
The Oregon Historical Society is a private non-profit organization chartered in 1898 as the state’s historical society. OHS is dedicated to making Oregon’s long, rich history visible and accessible to all. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.
The Oregon Historical Society practices and promotes inclusiveness. We honor the diverse strengths, needs, voices, and backgrounds of all members of our community and are committed to the equitable treatment of all people and the elimination of discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from diverse candidates.
Please see job posting for full description and application deadline, and to apply: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/3266643
SUMMARY
The Library Director provides leadership, vision, and direction for all aspects of the Oregon Historical Society’s (OHS’s) research library in alignment with OHS’s mission and strategic objectives and serves as a member of OHS’s senior leadership team. The position advances broad public access to and engagement with historical materials and scholarly content, stewardship and growth of the library’s collections, development of its online resources, and community partnerships and relationships, and oversees all programs and activities of the department.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- As department director, sets the vision, priorities, and long-range plans for OHS’s research library to excel in stewardship and judicious growth of its resources, providing broad access to the library’s holdings and historical scholarship, delivering public services onsite and through relevant technologies, and cultivating community partnerships and relationships.
- Oversees the library’s functions, activities, holdings, and operations in alignment with institutional priorities and policies. Develops short-term plans to address specific issues as they arise.
- Provides leadership to a team of professional staff (15-20 FTE), including librarians, archivists, and public historians.
- As a member of OHS’s senior leadership team, participates in collective decision-making and setting institutional policies and programmatic direction. Participates in developing OHS’s institution-wide strategic plan, ensuring achievement of its goals and objectives, and evaluating outcomes.
- Fully participates in institutional budgetary and financial decision-making and holds signature authority on OHS accounts. Actively seeks revenue sources to support library projects and strategic priorities. Exercises independent analysis, judgement, discretion, task fulfillment, complex problem-solving, and decisiveness to accomplish institutional goals.
JOB DUTIES
Leadership
- Leads the library’s four divisions. Fosters a team-oriented and inclusive work environment that advances the work of the library, promotes innovation, and encourages and facilitates new initiatives and collaborations.
- Reference – Provides in-person and remote reference services and direct research in OHS library collections and other resources, supports institutional projects, offers classroom instruction and workshops, and engages in other internal and external outreach activities that encourage public engagement with library collections and resources and support OHS initiatives.
- Collections – Provides stewardship of the library’s archival and print holdings, including books, serials, and government documents; maps; manuscripts; sound recordings, film, and video; and photographs. Acquires, assesses, processes, describes, and preserves library materials. Maintains library online catalog, collection management system, and legacy collections information. Digitizes sound, film, and video for public access, institutional projects, and external customers.
- Digital Collections – Provides broad access to and preservation of digitized and born-digital library holdings. Manages library’s digital collections, digital access platform, and preservation infrastructure. Digitizes and describes documents, photographs, and other items for public access, institutional projects, and external customers.
- Digital History – Produces scholarly content shared via the library’s four primary-source-based online public history websites – The Oregon Encyclopedia, Oregon History Project, Oregon TimeWeb, and Oregon History Wayfinder. Develops and maintains online platforms. Engages external authors; advised by a diverse board of volunteer scholars.
- Advances collections preservation and public access to collections and scholarly content by planning and advocating for physical and digital infrastructure improvements, maintenance, and updates; and for resourcing staff for supportive, efficient, and sustainable operations that achieve a high level of excellence.
Administrative
- Directs major library projects, including capital improvements to facilities and digital infrastructure, collections management and access, scholarly content generation, and outreach.
- Formulates or reviews and gives final approval for all library policies, ensuring they are current and robust, and conform with professional standards, best practices, institutional policy, and other requirements. Directs development, implementation, and review of library procedures to carry out policies and goals.
- Fosters relations with past and future library collection donors in alignment with institutional collecting priorities and OHS’s Collections Management Policy. Develops and refines the library’s collection development strategy to address new priorities, challenges, and opportunities.
- Has approval and signatory authority for all library collections acquisitions, loans, and removals, in compliance with OHS’s Collections Management Policy. Works with OHS staff and others to identify strategic acquisitions. Provides guidance to collections format experts in vetting and recommending acquisitions.
- Reports on the library’s progress and plans to the Executive Director on an as-needed basis.
- Reports and presents to the OHS Board of Trustees and its committees on library activities and goals. Represents the library on board committees as required.
- Serves as staff liaison for board Collections Committee, working closely with the committee chairs and museum director to develop the committee’s strategic direction and meeting agendas. Reports to the committee on matters relating to library collections and makes proposals for committee approval.
Financial
- Sets and administers the library’s annual budget in accordance with OHS policies and strategic priorities and in alignment with the institution’s financial capacity. Collaborates with members of OHS’s leadership team to set funding priorities.
- Forecasts future departmental funding needs and priorities.
