Associate University Librarian

How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Job Summary

The University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor is one of the world's largest academic research libraries. We serve a vibrant university community that is home to 19 schools and colleges, 100 top ten graduate programs, and annual research expenditures exceeding $2.04 billion a year.

This Associate University Librarian (AUL) provides visionary, strategic, and administrative leadership for shaping and advancing the University of Michigan Library's collections. As the AUL, you will develop the Library's collection profile in collaboration with colleagues from across the library to enhance access, discovery, preservation, teaching, learning, and research. You will lead innovation in collection development, assessment, and stewardship to ensure that library resources and services align with the university's academic priorities. You will cultivate important collaborative relationships across the university and with consortial partners to leverage our distinctive contribution in multiple interdependent networks.

As a senior library administrator, you will report directly to the Dean of Libraries and partner with other members of the library administration team to advance our organization as a whole. You will lead strategic planning, enable services development and sustainability, and guide the operations, policy development, budget, communications, training, and professional activities of the departments in your division. You will oversee 7 division directors and guide the work of over 70 division employees.

We seek candidates who value collaboration and are committed to developing people. You will guide teams through change and build a culture of accountability, transparency, active listening, and clear communication that enables others to do their best work. We welcome your vision and inclusive leadership to help shape the future of U-M Library collections.

What You'll Do

• Develop and implement forward-looking collection strategies emphasizing what U-M distinctively contributes to long-term knowledge stewardship, open access, and interdependent networks of collections.
• Enhance the stewardship and integration of archival, rare, international, and distinctive collections throughout the library's overall content and access strategy.
• Set and document strategic direction and allocate resources for a collections-oriented division in the context of the library's strategic commitments and actions.
• Provide leadership for organizational change efforts and support the division through transitions and workflow changes.
• Collaboratively design, reimagine, shape, and improve an interdependent set of user-centered services that support engagement in the academic life of the institution.
• Implement division workforce planning, including managing flexible staffing models and identifying personnel needs, while taking a cross-organizational view of personnel resources.
• Design regular cycles of review, assessment, and evaluation to sustain and improve the quality of services, discovery and access interfaces, and workflows.
• Advance U-M Library's leadership role in consortia and national collaborations (Big Ten Academic Alliance, HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, among others) to maximize library impact.
• Steward a large multi-million-dollar collections budget with accountability and transparency.
• Manage the use of divisional financial resources and budgets in the context of the library budget.
  

Required Qualifications*

• A MLIS or relevant masters degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 5+ years of demonstrated managerial and administrative experience
• Demonstrated expertise in managing large-scale budgets in a research library setting or a setting of equivalent scale and complexity
• Experience developing, documenting, evaluating, and communicating with transparency about policies and procedures
• Experience with collaborative approaches to leadership that develop and sustain partnerships with colleagues across multiple departments, campus, and external organizations
• Demonstrated experience leading through organizational change
• Commitment to and record of mentoring and developing individuals and teams
  

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience developing innovative scholarly communication strategies
• Experience creating and evaluating user focused programs and services
  

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, generous time off (24 vacation days per year, and 15 sick leave a year), matched retirement contributions with immediate vesting, professional development opportunities, and more. TIAA and Fidelity Investments' retirement benefits are available.

For questions about this posting or to request accommodations, please contact [email protected].

This position currently allows a hybrid or fully on-site work environment. Flexible work agreements are reviewed annually and are subject to change depending on the business needs of the hiring department, throughout the course of employment. Fully remote work is not applicable to this position. Please see the University of Michigan's Remote Employment Policies and Agreements for more information.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

We expect this posting to be open for the full 45 days' posting period.

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

274484

Associate University Librarian

Associate University Librarian

Ann Arbor Campus

Onsite
Hybrid

Full-Time

Regular

Exempt

Univ Library

University Library

2/26/2026 - 4/12/2026

$155,000.00 - $184,000.00

Administration
Director/Manager/Supervisor
Libraries & Museums