Director, Gerstein (librarian III / IV; Permanent Status Stream)

University Of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 102,000 - 113,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic library system in Toronto seeks a Director for the Gerstein Science Information Centre. The role involves strategic leadership, mentoring staff, and promoting inclusivity within Canada's largest academic health sciences library. Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in library science and demonstrate experience in team building and commitment to diversity. This is a permanent position offering competitive compensation and benefits.

Benefits

Generous benefits packages

Support for professional development

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
• Progressive management and supervisory experience.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead management and strategic direction for the Gerstein library.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to library employees.
• Foster collaboration and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Inclusivity and diversity

Team building

Project management

Education

Master’s degree in library, archival or information science

Job description

Job Title: Director, Gerstein (Librarian III/IV; Permanent Status Stream)

Date Posted: 07/25/2025

Closing Date:08/24/2025

Req ID: 44394

Job Category:Librarian - Permanent Status Stream

Faculty/Division:Library

Department:Gerstein Science Info. Centre

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Are you looking for challenging, meaningful work in a supportive and diverse environment? Are you looking for a career at one of Canada’s top employers? Work where the world comes to think, discover and learn. Consider a career at the University of Toronto.

About the University of Toronto Libraries

The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked in the top five among peer institutions in North America. The system comprises 40 libraries located across three university campuses: St.George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This diverse and extensive network of college libraries, special collections, and specialized information centres plays a pivotal role in supporting the teaching, scholarly, and research needs of nearly 100,000 students enrolled in a wide array of graduate, professional, andundergraduate programs.

The library system provides access to millions of resources in various formats, including electronic, print, audio-visual, data and geospatial materials. UTL also boasts impressive holdings of archival material and substantial digital collections, securely preserved in the libraries' data centre. The staff at UTL are integral to the academic and scholarly enterprise, working closely with faculty and students to support their teaching, learning, and research requirements. They are subject matter experts; they are skilled in research data management, collections, statistics, GIS, metadata, digital preservation, scholarly communications, copyright, teaching, knowledge synthesis, open access and much more. Our work is grounded in our commitment to support equity, diversity, and inclusion. UTL continuously evolves to meet the changing academic priorities and pressures at the University and within the broader landscape of higher education.



About the Gerstein Science Information Centre

The Gerstein Science Information Centre is a cornerstone of research, education, and innovation within the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) system. As the largest academic health science library in Canada, Gerstein supports a broad spectrum of disciplines, with extensive online and print collections in the life sciences, physical sciences (e.g., physics, biology, chemistry), and health sciences.

Gerstein maintains deep, long-standing partnerships with the University’s health science faculties and plays an integral role in their academic and research missions. Its robust liaison program embeds librarians directly into health sciences curricula, fostering close collaboration with faculty and students. The library is a leader in supporting knowledge synthesis projects, contributing to high-impact research across disciplines. Gerstein also serves as a hub for science communication, entrepreneurial innovation, and 3D printing and maintains strong collaborative ties with the hospital library community through the Health Science Information Consortium (HSIC). Gerstein is staffed by a dedicated team of 17 professionals, including 10 librarians, 6 unionized staff members, and 1 professional manager, all committed to advancing the library’s mission of excellence in service, scholarship, and innovation.

The Opportunity

The University of Toronto Libraries invites applications for an innovative, experienced, and skilled communicator and library leader to serve in this key position. This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-thinking library professional to lead Canada’s largest academic health sciences library and become a member of the leadership team of the University of Toronto Libraries.



Reporting to the Associate Chief Librarian for Science Research and Information, the Director of Gerstein is responsible for:

-management, vision and strategic direction for the Gerstein library in alignment with the UTL mission statement and Strategic Plan.

-leadership, support, and mentorship to a team of library employees from a variety of employee groups.

-promoting the Libraries’ culture of diversity and inclusion.

-fostering an environment of collaboration, creative thinking and continuous improvement

-advocating for staff, services and supports

-working closely with the Health Science Information Consortium (HSIC) and the HSIC Executive Director to help develop and maintain strong relationships between UTL and the hospital libraries.


The successful candidate will be a progressive, collaborative leader who is:

-Proactive about anticipating evolving user needs and services: actively engaged in emerging technology and trends in libraries and how they can be applied to services and spaces.

-Invested in supporting the values of equity, inclusion, diversity and accessibility.

-A mentor, role model and leader to staff and librarians.

-Committed to fairness and integrity.

-Flexible and comfortable with change and ambiguity.

-Familiar with managing in a unionized environment.


Required Qualifications


type="disc"-
-Master’s degree in library, archival or information science from an accredited institution
-Demonstrated commitment to the values of inclusivity, diversity, equity, anti-racism and accessibility
-Progressive management, administrative, and supervisory experience.
-Proven ability to promote respect and inclusion by fostering a work environment that encourages participation and involvement.
-Demonstrated leadership abilities, particularly in team building, with proven experience creating a common vision.
-Demonstrated planning, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
-Outstanding interpersonal, intercultural, and communication skills.
-Demonstrated deep understanding of emerging trends, opportunities and challenges in the evolving scholarly communication ecosystem.
-Proven ability to communicate value and advocate for resources
-Experience developing and delivering innovative services in support of research, teaching, and learning
-Record of effective collaboration with users and other stakeholders.
-Demonstrated commitment to mentorship and staff development and growth.
-Capacity to thrive in an environment of change, and to nurture that capacity in others.
-Must qualify for the rank of librarian III as per the Policies for Librarians.


Preferred Qualifications

type="disc"-
-Academic background in the sciences or health sciences, or equivalent professional library work experience in these subject areas.
-Familiarity with managing in a unionized environment.
-Project management skills.


Salary and Terms of Appointment:

Salary and Terms of Appointment: This is a five-year renewable term position. It is also a permanent status stream position.

It is anticipated that this position will be filled at the Librarian III/IV level, subject to review and experience. Minimum salary: LIII: $102,023; LIB IV: 112,418 (Salary is dependent on rank at hire and qualifications).

Benefits: We offer generous benefits packages to all employees. Additional information is available at:people.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/

Additional information:

Librarians at the University of Toronto are members of the University of Toronto Faculty Association.

How :

Application Materials Required: A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references of which at least two have supervised your work. Please attach a single electronic file into the “Resume” Field. (MS Word or pdf) with a file name convention of Surname, FirstName, 44394.

The University of Toronto Libraries thanks all applicants but will only contact applicants selected for an interview.

University of Toronto Library System: onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/

University of Toronto: people.utoronto.ca/

Policies for librarians: people.utoronto.ca/policies/

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities .

University of Toronto Libraries’ Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Statement:

library.utoronto.ca/inclusion-diversity-and-equity-statement

University of Toronto Libraries' Anti-Racism Statement:

library.utoronto.ca/anti-racism-statement