Dean of University Libraries Leadership Profile Academic Year 2021 - 2022
Old Dominion University
Executive Summary Old Dominion University (ODU) seeks a visionary, entrepreneurial, and collaborative Dean of University Libraries with a record of success who will lead the libraries in its mission to meet the needs of a preeminent research university; advocate for the libraries within the university and the larger community; articulate a shared vision for the libraries; demonstrate an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice; attract external resources; and support the university’s leadership role in regional economic development.
Roles and Expectations • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Articulate a vision and develop and implement a strategic plan consistent with the institutional strategic plan and priorities Demonstrate commitment to the recruitment, retention, and mentoring of faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds Represent the Libraries in its external relations with donors and the community, at local, state, and international levels, and in relevant professional bodies Provide leadership in fundraising with public and private sectors, revenue generation, external grant acquisitions, and resource allocation to support the Libraries’ aspirations and priorities Ensure a highly engaging and rewarding student experience and implement strategies to facilitate student success Represent the College in its internal relations with central administration and with other colleges and units within the University Embrace and facilitate shared governance Exercise control over the budget of the Libraries College, allocating and reallocating faculty and staff lines and other resources Promote and advocate for library programs that address the needs of faculty, students, and staff Work with library staff to evaluate and implement programs aimed at improving services and facilities and increasing operational efficiency within the libraries Create an environment which supports mutual respect among staff and professional advancement for staff Foster professionalism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a positive work environment Advocate for appropriate funding to support the library and institutional missions by developing the library’s collections and services, supporting research and scholarship, and incorporating emergent technologies Support library programs that address the needs of students, staff, faculty, and the community Provide leadership and contribute to academic and student services in close collaboration with Information Technology Services, Distance Learning, Center for Learning and Teaching, the Learning Commons Partners, and other key partners and stakeholders
Old Dominion University
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Work closely with deans, directors, and other library leadership in the Commonwealth of Virginia and leadership and members of The Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) as well as representing the Libraries in the community and region, and at the state and national levels
Required Qualifications •
An earned master’s degree in Library Science (MLS, MLIS, or equivalent) from an accredited ALA program. Preference will be given to candidates with a doctorate degree in library science or equivalent • A record of academic and professional achievement warranting appointment to the rank of Librarian IV (non- tenure track) at ODU • Significant and progressive library organization administrative experience, management and leadership skills and an understanding of the operations, disciplines and goals of a major public research university
Preferred Qualifications • •
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Demonstrated record of success in administrative leadership (i.e., budgetary and supervisory) experience Demonstrated commitment to diversity and to continuing programs to achieve inclusion among Library faculty and staff and to provide services that meet the needs of a diverse population of students and scholars Experience with the oversight and allocation complex budgets and the ability to provide clear communication about the allocation of resources Knowledge of strategic planning processes and alignment of college’s plans with university goals and priorities Recruits, retains, and leads staff in a way that supports the University’s principles of Equity and Diversity Evidence of a participatory leadership style and ability to manage conflict effectively and to take decisive action in a fair and equitable manner, when necessary Demonstrated success in personnel management of faculty and staff Successful administrative experience with strategic planning, fiscal management, and relevant technologies Demonstrated ability to secure external funds, including grants and a proven track record of fundraising A history of community engagement, including building, enhancing and sustaining partnerships across the institution, region and nation Experience with scholarly communications and scholarly publishing Demonstrated knowledge of important issues facing academic libraries including, but not limited to, Open Access publication issues, Record Retention, and Copyright Administration Strong interpersonal and oral and written communication skills and political adeptness to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, and campus administrators
Old Dominion University
Libraries Management Team* • • • • • • • • • •
Rob Tench, Head, Resource Fulfillment Dorothy Lockaby, Head, Liason Services Karen Vaughan, Head, Scholarly Communications & Publishing Jennifer Hoyt, Head, Libraries Engagement Leanne Hillery, Head, Resource Description and Collection Maintenance Jessica Ritchie, Head, Special Collections and University Archives Lucy Wittkower, Head, Teaching & Learning Initiatives O’Neika Hinnant, Staff Assembly President Rama Adderley, Staff Assembly Vice-Chair Holli Kubly, Head, Systems Development
*The Management Team also includes the Head of Learning Commons. This position is currently vacant.
