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Curator of Latin Americana - Library

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Position description

Hiring range: Associate Librarian - Librarian $64,006 – $95,596 per annum, based on qualifications
This is a full-time appointment. The anticipated start date is January 2, 2016.

The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, seeks a Curator of Latin Americana to manage its collections related to Mexico and Central America. The incumbent shares responsibility, including collection development, for the US-Mexico borderlands with the Curator of Western Americana. The Curator of Latin Americana works closely with faculty and students conducting research in a variety of academic fields related to this geographic area, and supports the campus community through specialized reference services and instructional programs. The Curator of Latin Americana also contributes to general reference and research services provided in Bancroft.

The Environment

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at the nation’s premier public university. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 25,500 undergraduate students, 10,300 graduate students, and 1,500 faculty. The Library comprises 20 campus libraries, including the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, The Bancroft Library, and the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and numerous subject specialty libraries. With a collection of more than 11 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with the collections and build their research skills.
Discover more about the Library through our website at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu.

The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of rare materials in the West. Its holdings include more than 600,000 volumes, 60,000,000 manuscripts, 8,200,000 photographs and other pictorial materials, 86,000 microforms, 300,000 digital images, and 35,000 maps, as well as numerous other categories of unique material. The two largest collections are the Bancroft Collection of Western and Latin Americana and the Rare Books Collection. The Bancroft Library’s Latin Americana Collection is one of the world’s great repositories of primary and secondary materials on Mexico and Central America. It includes a rich core of manuscript material and rare imprints. Bancroft’s extensive materials on Colonial Mexico and the Northern territories are complemented by strong holdings from the National Period to the present. The collection includes significant materials relating to the Mexican/American War, Emperor Maximilian, the presidencies of Benito Juárez Porfirio Díaz, and the Mexican Revolution. Building on the traditional strengths of its Latin American Collection, Bancroft continues to acquire historical and contemporary materials related to Mexico and Central America. For additional information about The Bancroft Library and its collections see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library.

Responsibilities

The Curator of Latin Americana continually analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the collection in order to manage its development, preservation, and growth. This involves building archival and research collections on Mexico and Central America, including secondary materials. The Latin Americana Curator reports to the Deputy Director and, in consultation with him and the Bancroft Curatorial Group, has curatorial responsibility for the Latin American Collection. The incumbent serves as a member of the Bancroft Public Services staff and spends approximately one-fourth of her/his time on reference activities, including scheduled shifts at Bancroft’s reference desk. Librarians at Bancroft serve an extremely varied group of readers who range from members of the general public and relatively inexperienced undergraduates to advanced graduate students, faculty members, visiting scholars, and other readers from across the state and around the world. The Curator of Latin Americana provides instructional support as requested for these groups.

The Curator of Latin Americana functions as an ambassador of The Bancroft Library in dealing with the Berkeley faculty and students, general and specialized readers, representatives of the antiquarian book trade, private collectors, librarians at Berkeley and elsewhere in the profession, and the donor community. The incumbent maintains contact with specialists in Mexico and Central America, occasionally attending international conferences and book fairs, and works to promote Bancroft through exhibitions, talks, and other outreach to the community.

Working in a highly collegial environment, the incumbent contributes to the Library-wide planning process through participation in divisions, function and subject councils, ad hoc task forces, and other committees as appropriate.

UC Berkeley librarians participate in library-wide planning and governance and work effectively in a shared decision-making environment. Librarian advancement is partially based upon professional contributions beyond the primary assignment; the successful candidate will show evidence or promise of such contributions to the Library, campus, UC System, and profession.

Qualifications

Minimum Basic Qualification at time of application: American Library Association (ALA)-accredited master’s degree or equivalent degree

Additional Required Qualifications by Date of Hire:

• At least three years of experience in an academic or research library with demonstrated success as a Latin Americana Curator or Selector with experience in archives and special collections, acquisitions and collection development, and reference or public service.
• Fluency in Spanish language - speaking, reading, and writing.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse population of faculty, staff, students and campus user communities.
• Knowledge of appropriate bibliographic tools or technologies applicable to Latin American Studies.

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• An advanced degree in Spanish, Latin American Studies, or a related field.
• Ph.D. in a subject field pertaining to Bancroft’s Latin Americana collection.
• Fluency in Latin, Portuguese, and/or French languages (speaking, reading, writing).
• Experience in preparing and teaching seminars for students from academic programs

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging a multicultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive and imaginative contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit.

Librarians are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits.

This recruitment will remain open until filled.

Submit applications online at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00788. Applications must include a cover letter detailing a statement of qualifications, curriculum vitae noting degrees and relevant work experience, and the names and contact information of three references who are knowledgeable about the applicant's qualifications for this position. References will only be contacted for individuals under serious consideration.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct.

Send inquiries to:

Susan E. Wong
Director, Library Human Resources
Phone: (510) 642-3778
Email: librec@library.berkeley.edu

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - C.V. noting degrees and relevant work experience

  • Cover Letter - Cover letter detailing a statement of qualifications

Reference requirements
  • 3 required (contact information only)