Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Librarian

🎯 Role Definition

The University Librarian is the senior executive responsible for strategic leadership, operational management, and academic partnership of the institution's library and information services. This role drives mission-aligned library strategy for student success, faculty research support, digital scholarship, collections stewardship, and community engagement. The University Librarian cultivates relationships across campus, manages budgets and personnel, leads technological transformation (digital repositories, discovery systems, scholarly communications), and serves as an advocate and visible ambassador for library services internally and externally.

Keywords: University Librarian, academic library leadership, collections development, digital repository, scholarly communication, research data management, library budget, strategic planning, student success, open access.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Associate University Librarian for Collections, Head of Collections, or Head of Technical Services
Associate/Assistant Director of Public Services or Research Services
Director of Library Systems, Digital Scholarship, or Scholarly Communications

Advancement To:

Vice Provost/Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (with libraries portfolio)
Dean of Libraries / University Librarian at larger research institutions or consortia leadership
Chief Academic Officer or senior academic administrator roles (provost-level roles depending on institution)

Lateral Moves:

Director of Digital Scholarship / Director of Research Services
Director of Information Technology Services with focus on academic systems
Director of Library Consortia or State Library Leadership roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide visionary leadership by developing, communicating, and implementing a long-range strategic plan for the library that aligns with university academic goals, student success initiatives, and institutional research priorities.
Lead and manage all aspects of library operations, including collections (print and electronic), access services, special collections and archives, digital libraries, research data services, interlibrary loan, and user experience across physical and virtual environments.
Develop and oversee annual and multi-year budgets, making fiscally prudent decisions, tracking expenditures, preparing budget justifications, and identifying cost-reduction and revenue-generation opportunities (grants, gifts, partnerships).
Hire, mentor, evaluate, and develop a diverse professional staff and student workforce; build leadership capacity among middle managers and create succession plans that support continuity and equity.
Serve as the principal liaison and partner with faculty, deans, academic departments, and campus committees to integrate library services into teaching, learning, and research workflows.
Lead the library’s scholarly communication program, including open access policy development, institutional repository management, faculty publishing support, copyright guidance, and negotiation of transformative agreements and licensing terms.
Direct digital initiatives such as institutional repositories (DSpace, Fedora), digital collections, digitization programs, metadata strategy, and discovery systems to improve research visibility and preservation.
Oversee acquisition, licensing, and renewals of electronic resources; negotiate with publishers and consortia to secure favorable terms and steward collection budgets to maximize access for users.
Create and implement assessment frameworks and metrics that evaluate service outcomes, collection usage, learning impact, and return on investment; report meaningful analytics to campus leadership and stakeholders.
Lead library contributions to institutional accreditation, academic program reviews, and campus-wide planning exercises; produce required reports and evidence demonstrating library impact on teaching and research.
Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by developing inclusive collections, services, hiring practices, and outreach programs that support historically underserved populations.
Implement policies and procedures for special collections, archives, and rare materials ensuring proper stewardship, conservation, and secure access while balancing researcher needs.
Oversee emergency preparedness, risk management, and disaster response planning for library facilities and collections, including environmental controls, salvage procedures, and continuity of services.
Foster and manage external partnerships with other libraries, consortia, cultural institutions, alumni, donors, and funding agencies to expand resources, secure gifts, and build collaborative programs.
Lead information literacy and credit-bearing program initiatives in collaboration with academic departments to integrate information literacy outcomes into curricula and support student retention and graduation.
Direct development and fundraising activities for library initiatives, working with development officers to cultivate donors, prepare proposals, and steward philanthropic gifts and endowments.
Promote and advocate for the library’s role and value to campus communities, trustees, alumni, and external stakeholders through strategic communications, public relations, and outreach events.
Ensure the library’s technology infrastructure and vendor partnerships meet evolving needs for authentication, discovery, analytics, and user services; collaborate with campus IT for systems integration and security.
Oversee intellectual property and copyright advisory services; provide guidance and policy recommendations to campus on copyright compliance, fair use, and author rights retention.
Establish and monitor service level agreements, circulation policies, collections development policies, and access policies to ensure equitable and efficient service provision.
Direct efforts in research data management services including data curation, storage, metadata creation, and researcher training; collaborate with campus research offices on data policies and compliance.
Lead continuous improvement projects related to library spaces, enhancing learning commons, study areas, and maker spaces to align with pedagogical and student needs.
Serve on university leadership councils, faculty senates, and committees as the library representative, contributing subject-matter expertise to academic policy, strategic planning, and campus governance.

