Director of Library Resources and Information Services

Purpose of Position

The Director of Library Resources and Information Services is the chief administrator for the SMHS Library Resources department and leads staff in planning and operations across all SMHS regional campus locations. This position functions as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders, negotiating and advocating for the library and acting as its spokesperson. The Director provides vision and leadership for SMHS Library Resources to advance the purpose and strategic goals of the school, enhance and support research and scholarly productivity, and promote learner success and achievement across undergraduate, graduate, professional and post-graduate programs. 

Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership & Staff Management

• Provide leadership and management for SMHS Library Resources operations and staff
• Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of information resources and services to students, faculty, and staff of the SMHS and College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines as well as other health professionals and constituencies throughout the state
• Provide necessary support in establishing a community of faculty, staff and learners dedicated to active participation and productivity in research and scholarship  

Strategic Visioning and Planning

• Establish and evaluate goals, priorities, strategies and policies for library services in accordance with the needs of the educational, research, and services programs of the SMHS
• Collaborate with the faculty and staff to establish a shared vision and develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the next phase of growth
• Prepare and/or manage the preparation of reports for SMHS administration and external organizations or granting agencies as requested
• Envision and implement a vision for a 21st century academic health sciences library  

Fiscal Management

• Allocate departmental funds; collaborate with research and education librarians to select and maintain resources and services to meet the needs of the students, faculty, and staff of SMHS
• Prepare proposals for external funding through grants, contracts, and awards; monitors expenditures from these sources to ensure they are within guidelines of the granting agencies and the university
• Provide leadership for collection development and negotiates allocation for materials and resources necessary to acquire and maintain an optimal collection in alignment with the school’s strategic goals and available financial resources
• Prioritize allocated, income-generated, and grant/contract funds to optimize library resources and services in accordance with the mission and goals of the library and university
• Review expenditures to ensure budgetary compliance; adjusts category budgets, as appropriate  

Engaged Librarianship

• With the research and education librarians and the clinical campus librarians, develop and sustain a strong and responsive user education program, identify resources and instruction needs, promote scholarly communication and effective data management practices, and ensure the design and delivery of curricular content in formats effective to meet the needs of faculty, staff, medical residents and students
• Identify research education needs across constituencies in medical, health and basic sciences
• Maintain currency with latest developments in Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning technologies, and trends in AIdriven content creation to contribute to ongoing innovation
• Analyze state-of-the-art AI techniques to improve prompt generation models and algorithms to ensure AI prompt generation is integrated effectively in research and instructional settings
• Provide leadership in the development of electronic and technology-enhanced information resources, services, and systems by reading and attending meetings, conferences and workshops, and by sponsoring extramural educational resources and invited speakers
• Engage in professional research and publication 

Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement

• Market and evaluate library and information services and programs
• Design instruments to evaluate library services and programs
• Monitor programs and services to ensure they are carried out effectively
• Monitor developments in library administration and information technology to ensure that the library's information services and technologies are current
• Participate in accreditation self-study review committees; provide information on the library for accreditation organizations of the SMHS and CNPD  

Professional Presence

• Represent the library in professional associations and the local, state, and national library community through attendance at appropriate conferences
• Maintain a visible presence in the community and seek opportunities to advance the school through philanthropy and community foundation partnerships
• Develop and sustain strong relationships with SMHS and CNPD senior leadership, affiliated health systems and UND libraries
• Cultivate a sense of community and actively involves faculty, staff, students, and alumni in supporting a collectively shared strategic vision
• Contribute through service roles to the school, university and profession
• Participate in institutional governance and serve on appropriate SMHS committees
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand user preferences and tailor technology, including AI usage, to improve services
• With clinical campus librarians, plan, develop and evaluate outreach programs and events for health professionals and the public throughout the state  

Required Competencies

• Knowledge of the operations, disciplines, and goals of academic libraries
• Knowledge of the information resources needed to support faculty, staff and students in medical education
• Knowledge of the information resources needed to support clinicians in patient care
• Knowledge of the information resources needed to support faculty, staff and students in research
• Knowledge of the principles of ‘evidence-based’ health care practice
• Ability to provide inclusive, collaborative, and team-based leadership
• Excellent skills of interpersonal communication; responsive and active listener
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability and willingness to work both independently and collaboratively
• Analytical and decision-making skills
• Skills in analyzing fiscal needs and managing budget

Minimum Requirements

• Master of Library and Information Science or equivalent from an American Library Association-accredited institution
• Five years of progressively responsible library and information services experience in an academic library, preferably an academic health sciences library
• Three years of administrative and managerial experience, including personnel, fiscal management, planning, and information technology
• Three years of instructional experience at the undergraduate, graduate or professional level in general areas of information literacy, research, and/or evidence-based practice
• Successful completion of a Criminal History Background Check

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Library and Information Science, Education, Data Science, Communications or a related subject discipline
• Academy of Health Information Professionals of the Medical Library Association (AHIP) certification
• Record of scholarship in an area(s) of research contributing to knowledge and/or practice in library and information science
• Experience with prompt-generation techniques for Large Language Models and a basic understanding of artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms and their applications in Natural Language Processing