Recent Accomplishments Collections and Research Support •
Renegotiation and unbundling of “Big Deal” contract with Elsevier: in January 2021, the University Libraries and five other members of the Virginia Research Libraries group (Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, James Madison University, George Mason University, and William & Mary) renegotiated their shared 2021 contracts with Elsevier. This renegotiation culminated several years of preparation and was significant because the Elsevier contract had grown to consume about 22% of Old Dominion University Libraries’ materials budget. The renegotiation reduced the Libraries’ 2021 spend with Elsevier by $437,072 (50%). As a result, the Libraries were able to add several resources long desired by faculty, such as the Virginian Pilot Historical Archive and membership with HathiTrust, a not-for-profit digital collaboration composed of more than 200 academic and research libraries. Most importantly, this renegotiation is a crucial step in realizing the goal of creating a more sustainable scholarly communication system at ODU and beyond.
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Growth of Digital Commons Institutional Repository: In July 2020, the Libraries celebrated the one-millionth download from the ODU Digital Commons. The Digital Commons now contains over 13,000 items that have been downloaded nearly 1.7 million times. While the Libraries continued this past year to add faculty scholarly works (649) and ODU electronic theses and dissertations (261), they featured many more undergraduate works including 94 graduate student posters for the Graduate Student Achievement Day, 151 undergraduate works for the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and 120 programs from student music performances. Digital Commons also hosts three journals: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal, Virginia Journal of Science, and Journal of Sociotechnical Critique.
Old Dominion University
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Growth of Special Collections and University Archives: The Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) program continued to document the history of ODU and support the University’s academic programs and research interests by collecting and providing access to unique manuscript collections, archives, and rare books. Despite pandemic-related closures and restrictions during the past 12 months, SCUA provided remote and in-person research services to the ODU community and external researchers, including identifying and scanning over 1,160 documents for patrons and recording over 146,000 page views of the department’s digital collections. SCUA archivists completed a pilot project to digitize the WTAR/WTKR Hampton Roads Historic News Film Collection, which is one of the most extensive news film collections in the United States. Video clips from the collection have already been licensed by ESPN, the City of Norfolk, the Newport News Public Library System, and BET/CBS News for the recently aired documentary series Disrupt and Dismantle. Finally, the Department launched the COVID-19 and ODU Social Justice and Activism Archive sites to document experiences of the University and regional community during this eventful period.
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Naro video collection: In 2020, the Libraries acquired a deep, historical film collection from the recently closed Naro Expanded Video store, a Norfolk landmark. This valuable in-kind donation includes over 42,000 films, many not available through streaming services or in most libraries. The collection will be an important resource for the Communication and Theatre Arts Department and for the entire regional community.
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Pandemic operations: After closing onsite operations on March 16, 2020, the Libraries immediately converted all research support, consultations, and information literacy instruction to virtual mode to support resumption of classes remotely on March 23, 2020. The Libraries began to ship print materials to all ODU students and faculty (not just distance learners) in mid-June 2020. The Learning Commons and Perry Library re-opened their physical spaces to ODU students, faculty, and staff on July 6, 2020 and to the community on August 22, 2020. This reopening schedule placed the Libraries ahead of most other academic libraries in Virginia.
Engagement •
The University Libraries elevated their communications program to a free-standing Department of Engagement in 2019, with the goal to build deeper relationships with stakeholders and build broader awareness of programs, events, and services to better serve the ODU community. This organizational change has furthered the Libraries’ success in aligning programming with academic and social interests of students and faculty and in identifying and engaging with specific groups at the University.
