Associate Director, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs at The New York Public Library

Description

• Provide sustaining leadership and inspire, guide and direct the Wallach Division’s curators, public service management, librarian and technical assistant staff 

• Provide a model of excellence in library service and operations, and be an exemplar of community engagement and the extension of world-class collections and staff expertise

• From the Director Special Collections and Exhibitions how to share the Wallach Division’s mission and values
• Develop knowledge of the Wallach Division’s collections and content areas

• Collaboration and build supportive relationships with colleagues within the Wallach Division and across the Research Libraries to increase discovery, access, and collection use

• Become familiar with the strategic priorities and goals of the Wallach Division
• Connect with curators and public service management, librarian and technical assistant staff 

• Become familiar with the collection strengths, storage facilities, governing policies and procedures 
• Promote strategies and planning service enhancements to increase access to research collections 
• Contribute to departmental and institution-wide initiatives

• Collaborate with Preservation and Collection Processing to determine priorities for processing to increase access and use, care and maintenance of the collection
• Partner with fundraising professionals to pursue and manage grants for supporting acquisitions and conservation, while also building relationships with private donors and funding agencies
• Become familiar with members of staff across NYPL

• Developing collections through gift and purchase aligned within a holistic and institution-wide strategic framework and within space and capacity constraints, and through an understanding of the collection’s strengths, their use, and scholarly trends
• Raising awareness of the collections and cultivate new communities of users, including a supportive donor base to address collection needs and new initiatives; strategically enhancing the visibility of the Wallach Division
• Providing expertise on collections and collaborate with Exhibitions staff on research to culminate in exhibitions that cut across research collections and engage broad audiences, and supporting exhibition website and publications

• Developing and promoting the cross-departmental and cross-institutional collaboration needed to provide a seamless and successful user experience
• Integrating the public service activities of Wallach units to promote deeper connections and understanding of user needs, collection strengths, and staff expertise
• Promoting strategies and planning service enhancements to increase access to research collections and contribute to departmental and institution-wide initiatives
• Liaising with the public service staff to support research and reference services to on-site and remote patrons
• Supporting teaching, outreach, and scholarly initiatives by contextualizing Wallach Division collections through presentations, publications, seminars, class instruction and public programs
• Work collaboratively and build supportive relationships with colleagues across the Research Libraries to increase discovery, access, and collection use

• Participating in Library-wide initiatives through participation on committees, task forces, research library meetings, and other relevant groups 
• Working within established budgets and with senior staff to set spending priorities.
• Managing an integral, dynamic team of curators, librarians, technical assistants, and support staff, including recruiting, motivating, mentoring, and retaining a highly-skilled professional staff
• Collaborating with Preservation and Collection Processing on priorities for processing to increase access and use, care and maintenance of the collection, and the facilitation of internal and external loan requests.
• Partnering with fundraising professionals to pursue and manage grants for supporting acquisitions and conservation, while also building relationships with private donors and funding agencies
• Being an outward-facing advocate and spokesperson for the importance of:
  • the fine and visual arts in American life and human culture
  • the role of libraries in supporting scholarship and other investigations in these fields
  • the significant contributions that Wallach collections, staff, and space have made in the past, currently make, and will make in the future in support of this work
• Maintaining a personal program of continuous education and professional development, and keep current on trends in the field, digital publishing, and scholarly communication
• Performing related duties as required

Requirements

• Advanced degree (M.A., M.F.A. or Ph.D.) in the practice or history of fine or visual arts 
• Knowledge of one or more Western European languages preferred

• Relevant work experience in a library or museum or other educational institution (at least 5 years) or academic achievement in the fine or visual arts
• Successfully demonstrated leadership experience within a library, museum, or other educational institution, with substantial supervisory experience and fiscal responsibility (2-3 years)
• Record of publications or conference participation that exemplifies candidate’s professional experience in special collections research 
• Deep expertise in one or more of the Wallach Division content areas: prints and printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture, drawing, fine bindings and illustrated books, architecture

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills and ability to work with a diverse range of patrons – scholars, students, and independent researchers with varying levels of experience
• Ability to implement the strategic vision of senior leadership and to articulate a strategic vision for the Wallach Division within the context of the established goals of senior leadership
• Demonstrated leadership ability, accountability and professionalism, combined with the ability to establish and maintain close and productive working relationships with colleagues and constituents in an environment where consultation, flexibility, collegiality, collaboration, and cooperation are essential 
• Experience with instruction, program development and implementation, and public speaking
• Understanding of current  trends in the field of special collections and a demonstrated commitment to professional education
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated commitment to public service and a thorough understanding of the role of special collections within a public library system
• Demonstrated understanding of the ways in which a research library’s special collections facilitate scholarship, and of the diverse and changing ways that researchers, artists, educators, and students use physical and digital collections

• Manages the Wallach Division curators, public service management, librarian and technical assistant staff

Apply via AAM