Dean of Libraries and Archives

Dean of Libraries and Archives

The Dean of Libraries and Archives is responsible for providing informed, judicious, and imaginative academic and professional leadership both within the Vaughan Memorial Library, the Ester Clark Wright Archives, and across the broader University. As a member of the senior leadership team, the Dean works actively with Librarians, Archivists, Library services staff, the Provost & Vice-President Academic, and the Advancement Office to develop and extend teaching, learning and research initiatives and to contribute to the continuous enhancement of scholarship, curriculum, and pedagogy within the Library, Archives, and the University.

The Dean, who reports to the Provost & Vice-President Academic, is ultimately responsible for the long-term development, care, and management of Library and Archives facilities, collections, and services. The University Library is supported by 9 full-time Librarians and Archivists, 20 library service staff, and numerous student assistants. The Dean oversees academic and professional processes as governed by a Collective Agreement between the Board of Governors and the Acadia University Faculty Association; the Dean also oversees processes as governed by a Collective Agreement between the Board of Governors and Service Employees International Union.

The Dean has major responsibility for developing, supporting, and maintaining an environment conducive to teaching and research excellence and to effective lifelong learning and personal growth for students, faculty, and community members. 

The Position Profile

The Dean of Libraries and Archives is responsible for providing informed, judicious, and imaginative academic and professional leadership both within the Vaughan Memorial Library, Ester Clark Wright Archives and across the broader University. As a member of the strategic leadership council and the Provost Council, the University Librarian works actively with Librarians, Archivists, Library services staff, the Provost & Vice-President Academic, the Deans and other leaders to develop and extend teaching, learning, and research initiatives and to contribute to the continuous enhancement of scholarship, curriculum, and pedagogy within the Vaughan Memorial Library and the University.  The Dean is expected to work with the Advancement Office to pursue donor relations and fundraising opportunities to increase the Libraries’ and Archives’ endowment.  The Dean works with the Director of Open Acadia to support innovation in teaching and learning at Acadia.

The Dean of Libraries and Archives, who reports to the Provost & Vice-President Academic, is ultimately responsible for the long-term development, care, and management of Library and Archives facilities, collections, and services. The Dean is supported by 9 full-time Librarians and Archivists, 20 library service staff, and numerous student assistants.

The Dean oversees academic and professional processes as governed by a Collective Agreement between the Acadia University Board of Governors and the Acadia University Faculty Association; the Dean also oversees processes as governed by a Collective Agreement between the Board of Governors and Service Employees International Union.

The Dean has major responsibility for developing, supporting, and maintaining an environment conducive to teaching and research excellence, and to effective lifelong learning and personal growth for students, faculty, and community members. As such, the responsibilities inherent in the Dean’s position cohere under the following mainstays of academic leadership:

Thinking and Acting Strategically: The Dean is an individual who is able to translate vision into action, who understands how daily decisions and immediate actions connect to achieving long-term goals, and who has imaginative capacity and the institutional understanding and practical sense to carry it out. Possessing a strong sense of priorities and a solid sense of perspective, the Dean is:

• a strong advocate for the Library and Archives and their significance to the academic mission of the University;
• knowledgeable about the university context, its processes and procedures, and able both to help others understand these contexts and processes, and to use this knowledge to achieve long-term goals;
• capable of collaboratively setting and articulating goals and objectives and of inspiring commitment to them in others;
• committed to and capable of fostering the professional development of Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff;
• a creative person with a proven commitment to and record of achievement in supporting academic and service excellence; and
• committed to continued personal and professional development, staying abreast of academic advancements while looking ahead to the next evolutions in academic libraries, and university teaching and learning.

Relationship Building and Capacity Development: The Dean understands the centrality of relationships in building a strong and effective organization, recognizes others’ strengths and knows how to nurture them, appreciates teamwork, and understands how to develop and support it. The Dean is able to identify productive synergies among individuals and organizations, and to build and maintain formal and informal networks that support and extend the research, scholarly, and pedagogical impact of the Library and Archives. As a person who works to cultivate individual and organizational strengths, the Dean:

• has a demonstrated ability to create conditions for success for Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff, and to maintain an environment conducive to the recruitment and retention of outstanding Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff;
• Is committed to the principles of anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion and ensures accessibility of spaces, services, materials, and technologies, and fosters Indigenization and diversity in resources and staff
• understands leadership as shared, and can recognize, nurture, and draw upon the leadership capacities of others within the Library and Archives and the University;
• values and celebrates the successes of the members of the University;
• embraces the various communities of which Acadia is an integral part, and actively seeks to build bridges between the University and these communities through shared research and development interests;
• is an effective communicator with both internal and external audiences;
• can provide clear and effective leadership to a number of significant academic committees, and represent the Library and Archives at the regional and national level;
• can work cooperatively and productively as a member of various leadership and academic committees (e.g. Strategic Leadership Council, Provost Council, Committees of Senate); and
• demonstrates an awareness and understanding of the role of the Library and Archives in the wider social, political, economic, and global context.

