DIRECTOR, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES, University Libraries

The Boston University Libraries seek the next Director of the Special Collections and Archives who will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of the library’s archival, rare book, and art holdings. As a user-focused and collaborative leader, you will lead the planning, implementation, operations, and assessment of the collections in support of the library’s research, engagement, instruction, and outreach programs and services. As a systems thinker, you will identify improvements to the operation of the repository, working closely with peers to improve management and discovery of the university’s holdings. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Academic Engagement & Special Collections, you will contribute to building a high trust organizational culture, serve as a department leader in the library organization, a participant and contributor to a wide range of strategic discussions and initiatives, and actively participate in university and professional communities to contribute to the profession and advance best practices in special collections and archives.

• A strong manager, you will recruit, mentor, and support the team of librarians, archivists, graduate interns, and student employees, who steward the University Archives, research services, processing and collection management, exhibitions, and engagement.
• An innovative leader, you will lead the provision of engagement programs including research services, the reading room, reference services, research fellowships, a growing instruction program, outreach, exhibitions, and public programs and have a talent for aligning engagement strategies with campus and external partners, in alignment with libraries and university priorities.
• You will bring a commitment to relevant collecting and responsible stewardship and will advance a collecting profile that matches the University’s research and teaching priorities and opportunities and oversee acquisitions policies and priorities, ensuring alignment with institutional teaching and research priorities and stewardship capacity.
• As the keeper of an expansive contemporary and diverse archival ,rare book and art collections, you will oversee and direct the preservation and collection stewardship activities of the repository including university archives, rare books, manuscripts, and art collections and will be responsible for long-range planning and systems oversight ensuring effective, rigorous adoption of sustainable preservation, discovery, and collection management with a focus on digital readiness, stewardship, and digitization efforts.
• Astute with resource management, you will be responsible for advancing programmatic and collection-wide stewardship by contributing to fundraising efforts, grant writing, as well as budget management.
• As a leader in the Boston University Libraries, you will participate in and contribute to relevant library and university-wide activities and committees, collaborate on intramural events and strategic initiatives with library and university departments or programs, and contribute to the profession through service, research, publishing, and/or teaching.

Required Skills

Required Skills

• Master's degree in library or archival studies.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Firm working knowledge of archival management and research support operations, across both print and digital formats, inclusive of requirements for the care of rare materials
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Commitment to inclusive and accessible service practices.

For consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV, and list of professional references. The libraries will begin review of candidate applications on October 20, 2025. This position will remain open until filled.

Working at Boston University Libraries
Boston University Libraries is a learning organization that supports BU librarians, archivists, and information and subject specialists seeking and sharing knowledge, practices, and perspectives that advance library collections services, and their own professional development. In a collaborative, supportive, and engaging work environment, BU Libraries expert staff assist multidisciplinary research and exploration, build distinctive collections and archives of enduring research value, and empower users to thrive amid an ever-changing information environment.

Located in the heart of Boston, the BU Libraries are embedded in numerous vibrant regional and national library and information specialist networks. The BU Libraries are active members within the Boston Library Consortium (BLC), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, ArchivesSpace, the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), and a charter member of JSTOR Seeklight Digital Stewardship Services. Library staff at BU serve as engaged thought-leaders on a wide breadth of library management and service areas across diverse communities.

Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with three primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, the University is home to more than 33,000 students from more than 130 countries, 375,000 living alumni, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 17 schools and colleges.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.