Collection Strategy & Acquisitions Librarian

Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Maryland; On-site; USD 62,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA, seeks a Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian to lead assessment, development, and licensing of digital and print resources. You will shape policies, manage budgets, and collaborate with faculty to align the Library’s collections with teaching and research needs.

The role emphasizes data-driven decision making, vendor relations, and participation in open access and scholarly publishing discussions within the library and university

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or equivalent graduate degree in library and information studies
• Minimum of two to five years of experience in library collection development
• Three to five years of professional experience in an academic library
• Knowledge of current issues and trends in library collections development, information delivery and access, electronic and digital resources, and related copyright and licensing issues
• Familiarity with current print and electronic acquisitions trends, as well as academic library metadata practices
• Demonstrated operational experience with an online integrated library system (ILS), preferably experience or marked familiarity with FOLIO ILS
• Demonstrated excellent collaboration and communication skills, including written and oral communications
• Evidence of strong skills in decision making, problem solving, independent action, analytical and critical thinking, project/program or service management, and general office technical skills

Responsibilities

• Analyze institutional data, bibliographic data, usage statistics, interlibrary loan data, and other metrics
• Utilize collection development and assessment tools, such as Greenglass, Gold Rush, etc.
• Establish and monitor title selection plans, such as PDA (Patron Driven Acquisitions), DDA (Demand-Driven Acquisitions), etc.
• Monitor pricing and usage of ejournal packages and databases
• Respond to requests for information resources made by faculty, students, and staff
• Implement and utilize title selection and acquisition tools and software
• Select and deselect information resources for the general collection, based on current and proposed academic curricula and discipline needs and practices
• Manage and participate in the library’s resource acquisitions workflow, including ordering and receiving items and processing invoices
• Document and train others as needed in use of vendor and library systems to acquire or deselect information resources
• Participate in shared print initiatives (e.g. EAST)
• Meet regularly to discuss the library resource needs of faculty, students, and other library users
• Participate in gathering and analyzing community feedback from surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Allocate and expend the budget in the library management system
• Monitor and ensure efficient expenditure of the budget in consultation with the University Librarian, Associate Library Director, and others
• In collaboration with the Associate Director, maintain working relationships with library vendors, publishers, and consortia to obtain the best possible pricing and terms of use
• Administer digital licensing procedures and renewals in the library management system
• Coordinate electronic resource trials
• Monitor trends in the broader library resources community and scholarly publishing sphere
• Identify and pursue potential gift opportunities
• Select donations for the collection and send unwanted donations to appropriate vendors or organizations for resale, archiving, or recycling
• Refer archival and special collections gift and donation offers to the University Archivist
• Provide data for reports and analyses related to collections development and maintenance as required by university offices and external agencies, including ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) and accreditation bodies

Skills

Collaboration

Communication

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Project management

Office software

Education

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science

Tools

FOLIO ILS

Greenglass

Gold Rush

Job description

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA, seeks a Collection Development & Acquisitions Librarian to lead assessment, development, and licensing of digital and print resources. You will shape policies, manage budgets, and collaborate with faculty to align the Library’s collections with teaching and research needs.

The role emphasizes data-driven decision making, vendor relations, and participation in open access and scholarly publishing discussions within the library and university