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Position Available September 2005

Curator, John M. Echols Collection on Southeast Asia
Cornell University Library (CUL) seeks a senior curator for its John M. Echols Collection on Southeast Asia. Located in the striking Carl A. Kroch Library for Special Collections, the Echols Collection is the largest and most comprehensive collection on Southeast Asia in the world. The collection serves as the principal information resource for Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program, a Title VI National Resource Center. The collection numbers 350,000 volumes and is one of the fastest growing collections at Cornell. Monographs and serials holdings are complemented by a substantial collection of non-book materials and microforms, documenting all languages and countries of the region. While continuing to emphasize the importance of traditional formats, the Library is also actively committed to identifying and preserving crucial digital content and to promoting the use of all its materials through new technologies.

The successful candidate must be capable of providing the highest level of library commitment for the Southeast Asia Program by aggressively building the Collection in support of the University’s teaching and research programs. The Curator will actively pursue additional outside funding to support this growth as well as extend awareness of the Collection and access to it through traditional and innovative initiatives. S/he will serve as an advocate and liaison with all levels of users, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars. To meet these goals, the Curator must assume a leadership role within the Library generally and the Asia Collections in particular.

Duties and Responsibilities: The Curator is responsible for the overall operation and development of the Echols Collection, directly supervising the Southeast Asia Librarian, the Administrative Assistant, and student assistants. S/he contributes resources to the pool that supports public services, reformatting projects, and digital initiatives for the Asia Collections. The Curator also works with other divisions in the Library system to ensure the acquisitions, cataloging, stacks management, and preservation of the Collection. In total, the number of staff that supports the Echols Collection is approximately a dozen, with a total salary and wage budget exceeding $625,000.

The Curator works closely with the faculty and students of Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program in developing the Collection’s holdings and in providing necessary support for the Program’s research and teaching activities. S/he assumes overall responsibility for managing collection development with particular responsibility for selecting materials in areas of special expertise. In addition to working with selection sources, the curator will acquire materials not entering the book trade through gift, exchange, and buying trips. Appropriately qualified candidates will be appointed adjunct faculty in the University’s Department of Asian Studies, responsible for teaching advanced bibliography for the region.

In addition to these specific responsibilities, the Curator will also be expected to contribute actively to the overall goals of a major research library and to the larger field of Southeast Asia librarianship on the national and international level. Opportunities for broadened administrative responsibilities beyond Southeast Asia may also be available for the appropriately experienced and qualified candidate.

The curator will report to the Director of Unit Libraries, Access and Delivery Services, an important division within the recently formed CUL organization, Instruction, Research, and Information Services (IRIS), the largest organizational entity within CUL. In addition to the Asia Collections, IRIS is comprised of six unit libraries, the offsite storage facility, and several departments and divisions that provide system-wide support in public services, collection development, preservation, research and assessment, intellectual property issues, media, maps, access, and interlibrary loan. IRIS also manages information services for CUL’s largest collections in the humanities and social sciences.

Qualifications: All librarians at Cornell must promote effective relationships with colleagues, their respective campus constituencies, and appropriate donors. They must also actively participate in professional associations and/or carry out research and publication in their subject field.

Required: An advanced research degree in an appropriate field of Southeast Asian Studies and a thorough knowledge of Southeast Asian bibliography

  • Extensive professional experience in an academic or research library
  • Excellent administrative abilities, including leadership, collaborative, and organizational strength; effective supervisory and management skills; and well-developed interpersonal and communication skills
  • A demonstrated commitment to public service and collection building at the research library level, and a demonstrated ability to contribute to the promotion of new technologies and to successfully solicit external funding.
  • Expertise in one or more of the languages of Southeast Asia
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills in English
  • Well-established contacts in the region and familiarity with the publishing industry and current book trade in Southeast Asia
  • A demonstrated capacity to contribute to the field of Southeast Asian Studies

Desired: MLS degree; Six to ten years of progressively responsible professional experience managing an Asian collection at a major research library.

Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including 22 vacation days, 11 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, and university retirement contributions.

Application: Applications requested by October 15, 2005. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Salary and rank will be dependent upon qualifications and experience. To apply visit http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/jobs/, search under the job category of Librarians, and select posting number 04449. Follow the instructions for online submission including a cover letter, resume, and the names, phone numbers, and addresses for three references.

For further information, contact Susan Markowitz, Director of Library Human Resources, 201 Olin Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5301.

Cornell University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to diversity.

We value qualified candidates who can bring to our community a variety of backgrounds and experiences.