- Manages and authorizes expenditure of budgeted library funds and negotiates contracts and other agreements in accordance with OHS financial accounting policies and procedures and in adherence with legal and ethical requirements.
- Monitors spending and revenue in multiple funds, including general operating, donor-restricted and grant funds, and endowments, to ensure effective and efficient management of resources.
- Ensures responsible management of grants and other special funding in compliance with funders’ guidelines and other requirements.
Fundraising
- Works closely with OHS’s development team to cultivate relationships with financial donors and grantors and in seeking external funding for library operations and programs.
- Monitors funding opportunities to match grant-seeking with strategic and project priorities. Authorizes grant-seeking for library projects; gives final approval for grant proposals, claims, and reports.
- Oversees or directly administers library grants and projects, including plan development, proposal writing, and reports.
Personnel
- Directly supervises library division managers, including Reference Services Manager, Deputy Library Director for Collections, Digital Collections Manager, and Senior Digital History Manager & Editor.
- Builds library team through strategic hiring and mentoring. Creates and encourages opportunities for team building, skill building, and professional service, and cultivates an ethic of stewardship, public service, lifelong learning, safety, collegiality, and collaboration.
- Works collaboratively with Human Resources and library managers to develop accurate and detailed job descriptions and to follow sound practices to hire and retain a skilled and diverse library workforce.
Community Engagement & Visibility
- Cultivates new community relationships and strengthens existing partnerships to inspire broad public engagement with, increased access to, and new content for the library’s collection and its digital resources.
- Directs the planning and development of library-sponsored exhibits, publications, and special events that promote library collections and expand their use in research, education, and creative projects.
- Serves on institution-wide and external committees to develop partnerships, policies, programs, publications, and exhibits that benefit cultural heritage collections and promote the understanding of Oregon history.
- With support from OHS’s marketing and communications team, promotes library collections and digital resources, programs, projects, and services.
- Serves as primary spokesperson for OHS’s research library. Makes presentations at professional conferences, public programs, and other venues.
- Represents OHS in professional organizations and other groups, and at community events.
General
- Stays abreast of current practices, trends, and developments in libraries, archives, and public history, and communicates advancements and emerging directions with staff, leadership, and other stakeholders.
- Employs management techniques effectively in directing, planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating, budgeting, and evaluating the library’s operations.
- Displays excellent communication skills including oral and written presentation, persuasion, and negotiation skills required in working with customers and/or coworkers and including the ability to communicate effectively and remain calm and courteous under pressure.
- Guided by OHS’s mission in daily work, aspires and inspires others to enact the Society’s values of integrity, invitation, equity and inclusion, cultural humility, accessibility, and learning. Adheres to OHS policies and professional standards of the American Library Association, Society of American Archivists, American Association for State and Local History, National Council on Public History, and Oral History Association.
- Maintains punctual, regular, and predictable attendance.
- Works collaboratively in a team environment with a spirit of cooperation.
- Respectfully takes direction from supervisor.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Library Director provides direct supervision of all library division managers: Deputy Library Director for Collections, Senior Digital History Manager & Editor, Digital Collections Manager, and Reference Services Manager. This includes assigning tasks, maintaining schedules, performance management, hiring, and termination. May also supervise other staff, volunteers, and interns.
Master’s degree in library information science from an ALA-accredited program with concentration in archives management or advanced degree in one or more fields relevant to the position. Strong subject knowledge of Pacific Northwest or US history. In addition:
At least ten years of progressively responsible experience working in a medium-to-large research library or archive, or in special collections in an academic or public library.
At least three years of program management and supervisory experience, including management of librarians and other professionals.
At least two years of direct experience developing and managing budgets (can be concurrent with special collections and supervisory experience), preferably in a nonprofit setting.
Required:
- Working knowledge of library operations, current principles and trends, and best practices for collections management and use for special collections or archives, with expertise in one or more special collections formats, including manuscripts, photographs, film and video, sound recordings, maps, and rare books, with demonstrable interest in other areas.
- Knowledge of current library technology, including integrated library systems, collection management systems, server and cloud storage, and other relevant library applications and equipment.
- Demonstrated proficiency in collection development and management, including digitized and born-digital materials.
- Experience developing, managing, and implementing large-scale projects in libraries and/or archives, including grants, time-limited activities, or special initiatives; ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines and maintain strong communication of project process. Track record of success in grant writing and management.
- Experience developing and writing a variety of complex library procedures and policies for both internal and external use.
- Knowledge of legal and ethical issues pertaining to libraries and archives, including copyright, privacy, acquisitions, online publication, and other relevant matters.
- Knowledge of personnel management and applicable laws.
- Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities and strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work with a diverse group of colleagues, researchers, donors, and other individuals and communities.
- Ability to articulate a vision for the value of historical collections to learning, research, teaching, and community engagement.
- Professional involvement in the fields of archives or libraries, including participation in professional associations, demonstrated through publications and other activities.