Administrative Services Manager - Special Collections

Position Description

The Special Collections Manager leads professional standards and best practices for cultural and archival collections, program development, outreach activities, and reference work. Performs supervisory and administrative duties involved in overseeing the daily operations. Oversight includes the Nashville Room, Genealogy, Civil Rights Room, Votes for Women, and The Banner collections, programs, collection digitization projects, exhibitions, and the public services team at the Main Library.

A city with a great library is a great city, and that’s very true for Nashville. With nearly three million visits per year — and a collection of almost two million items — Nashville Public Library (NPL) is Music City’s gateway to lifelong learning, growth, and community connection. Our one-of-a-kind Civil Rights Room and Votes for Women Room bring visitors together to explore the history of civil rights and plot a course for our shared future. Our lauded Wishing Chair Productions puppet shows and story times delight audiences of all ages with stories that make them laugh, love, and grow. Meanwhile, initiatives like Studio NPL, Bringing Books to Life, Seed Exchange, Be Well at NPL, and Digital Inclusion connect Nashvillians with resources from across our 21-location system to learn new skills, enrich their quality of life, and forge long-lasting friendships. If you have a passion for helping people, love books and learning, and desire to be part of a team that does transformative work every day, then NPL just might be the place for you.

Typical Duties

• Performs administrative duties.
• Supervises employees working in his/her area.
• Assigns and reviews work, evaluates employees, and approves leave requests.
• Sets a vision and formulates goals, targets, policies, plans, and procedures for SCD.
• Oversees and directs archival and collection activities, including processing, collection maintenance, the creation of finding aids, acquisitions, and donor relations.
• Directs activities of employees involved in preservation of materials.
• Directs cataloging of documents and materials.
• Directs, coordinates, schedules, and evaluates programming and activities.
• Works with administrative staff to prepare budgets.
• Oversees and coordinates implementation of grant funded programs.
• Participates in library committee work.
• Inspires Special Collections staff in creative ventures to provide positive and responsive customer service.
• Plans, prioritizes, and organizes work to achieve objectives.
• Conducts group in-service and individual training as needed.
• Performs the most difficult or complex professional library work.
• Develops and maintains library materials collections.
• Manages the continued growth and development of digitization projects and implements new projects as they arise, including identifying and evaluation of potential digitization projects.
• Selects materials for digitization, resolves intellectual property and privacy issues, and ensures quality and consistency of digital records and metadata.
• Keeps abreast of new trends in Library and Information Science, Archives, and Public History.
• Maintains affiliations with professional library organizations.
• Attends continuing education and networking events.
• Nurtures partnerships and collaborations with community organizations.
• Confers with public officials and members of the community.
• Attends and/or speaks at community meetings.
• Manages key funding opportunities and partnerships. Networks with key partners regularly.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in History, Museum Studies, or a related field and five (5) years of professional library experience, in which three (3) years must include supervisory experience.

• No Substitution

Candidates with accreditations earned in a foreign institute are encouraged to apply.

Note: Per Metro Ordinance No. SO94-1078. All employees of the Metropolitan Government shall be residents of the State of Tennessee or become residents of the state within six (6) months of employment as a prerequisite to employment with the Metropolitan Government.

Preferred Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Master’s in Library Science or related field
• Experience in curating, managing, preserving, and providing access to special collections based on current best practices
• Experience using digital platforms to curate, promote, and share collection materials
• Fluent bilingual language skills

Full-time, Civil Service positions -
10 Vacation Days per year (increasing after 5 years of service)
1 Sick Day per month
12 Paid Holidays per year

Public Safety - Sworn and Civilian positions -
20 vacation days per year
3 Personal days per year
1 Sick Day per month
12 paid holidays per year

Part-time, Non Civil Service positions - Visit HR and Benefits webpages for more information.

Full-time, Non Civil Service positions - contact hiring department for benefits information

Seasonal/Temporary positions - no benefits offered.