Associate Dean for Research, Academic Engagement & Library Experience

Prairie View A&M University; Prairie View (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Prairie View A&M University is seeking an Associate Dean for Research, Academic Engagement & Library Experience to provide strategic leadership across research, teaching, outreach, and access services. The role aligns collections, spaces, and digital platforms with campus priorities through a coherent service philosophy.

The Associate Dean leads a diverse team, guides user-centered library experiences, and partners with university leadership to advance PVAMU’s academic mission and community

Qualifications

• ALA-accredited master's degree in library or information science.
• Six years of professional library experience.
• Knowledge of contemporary academic-library services supporting research, teaching, learning, access, engagement, and user experience.
• Knowledge of service assessment, evidence-based decision-making, organizational improvement, and user-centered service design.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures of TAMUS.
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal, leadership, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic and administrative leadership for Research, Teaching, & Outreach Services and Access, Circulation & Experience Services.
• Develops and implements an integrated service model across research, teaching, academic engagement, outreach, access, circulation, and user-experience functions.
• Leads liaison services, library instruction and information fluency, research consultations, and graduate/doctoral support; builds partnerships.
• Oversees circulation, access, interlibrary loan, and distributed services across branch locations.
• Recruits, develops, supervises, and supports managers, librarians, staff, and student employees.
• Contributes to strategic planning, resource allocation, and organizational development.
• Provides evening and weekend leadership for designated hours.
• Collaborates with other university units to align services with institutional priorities.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Word processing

Spreadsheets

Leadership

Policy knowledge

Education

ALA-accredited Master’s in Library or Information Science

Six years of professional library experience

Tools

Library management systems

Word processing

Spreadsheets

Job description

Job Title Associate Dean for Research, Academic Engagement & Library Experience

Agency Prairie View A&M University Department Library

Proposed Minimum SalaryCommensurate

Job Location Prairie View, Texas

Job TypeStaff

Important Immigration information:

A Presidential proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025. Please be advised that Texas A&M University will NOT pay this fee. Therefore, if you need immigration sponsorship for your employment, we recommend that you consult with your private immigration counsel at your own expense to ascertain whether your current immigration status would make a potential offer of employment from Texas A&M University subject to this fee. In addition, on January 27, 2026, Texas Governor Abbot issued a moratorium on the filing of any new H-1B unless approved by the Texas Workforce Commission. Accordingly, if you will now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status this moratorium may affect our ability to employ you should you be selected as the final candidate.

The Associate Dean for Research, Academic Engagement & Library Experience provides strategic and administrative leadership for the people, services, partnerships, and experiences through which students, faculty, researchers, and visitors engage with the University Libraries. Reporting to the Dean of Libraries and serving on the senior leadership team, the Associate Dean leads approximately 13 full-time employees, plus student employees, across Research, Teaching, & Outreach Services and Access, Circulation & Experience Services. The position integrates research, teaching, outreach, access, engagement, and user-experience functions around a coherent service philosophy; strengthens capabilities supporting the University’s growing research and academic mission; and advances accessible, user-centered library experiences across physical spaces, service points, digital interactions, branch locations, distributed services, partnerships, and operating hours. The Associate Dean collaborates closely with the Associate Dean for Collections, Digital Strategy & Content and other university leaders to align services, collections, technologies, spaces, and expertise with institutional priorities.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Service Integration

Provides strategic and administrative leadership for Research, Teaching, & Outreach Services and Access, Circulation & Experience Services. Develops and implements an integrated service model across research, teaching, academic engagement, outreach, access, circulation, and user-experience functions.

Research, Teaching, and Academic Engagement

Leads liaison services, library instruction and information fluency, research consultations, advanced research support, graduate and doctoral support, scholarly communication, research impact services, faculty partnerships, outreach, programming, and community engagement. Builds productive partnerships with colleges, faculty, graduate programs, researchers, students, academic leaders, external organizations, and other university units.

Access, Library Experience, and Distributed Services

Leads circulation and access services, interlibrary loan and resource sharing, stacks and collection access, student engagement, evening and weekend operations, facilities and space management, safety and security coordination, and continuous improvement of physical and service environments. Provides leadership and coordination for designated branch and distributed library services, including the Music Library, Northwest Houston Center library services, and library support for the College of Nursing. Manages the institutional service relationship with the Texas Medical Center Library, including responsibilities, services, referrals, instruction, communication, and other collaborative activities.

Organizational Leadership and Personnel Development

Recruits, develops, supervises, and supports managers, librarians, staff, student employees, and emerging leaders; builds effective teams and organizational capability.

Assessment, Strategic Planning, and Resource Stewardship

Uses assessment, evidence, and user-centered practices to improve service quality, discovery, navigation, organizational performance, engagement, and impact. Contributes to strategic planning, resource allocation, personnel development, and other significant organizational responsibilities.

Other Responsibilities

Serves as a member of the University Libraries’ senior leadership team and works collaboratively across organizational boundaries. Provides leadership for services delivered during evening and weekend operating hours and across designated branch and distributed locations. Collaborates with the Associate Dean for Collections, Digital Strategy & Content to ensure that services, collections, technologies, platforms, and discovery environments evolve together around research, teaching, and user needs. Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience:

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science.
• Six years of professional library experience following receipt of the master’s degree.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of contemporary academic-library services supporting research, teaching, learning, access, engagement, and user experience.
• Knowledge of service assessment, evidence-based decision-making, organizational improvement, and user-centered service design.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively.
• Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures of TAMUS.
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal, leadership, and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership accomplishment in one or more areas relevant to the position’s portfolio.
• Experience developing productive partnerships with faculty, students, academic leaders, researchers, external organizations, or other university stakeholders.
• Experience developing people, leading professionals with varied expertise, building effective teams, or strengthening organizational capability.
• Experience leading organizational change, developing new capabilities, redesigning services, integrating programs or functions, or using assessment and evidence to improve organizational performance.
• Experience contributing to strategic planning, resource allocation, personnel development, or other significant organizational responsibilities in an academic or research library environment.

Job Posting Close Date:

Until Filled

Background Check Requirements:

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Prairie View A&M University is an Equal Opportunity/ Veterans/ Disability Employer.

For more than 140 years, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has been igniting passion in its students. With an established reputation for producing engineers, nurses, and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools. The University has an enrollment of more than 8,500 students. Designated an institution of “the first class” in the Texas Constitution, PVAMU is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state and a member of The Texas A&M University System. The University is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research, and service. PVAMU is conveniently located near the rapidly growing residential and commercial area known as the Northwest Houston Corridor. The developing Northwest Houston Corridor offers newly developed suburban communities, a variety of shopping and dining near the Houston Premium Outlets and is a short, 35-minute commute into downtown Houston. For more information, visit www.pvamu.edu. Your career opportunities with a “University of the First Class” begins here!

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