Director, Pew Learning Center & Ellison Library Job at Warren Wilson College in

Warren Wilson College invites applicants for the position of Pew Learning Center (PLC) & Ellison Library Director. The PLC, housing the Library, Sound Lab, and College Archives serves as the intellectual crossroads of campus where a small and dedicated staff, a variety of learning spaces, and diverse physical and digital information resources facilitate learning, spark curiosity, and inspire discovery.

We seek candidates who are excited about fostering an organizational climate based on respect, service, teamwork, communication, professional growth, and responsibility, in which diversity, creativity, and innovation thrive. The ideal candidate will be a ready collaborator with colleagues both within and beyond the library to foster innovative, future-focused programs and services while enhancing connections across campus and beyond. The successful candidate will be a strong and vocal advocate for librarianship and the essential role of libraries in an academic environment. The Director will articulate and implement a compelling vision for the library, rooted in the College’s strategic plan and in concert with rapidly evolving trends in academic libraries. Anticipating future opportunities and challenges, the Director will partner with faculty and academic administrators to continually align and integrate the library into the academic life of the College. At the same time, they will actively engage in the library’s daily operations, balancing strategic vision with hands-on leadership. The director’s vision, developed in collaboration with library staff and the wider college community, will continue to transform the library into a dynamic academic hub that serves the needs of all members of the institution.

This is a full-time, continuing faculty position in an extended contract system.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning
  • Guide the strategic vision, management, and operations of the library, including strategic planning, fiscal management, project management, personnel management, and experience with relevant library technologies.
  • Articulate a compelling vision for the library in supporting research, teaching, learning, student collaboration, and community engagement in alignment with the College mission and strategic plan.
  • Serve as an active member of the college community, assuming leadership roles in college governance.
  • Nurture collaborative working relationships across Warren Wilson College to ensure the Library is responding to and meeting constituency needs.
  • Develop and exercise oversight of the library budget, including careful stewardship of library resources.
• Management
  • Provide collegial, collaborative, and transparent leadership through supervision of direct reports spanning library staff, faculty, and students.
  • Employ inclusive leadership principles to foster collaborative decision making.
  • Cultivate an inclusive and supportive organizational culture.
  • Seek opportunities for all library staff to develop professionally and thrive.
  • Serve as Building Manager and maintain close working relationships with the college’s Facilities and Information Technology Services departments.
• Advocacy
  • Advocate for the resources necessary to enact the library’s vision, focusing on library staffing, materials budgets, and creative uses of library spaces.
  • Advocate for continued support and development of core library services such as the Sound Lab and the College Archives.
  • Represent the library internally on campus and externally through participation in consortial, regional, and national organizations.
• Assessment
  • Design, lead, and report on the assessment of all aspects of the library’s programs and collections.
  • Initiate and support analysis of metrics related to public services and space utilization.
• Instruction
  • Participate equally in the library’s Instruction program through activities such as in-person and online research support, information literacy instruction, and student outreach.
  • Serve as a collaborative leader, in partnership with college faculty and academic administration on matters of curriculum design, student learning outcomes, and information literacy programming.
• Collection Management
  • Provide vision for collection development and stewardship.
  • Coordinate all aspects of library technical services with direct responsibility for ordering and copy cataloging new materials.

Minimum Qualifications

• MLIS or equivalent degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA accredited program.
• Work experience, including at least 2 years of supervisory experience, in an academic library or comparable academic setting.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a collaborative and equitable approach to library leadership.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current issues, developments, innovations, and challenges in academic libraries and higher education.
• Demonstrated ability to act as an advocate for the library to both internal and external partners.
• Evidence of creativity and innovation in library service delivery.

Preferred Qualifications

• Record of successful design and implementation of innovative and inclusive collections, programs, and services in a higher education environment.
• Sound grasp of / experience with digital technologies, open access initiatives, and emerging trends in library and information science technologies.
• Experience in team development, including excellent collaboration and communications skills.
• 3 or more years of library management experience, with increasing supervisory responsibility.
• Experience with user experience and library services evaluation and assessment.
• Demonstrated experience in other areas of librarianship, such as Information Literacy Instruction, Technical Services, or User Services.
• Experience with strategic planning and project management.
• Demonstrated experience in shared governance and cultivating collaborative relationships.
• Experience evaluating and designing physical library spaces to support evolving student needs.

About Warren Wilson College

Warren Wilson College is located on a beautiful 1,135-acre campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. We enroll approximately 750 undergraduates and 100 graduates. Rooted in liberal arts education, the College provides educational programs that foster students’ curiosity, empathy, and integrity to prepare graduates to engage in groundbreaking scholarship and creative work; to pursue meaningful careers with professionalism; and to lead purposeful lives dedicated to fostering a just, equitable, and sustainable world.

As the National Leader for Learning in Action, Our Progressive Promise articulates our innovative educational approach that intentionally integrates academics, campus work and community engagement for a rich, challenging student experience. Our students matriculate through deliberately scaffolded courses and signature capstone experiences that combine intellectual foundations with experiential skill development and problem solving.

To Apply:

Interested candidates should provide the following documents to complete their application:

• A curriculum vitae
• A cover letter: After reviewing Our Progressive Promise, please compose a cover letter that addresses the challenges/opportunities facing academic libraries with limited resources and speak to how you would nurture a culture of innovation and creativity.

Priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply by March 30, 2025. Electronic submission is required.

We are committed to a culture of educational access and to ensuring that students and employees from a diverse range of identities and experiences will thrive in this community. We seek and support an academically and culturally diverse faculty and staff with a genuine interest in our innovative approach to education and focus on inclusive excellence, as well as a willingness to fully participate in the life of the College. We welcome applications from individuals who have experience working with diverse student populations.

Warren Wilson College is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.