French and Italian Curator

The Libraries’ values are rooted in a commitment of mutual respect, the idea that every member of the staff has something to contribute, and that learning is constant. We seek a team member who is ready to share their skills and perspectives.

Stanford University Libraries are a dynamic network of resources, spaces and subject experts assembled with the mission to stimulate intellectual curiosity, sustain academic research and support teaching and learning. With over 12 million items, 50 subject specialists and 20 campus libraries, the opportunities for contributing to and transforming scholarship are infinite. By joining Stanford University Libraries, you will become a part of a vibrant, learning community of dedicated professionals who are committed to the important work of advancing scholarship.

Stanford Libraries seeks a Curator for French and Italian Collections to oversee the development of its diverse collections relating to Italy, France and the Francophone world, and to provide reference and other services in support of teaching and research. This position requires a person with graduate training in French Studies, Italian Studies, and/or a closely-related field to develop and manage general and special collections supporting these areas.

The scope of the Curator's collecting responsibilities includes not only the full range of published texts and resources in all formats including data, but also unpublished primary resources, rare books, and other unique materials. The Curator will take primary responsibility for Italian rare and unique materials, and will work closely with the senior curator of the French collections. They should be knowledgeable about the acquisition and use of current publications and scholarly resources for French and Italian Studies as well as original archival and manuscript resources.

As the main point of contact for students and scholars using the French and Italian collections, the Curator provides advanced reference and bibliographic support for physical and electronic resources. The Curator develops instructional and collections-based programming and undertake other activities to engage students and scholars with the Libraries’ collections and services and to promote curiosity and research in these fields at the university.

The ideal candidate will possess an understanding of current research and scholarly methodologies in French or Italian Studies and be familiar with literary, historical and social science disciplines that make use of Western European collections more generally. In addition, the Curator will have demonstrated strong communication and interpersonal skills that enable contributions to the programs and projects of the Libraries and to the University.

The Curator is a member of the Humanities and Area Studies curatorial team based in Green Library. It is expected that the Curator will be able to participate actively in the programs of this group, and, depending on their background, possibly manage other Western European collections or collections in other humanities fields on a temporary or permanent basis, such as Classics, Philosophy, or Feminist and Gender Studies.

In short, the Curator for French and Italian Collections will be someone of demonstrated scholarly achievement, with a creative and forward-thinking approach to collection development, engagement with students and scholars, and research.

Oversee collection development and reference for French and Italian language and subject materials with attention to the needs of current faculty…