Old Dominion University
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The Libraries have built their ability to promote programming, resources and services through social media, digital signage, University Announcements, published articles, the Libraries’ web page, and local media. These avenues have been particularly successful in promoting Libraries’ projects like the Naro Video collection and the ODU COVID-19 and Social Justice and Activism archives. Collaboration among several departments in the Libraries supported the launch of Conversations with the Monarch Community (virtual sessions), the creation of online book displays, promotion of student-focused contests, and a week-long Arts in the Libraries Virtual Festival, among other events and projects.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity •
In the summer of 2020, the Libraries created a new staff working group focused on equity, inclusivity, and diversity. The group is comprised of 12 members and is working closely on a variety of efforts aimed at making the Libraries a more welcoming, inviting, and supportive environment for all faculty, students, staff, and community users. Thus far, the group has worked with Veleka Gatling, Director for Diversity Initiatives, to conduct focus groups with staff, and has sponsored several training and professional development workshops. Miriam Bridges, Business Librarian, was named the Libraries Inclusive Conversations Trainer and attended the Winters Group certification course in April 2021. This initiative is an empowering and transformative step forward for the Libraries and supports diversity-related projects and partnerships across the University. The Libraries are also working with Narketta Sparkman-Key, Academic Affairs Director of Faculty Diversity and Retention, on strategies to improve their ability to successfully recruit diverse candidates for positions throughout the organization.
Student Success •
Emergency Technology Loan Program: Since August 2020 the Libraries have managed the University’s Emergency Technology Loan Program, which has provided laptops and hotspots to 142 students since the COVID-19 emergency began.
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Instruction: The Libraries supported faculty teaching and student learning this academic year by providing online information literacy tutorials that were completed by 6,661 students, 176 library instruction sessions and 30+ workshops related to research and information literacy.
Old Dominion University
Current Projects and Initiatives Collections and Research Support • •
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Continue taking advantage of opportunities to unbundle “big deal” e-journal packages and reallocate materials funds to meet developing research and instruction needs of the University community Promote and facilitate expanded use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) by faculty as an alternative to proprietary textbooks. This effort aligns with Virginia Code § 23.1-1308 and SCHEV objectives supporting educational affordability and student success. Implement and promote improved alternative access mechanisms including speedy resource sharing, institutional repositories and pay-per-view purchasing of research journal articles to provide cost-effective alternatives to “big deal” e-journal packages. Continue processing materials and creating a space for the Naro collection to prepare it for use by ODU and the Hampton Roads community. Expand access to and reach of unique, open access content created and/or preserved at the University through digital projects and Digital Commons institutional repository. The Libraries have established and funded their first two Graduate Administrative Assistant positions for MLIS students that will begin in fall 2021.
Engagement • •
Continue developing an integrated engagement campaign that helps the Libraries build relationships with key stakeholders and potential partners. Upgrade physical spaces to provide members of the University community with flexible, inviting, technology enabled spaces that meet their needs.
DIversity Equity, and Inclusivity •
Continue DEI efforts aimed at improving success in recruiting and hiring diverse employees throughout the organization and making the Libraries a more welcoming, inviting, and supportive environment for all faculty, students, staff, and community users.
Sudent Success • •
Continue to grow the information literacy and library instruction program through partnerships with faculty and growing online learning support. Collaborate with University partners on initiatives aimed at increasing student success and retention by teaching them tools for critical thinking and scholarship.
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University Old Dominion University was founded in 1930 as an extension of the College of William and Mary and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Initially focused on educating teachers and engineers, the two-year school rapidly evolved into a four-year institution. It was granted independence as Old Dominion College in 1962 and began offering its first graduate degree two years later. Before the turn of the decade, Old Dominion would realize its dream of achieving status as a university. Today, Old Dominion University is an entrepreneurial-minded research university with nearly 24,000 students, rigorous academics and initiatives that contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia’s economy. On campus and online, ODU is Virginia’s most affordable public doctoral university. U.S. News & World Report ranks ODU No. 126 out of 1,500 public universities, has repeatedly named it a top university for social mobility, and recognizes ODU’s undergraduate business and engineering programs as among the best across doctoral institutions in the U.S. ODU offers more than 150 programs available on campus and more than 100 programs through online learning at ODUOnline, including 91 bachelor’s, 41 master’s, 22 doctoral and two educational specialist degrees. Approximately half of ODU’s students are people of color, and one-quarter are military-affiliated. With more than 150,000 alumni across all 50 states and 67 countries, ODU pride stretches across the nation and around the world. ODU’s central purpose is to provide students with the best education possible by seeking to provide access for a more diverse array of student populations, elevating its standing among the nation’s public research institutions, making innovative use of modern learning technologies, and insisting on an artsand-sciences-based general education for all undergraduates. Learn more about the university at the ODU website.
