Head of Research Services

ABOUT THE POSITION :

Reporting to the Director of Research, Teaching, & User Services (RTUS), this position offers an exciting opportunity for a librarian to supervise and coordinate the core work of Subject Librarians including research support services and collection development. In collaboration with the Head of Information Literacy and Student Engagement and the Head of User Services, the Head of Research Services will be part of the RTUS leadership team and will provide input to the Director on issues, initiatives, and projects that affect the division's units. This position will work closely with colleagues in collection development to coordinate the collection development work of Subject Librarians and with peers in RTUS to design and administer user centered service models for delivering high quality general research and instructional support, both online and in-person. This includes regular assessment and experimentation in order to ensure continuous improvement. The successful candidate in this position has the opportunity to bring their vision, creativity, and organizational skills to enhance the collections and services offered by The Claremont Colleges Library.

Priority Deadline : The deadline for first consideration is September 11, 2026. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration; the position will remain open until filled. Please note that a cover letter and cv/resume are required along with the application.

COMPENSATION

Pay : The pay rate for this position is $7,125 and $7,600 per month, $85,500-$91,200 if annualized.

Benefits : This position is eligible for our employment benefits package including:

• •10% retirement contributions after one year (no matching required)
• •Tuition Remission and Professional Development funds
• •Access to fitness facilities
• •Generous time off including 11 paid holidays, up to 22 vacation days and 12 sick days per year, and a paid Winter Closure.
• •Medical, Dental, Vision

Work Schedule : This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule to work partial hours remotely as approved by the supervisor. The regular hours for this full-time position are 40 hours scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday for 12 months annually. May be required to work holiday, weekend, and/or evening hours. Regular hours may vary due to the needs of the organization or business unit.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

40% of Time: Research Support Services Leadership

• •Coordinates and assesses the division’s research and reference service models.
• •Working closely with the division’s Director and the Head of Information Literacy and Student Engagement (HILSE), explores the division’s research support service models with the goal to ensure high quality and user centered approaches.
• •Working closely with the division’s leadership team, creates training and documentation for the Library’s tiered reference services provided by staff and student assistants.
• •Working with the division’s Director, and other stakeholders within the Library, investigates, and implements, best practices in scholarly communications outreach mechanisms as well as best practices in the creation of public guides and instructional information to facilitate the development of Open Educational Resources (OERs).
• •Works with colleagues across the Library to support public-facing scholarly communications outreach and information-sharing related to copyright and open access initiatives. Builds upon Copyright First Responders training received by Subject Librarians.
• •Works with colleagues in public services across the Library to build capacity among Subject and Teaching Librarians on topics related to digital scholarship, artificial intelligence (AI), data services, and primary source literacy.
• •Maintains awareness of best practices and emerging trends and approaches related to research support services in academic libraries.

25% of Time: Collection Development Leadership

• •In collaboration with the Head of Collection Management, oversees and coordinates the Subject Librarians’ activities related to the selection of new materials for acquisition and relevant collection management projects to ensure the Library has a current, well-rounded, and diverse collection that supports the curriculum and research conducted at The Claremont Colleges.
• •Maintains awareness of emerging approaches, innovations, and research related to collection development in academic libraries, such as: streaming media resources, e-book licenses, demand driven and evidence-based acquisitions, diversification of collections, and assessment of collections.
• •Provides content to the Library’s Associate Director for Communications regarding the unit’s collections-based projects and collaborates on public outreach messaging Identifies, recommends and collaboratively creates policies, procedures, and workflows aimed at creating a more streamlined and efficient collection management workload for Subject Librarians.
• •Fosters excellent communication and effective working relationships with colleagues across the Library in regards to collections related issues.

30% of Time: Unit Leadership

• •Ensures the unit supports the subjects taught by the Colleges, including equitably distributing subjects across Subject Librarians and staying abreast of emerging disciplines across the seven institutions of the Claremont Colleges (7Cs).
• •Collaborates with division leadership on issues, initiatives, and projects that affect the units in Research, Teaching & User Services.
• •Works closely with division leadership to support subject librarians in developing a scaffolded and sustainable approach to their subject instruction efforts.
• •Guides subject librarians in implementing best practices for communication and outreach with subject faculty.
• •Organizes and supports Community of Practice meetings among Subject Librarians in order for unit members to learn and share information relevant to their unique work.
• •Collaborates with division leadership on the assessment of the division’s work, in order to evaluate existing initiatives, and visioning new strategic pathways.
• •Stays abreast of best practices related to subject/liaison librarianship and introduces new ideas and approaches as relevant.
• •Participates in library-wide planning and assessment projects through service on committees, task forces, and special projects.
• •Actively engages in networking and professional development through national/regional/local organizations through committee work, office-holding, presentations, publications, etc.

5% of Time: Graduate Outreach Leadership

• •In consultation with outreach colleagues, and relevant Subject Librarians, stays up to date and organizes the general outreach to the graduate colleges.
• •Designs streamlined processes and workflows for conducting graduate outreach and recruits relevant volunteers to participate in graduate outreach events
• •Maintains awareness of best practices in conducting graduate outreach and introduces creative ideas and approaches to engage new students.
• •Collaborates with the Director of RTUS and the Associate Dean for Operations and Strategy to assess the impact of library services and resources for the graduate colleges’ communities.
• •Perform other related duties and projects as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• •Number of direct reports: 8
• •Recruit, select, train, evaluate, and develop staff.
• •Clearly communicate job requirements and expectations.
• •Coordinate training and resources to support the performance of work duties.
• •Provide ongoing coaching that is balanced, helpful, timely, and contributes to a work environment of open communication, ownership of duties, and trust.
• •Address performance issues early, create appropriate documentation, and ensure follow through. Collaborate with Human Resources as needed.
• •Complete annual written performance reviews.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Training : MLIS from an ALA accr