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About METRO

For 50 years, the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) has held a key leadership position and has served as a unique resource, bringing together academic, school, public, hospital, and other specialized libraries and archives in the five boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. METRO serves a diverse network of 250 member organizations which collectively represent more than 1,200 individual libraries, among which are some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious.

METRO is the largest of New York State’s nine reference and research library resource systems (3Rs) and the state’s oldest continuously operating library council. Based in Manhattan, METRO is located in the heart of the country’s most vibrant and diverse center of arts and culture, media, education, and civic life.

Chartered in 1964 by the New York Board of Regents to “promote and facilitate utilization of existing resources and to develop additional library services in the New York metropolitan area,” METRO has strengthened the regional library network, provided a forum for its member libraries to share resources and best practices, promoted professional development, conveyed grants, and delivered services where economies of scale can help libraries operate more efficiently.

The organization has undergone significant progressive change in the last four years, as METRO launched Empire State Digital Network, and an IMLS-funded National Digital Stewardship Residency program. All this comes as the organization is drafting a strategic plan to guide METRO through the next three years, the goals of which include:

• Serve as a catalyst for new collaborative relationships between members and organizations in allied industries
• Support a free and open exchange of ideas within an inclusive, respectful, and creative learning environment
• Foster a culture of leadership within the member community
• Lead, support, and contribute to innovation state and national initiatives
• Model an organizational commitment to openness and resource sharing

Position Overview

Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Executive Director is responsible for the strategic and operational activities of METRO’s professional staff and programs in service to the organization’s mission and vision.

This search will remain open until the position is filled, but a formal review of applications will begin 3/16/15.

Responsibilities

LEAD

• Develop and sustain programs and services aimed that expand the role and utility of information and knowledge repositories and services in contemporary society
• Lead, mentor, and support professional staff as they provide traditional and innovative programs and services aligned to the organization’s strategic objectives
• Define, create, improve, and deliver critical program services, especially in the areas of open resource sharing and professional development.

CONNECT

• Serve as a liaison between the member community and organizations from adjacent industries, building alliances that reinforce libraries and archives as essential players in tomorrow’s technology ecosystem
• Empower professional staff in their efforts to build relationships between member institutions and individuals
• Build and maintain a strong Board of Trustees with stakeholders from the member community and other allied knowledge-based industries

INNOVATE

• Foster an organizational culture that encourages creative and entrepreneurial approaches to the challenges facing libraries and information services organizations
• Position the organization to be able to seize unanticipated opportunities brought on by technological advancements and changing behaviors and needs of information seekers and users

ADVOCATE

• Represent NY library priorities and perspectives to media outlets
• Work with New York library systems directors to communicate the value of library systems legislators, potential funders, and new potential members
• Foster deep relationships with funding agencies and media to increase broad public understanding of the critical role played by libraries and information resources in modern American life

 Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have strong leadership, motivational and communications skills, deep knowledge of library services and of digital and web-based technologies, ability to work with varied constituencies in the public and private sectors, vision and imagination, and entrepreneurial instincts.

The ideal candidate should hold or be eligible to hold a New York State Public Librarian Certificate, with appropriate professional and administrative experience.

Benefits

Competitive salary and excellent benefits. METRO will also pay reasonable moving expenses if the candidate is from outside the New York metropolitan area.

Application Details

Applicants can send a cover letter and resume or CV as a single PDF attachment to [log in to unmask] with “Executive Director” in the subject line.