Dean, Library Services

Dean, Library Services

The dean will serve on the Provost’s Academic Affairs leadership team, collaborating with campus and external partners to strengthen library resources, services, and infrastructure while leading initiatives that advance equity and accessibility. The university seeks an innovative, forward‑thinking administrator with a strong record in collaboration, resource management, and advocacy for the evolving role of academic libraries. The dean will play a key role in supporting Cal Poly’s vision to be the nation’s premier comprehensive polytechnic university preparing whole‑system thinkers to address California’s needs and global challenges.

Cal Poly’s Library Services is a comprehensive academic library system that advances the university’s mission in teaching, learning, research, and creative activity. Serving as a hub for knowledge creation, digital scholarship, open access, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the library is a vital partner to all academic colleges and supports the university’s “Learn by Doing” philosophy and commitment to student success. The unit encompasses three locations—the Kennedy Library in San Luis Obispo, the Maritime Library in Vallejo, and the library aboard the training ship—providing diverse, innovative resources and services to the Cal Poly community.

• Demonstrated experience as a collaborative, consultative, empathetic leader who recruits, strongly supports, and retains outstanding faculty and staff and fosters student success.
• A sound grasp of current issues and trends in academic libraries with the ability to serve effectively as an advocate and spokesperson for the library’s educational mission.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic plans with a clear vision of the evolving role of the academic library in the digital environment and the integration of digital resources into the curriculum to advance knowledge management.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of the university and community.
• Demonstrated excellent skills in staff evaluation and supervision, resource allocation, and budget/fiscal management.

• Demonstrated experience as a collaborative, consultative, empathetic leader who recruits, strongly supports, and retains outstanding faculty and staff and fosters student success.
• A sound grasp of current issues and trends in academic libraries with the ability to serve effectively as an advocate and spokesperson for the library’s educational mission.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of the university and community.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic plans with a clear vision of the evolving role of the academic library in the digital environment and the integration of digital resources into the curriculum to advance knowledge management.
• Demonstrated ability to build consensus and to make considered decisions with competing priorities, with both flexibility and follow-through.
• Demonstrated excellent skills in staff evaluation and supervision, resource allocation, and budget/fiscal management.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and community outreach.
• An understanding of the instructional and scholarly needs of students and faculty.
• A record of professional participation and scholarly contributions.

• An additional advanced degree
• Previous experience as a library dean or director.
• Proven leadership ability, preferably at a university with 20,000 or more students.
• Demonstrated success in fostering university, state, regional and/or national cooperation in resource sharing, networking and collection development.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and experience in a collective bargaining environment and/or knowledge of California State University policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.

The anticipated hiring range for this role is $190,000–$231,000. The offer is calculated based…