Librarian

Job Title:

Librarian

Employment Status:
Full-time, Exempt, 3 year term

Start Date:

February, 2027

Primary

Location:

Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology

2301 Vine St., Berkeley, CA 94708

Modality:
In-person. Remote 1 day per week, optional.

Salary range: $80,000-$98,000 annually

The Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (DSPT), located in beautiful North Berkeley, is a community of scholars committed to the pursuit of truth as revealed in the Gospel and discovered by human reason. The school is inspired by the Dominican practice of disciplined inquiry, learned preaching, classical philosophy and Catholic theology, especially as exemplified by St. Thomas Aquinas. As a Center of Studies of the Order of Preachers and an apostolate of the Western Dominican Province, the

School serves priests, clerics, laity, faculty and students in pursuit of academic and apostolic vocations.

This is an exciting time for the Western Dominican Province, as plans for a new library and school in Oakland, CA are underway. We seek to establish an interim library service between 2027 and 2030 to support the students, faculty and staff of the School while the new facility is developed. A major part of the interim library service will involve laying the foundations for a future, permanent library: establishing essential library policies, building stakeholder engagement, receiving and organizing opening day collections and implementing technologies.

This is a really unique opportunity to start up a new research library.

The DSPT seeks an enthusiastic, innovative and highly self-directed librarian to start up our inaugural library service. Reporting to the President of the DSPT and in close collaboration with other administrative officers (Academic Dean, CFO) and a Library Consultant, the Librarian serves as the primary administrator of library services to students, faculty and staff. With an office at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in North Berkeley, the librarian will shape and manage library operations for the School while a new facility is built ert the Great Priory in the Rockridge area of Oakland.

The ideal candidate

• is eager to develop and manage all service areas of a small academic library
• seeks an excellent growth opportunity and early management skills in a library
• has a service-first, entrepreneurial mindset, is approachable and engaging
• brings skills in multiple areas of librarianship (though not necessarily all areas)
• thinks strategically about change and acts quickly to prepare the community, collections and technologies for relocation
• has a genuine interest in the people, mission and institutional life of the School (religious affiliation is not required for this position)

• Administers a small research library’s budget, collections, consortially hosted Library Management System and digital infrastructure
• Communicates library activities, policies and performance with stakeholders
• Analyzes community needs in order to prioritize access to information resources
• Serves as DSPT’s liaison to library consortia
• Acquires library content, software, supplies and services

• Manages essential day-to-day library operations for DSPT’s approximately 75-100 students, faculty and staff
• Administers access to library materials, including circulation and lending services
• Opens and closes the library space(s) and communicates facilities issues
• Writes or revises policies, as needed
• Copy catalogs and relocates items in the LMS
• Provides quick reference services and limited in-depth research, teaching and instructional support services
• Develops written procedures for library patrons, volunteers or assistants
• May supervise graduate student assistants

• Coordinates, receives and organizes opening day collections, preparing them for access (in Year
  1). Prepares for relocation to a permanent library (in Year
  3)
• Sets up library spaces and workstations (or coordinates with service providers to do the same)
• Continues to develop the library website
• Evaluates existing secondary LMSs (e.g. Koha) and proposes a path to merge holdings
• Other library duties, as assigned

• An MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited institution (Candidates who will complete their degrees within six months of the start date will be considered)
• Professional experience in an academic, special or research library in collection…