Change and Innovation: The Dean has a keen awareness of the rapidly evolving landscape of library and archival services and resources, and is committed to keeping pace with emerging technologies and trends. The Dean embraces a fluid scholarly environment, and seeks to embed the Library and Archives in this dynamic and innovative space. As a champion of creative inquiry, inspired problem solving, and bold new initiatives, the Dean:

• leads change and supports innovation in order to further develop and strengthen resources and services in support of scholarly achievement;
• anticipates future needs and changes within the scholarly environment;
• researches and shares new information and approaches to meet changes in the scholarly environment;
• engages others and supports and implements program and service enhancements;
• helps Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff develop necessary skills for change and innovation;
• enables progress by creating an environment where change and innovation can happen, including empowering employees to make decisions and valuing initiative and questioning of the status quo; and
• has experience with emerging technologies and their application in the academic library and encourages creativity and innovation from Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff.

Resource and Process Leadership: The Dean is a responsible leader able to effectively steward faculty, staff, and material resources carefully and creatively in order to best capitalize on their potential. The Dean understands university processes, provides leadership in seeking process improvements, recognizes opportunities for resource sharing, and works to influence policy development to balance resource limitations with academic progress. Committed to leadership as a form of service, the Dean:

•  takes responsibility for self-monitoring and accounts for individual and unit accomplishment of shared goals;
• demonstrates an understanding of collective agreements and university policies and manages academic processes accordingly;
• understands and appreciates the collegial nature of the University and works effectively within the University’s consultative organizational structure;
• acts as an advocate for the Library and Archives, creating and maintaining an academic environment that fosters teaching and research excellence and innovation;
• assists Librarians, Archivists, and Library services staff in achieving their career goals and in working collaboratively to achieve common goals;
• acts as the University’s Copyright Officer with support from the Copyright Librarian
• as a person of sound financial judgment, works cooperatively in developing and administering the Library and Archives budget; and
• has proven success in grant writing and fundraising for Library and Archives initiatives.

 The University Library & Archives Profile

 Vision: To support study, research, and intellectual growth and to promote a habit of critical inquiry and a love of learning.

 Mission statement: The Vaughan Memorial Library is primarily an undergraduate research centre committed to providing the highest standard of programs, services, and resources in support of learning, teaching, research, and scholarly communication.

 The Vaughan Memorial Library and the Esther Clark Wright Archives are the hub for learning, teaching, research, and scholarly communication across four faculties (Arts, Divinity, Professional Studies, and Pure & Applied Science) and the broader community. Acadia University is a primarily undergraduate university, and accordingly the focus of the Library and Archives is on supporting undergraduate achievement. The Library and Archives also supports graduate research and study at the master’s level in several specific program areas; doctoral research and study in two disciplines (Educational Studies and Ministry); and faculty research, particularly through collaborations such as the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN).

 The Library has been in its current location since 1965. Its physical holdings, totalling more than 800,000 items, are complemented by extensive electronic resources. It is an extremely popular space for group work and quiet study, with nearly a quarter of a million gate counts in 2017. The Library also houses Special Collections and the Esther Clark Wright Archives, which opened in 1989. The Archives holds university records, Acadia theses, Annapolis Valley records, and the Atlantic Baptist Archives. Acadia’s Special Collections and archival holdings are heavily used by Acadia students and faculty and by researchers from around the world.

Academic Librarians’ work adheres to the liaison model, according to which each librarian is directly responsible for collections, information literacy programs, and student and faculty assistance for specific disciplines. The liaison model is deeply ingrained at Acadia and has enabled many fruitful professor-librarian collaborations.

 The Library is a member of several consortia: 

• the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), a partnership of 75 Canadian universities collaborating on large-scale content acquisition and licensing initiatives;
• the Council of Atlantic University Libraries (CAUL), a collaborative partnership of the 18 post-secondary libraries in Atlantic Canada; and
• Novanet, a consortium of the 11 Nova Scotia academic libraries and Mount Allison University.

The Library also partners with the Annapolis Valley Regional Library to offer non-academic resources and services to students.

About Acadia University Acadia’s Strategic Research Plan

Acadia 2025: Transforming Lives for a Transforming World

The Community

Vaughan Memorial Library                                                                                                          

Confidential enquiries and applications (letter of interest and curriculum vitae) should be directed to:

Dr. Dale Keefe, Provost & Vice-President Academic and Chair of the Search Committee, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6, or emailed to provost@acadiau.ca.

Only short-listed candidates will be asked to provide contact information for three referees.

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Acadia University is committed to equity in its policies, practices, and programs, supports diversity in its teaching, learning, and work environments, and ensures that applications for members of underrepresented groups are seriously considered under its employment equity policy. All qualified individuals who would contribute to the further diversification of our university community are encouraged to apply. Applicants are invited to submit a voluntary, confidential online self-identification form (Employment Equity Voluntary Self-Identification Form). Information provided on these forms may only be used for employment equity purposes.  

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including, but not limited to, accommodations that take into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodations because of a disability or for any other reason during the interview process, please contact the chair of the search committee.

We invite you to visit www.acadiau.ca to learn more about our university.