Old Dominion University
Mission and Vision Old Dominion University serves its students and enriches the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation and the world through rigorous academic programs, strategic partnerships and active civic engagement. The university’s vision is to be recognized nationally and internationally as a forward-focused metropolitan university with a collaborative and innovative approach to education and research that spurs economic growth, focuses on student success, engages civic and community partners, and uses its connections with the military and maritime industries and its exceptional strengths and leadership in related areas to provide practical solutions to complex, real-world problems.
Leadership and Governance ODU is governed by a 17-member board of visitors, which has authority to control and expend university funds and appropriations and to enact all rules and regulations concerning the institution. Board members are appointed by the governor.
Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., became Old Dominion University’s ninth president on July 1, 2021. He previously served as president of Radford University and, before that, as president of West Virginia State University. He held prior leadership roles at University of Arkansas–Fayetteville, where he was associate vice chancellor and dean of students, and at Northern Illinois University, where he was vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. Read more about President Hemphill.
The university comprises nine colleges and schools: • • • • • • • • •
College of Arts & Letters Strome College of Business Darden College of Education & Professional Studies Batten College of Engineering & Technology College of Health Sciences College of Sciences Patricia & Douglas Perry Honors College School of Cyber Security The Graduate School
Old Dominion University Campus Old Dominion University (ODU) is residential university that enjoys tremendous advantages from its unique coastal location within a thriving metropolitan region adjacent to major maritime and military installations and within easy reach of the nation’s capital. Metropolitan Hampton Roads’ location provides a rich living laboratory for many of ODU’ academic and research pursuits, including environmental, marine, and natural sciences and engineering associated with the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The region is host to an extensive and comprehensive public education system and several community colleges and universities, with which ODU has long-standing and strong collaborations. ODU’s co-location with an exceptional array of major local and federal government facilities and organizations presents opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships, such as with the Jefferson National Laboratory, NASA Langley, Virginia Port Authority, and teaching hospitals such as Eastern Virginia Medical School and Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, among others.
City of Norfolk Norfolk, Virginia is a city of some 247,000 residents and encompasses 66 square miles. It has seven miles of Chesapeake Bay beachfront and a total of 144 miles of shoreline along our lakes, rivers, and the Bay. Much of this land is located in residential neighborhoods. Norfolk is also home to the world’s largest naval base and the North American Headquarters for NATO. USA Today called Norfolk one of the Top 10 booming downtowns, recognizing a decades-long housing, retail and financial boom in Norfolk. Norfolk is rich with history, culture and the arts. Colonial Williamsburg and NASA Langley, the birthplace of the U.S. space program, are both nearby, as are the renowned Chrysler Museum of Art and the NEON Arts District. Many of the city’s museums and historic sites can be found within 12 walkable city blocks of the downtown waterfront. Rolling Stone magazine has called downtown’s NorVa Theatre one of the nation’s best live music venues.
Old Dominion University
Nomination & Application Process The Search Committee invites applications, inquiries, and nominations for this position. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact details of at least five professional references. Applications and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled, and review of applications will begin immediately. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit materials electronically to the search firm assisting Old Dominion University by February 1, 2022.
Laurie C. Wilder, President Porsha L. Williams, Vice President Jacob C. Anderson, Principal Parker Executive Search pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com (770) 804-1996 x 111
Old Dominion University is an equal opportunity employer and, in compliance with federal and state laws and University policy, is committed to providing equal educational and employment opportunities for all persons without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Individuals from traditionally underrepresented populations are encouraged to apply.