Secondary Functions

Support grant and external funding initiatives by contributing data, letters of support, project design, and budget input for research and educational grants that involve library resources and services.
Contribute to institutional reports and marketing materials that demonstrate library outcomes, student impact, and research support through case studies and success stories.
Participate in regional and national library organizations and consortia to stay current with best practices, influence policy, and represent the institution in shared licensing and resource initiatives.
Provide expert consultation on metadata schemas, digital preservation strategies, and interoperability standards (e.g., MARC21, Dublin Core, MODS, linked data) to campus digital projects.
Support campus-wide initiatives in open education by promoting open educational resources (OER), facilitating faculty adoption, and administrating OER publishing platforms.
Coordinate library volunteer programs, student worker training, and internships that provide experiential learning and workforce development opportunities.
Assist with space planning and facilities projects, coordinating with campus planning units to renovate, repurpose, or expand library facilities in line with user needs and strategic goals.
Participate in emergency response teams and business continuity planning at the institutional level, representing library interests and ensuring critical services are maintained.
Provide ad-hoc executive support for special projects, task forces, or strategic initiatives that require library expertise or cross-campus collaboration.
Monitor and recommend new vendor services and technologies (analytics dashboards, discovery tools, authentication systems) and lead procurement processes as needed.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic library leadership and high-level operations management (libraries of varied sizes, academic environments).
Library collections management and acquisitions, including subscriptions, demand-driven acquisitions, and print/electronic collection balancing.
Experience with integrated library systems and discovery platforms (e.g., Ex Libris Alma/Primo, OCLC WorldShare, SirsiDynix Sierra, Innovative Voyager).
Digital repository platforms and digital preservation tools (DSpace, Fedora, Islandora, Preservica) and workflows for long-term access.
Metadata standards and practices (MARC21, Dublin Core, MODS, BIBFRAME), authority control, and linked data fundamentals.
Scholarly communications and open access knowledge: OA policies, institutional repository administration, author rights, and publisher negotiation.
Research data management and curation skills, including data lifecycle planning, metadata for datasets, and RDM tools.
Licensing, negotiation and contract management for e-resources and publisher agreements; experience with consortial purchasing models.
Budgeting, financial stewardship, grant budgeting and fiscal reporting for department and project-level funds.
Staff development, performance management, HR processes, collective bargaining awareness (where applicable), and academic/faculty personnel processes.
Assessment and analytics: usage statistics, COUNTER reports, LibQual, IR deposit metrics, and presenting ROI metrics to stakeholders.
Copyright law, licensing, fair use analysis, and campus policy development related to intellectual property.
Project management methodologies and tools for multi-stakeholder initiatives and digital transformation projects.

Soft Skills

Strategic visioning and ability to translate strategy into measurable goals and operational plans.
Influential communication and advocacy skills for diverse audiences including faculty, students, trustees, and community partners.
Collaborative leadership: building cross-functional partnerships across academic affairs, IT, development, and student services.
Change management and organizational development experience leading cultural and technological transitions.
Equity-minded leadership and cultural competency to support inclusive services, collections, and hiring.
Problem-solving, critical thinking, and data-informed decision making to address complex institutional challenges.
Political acumen and diplomacy for campus governance, faculty relations, and external stakeholder engagement.
Mentoring, coaching, and talent development to foster a high-performing, motivated staff.
Time management and prioritization skills in a fast-paced academic environment with competing demands.
Public speaking and community engagement for events, trustee presentations, and donor cultivation.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science (MLS/MLIS) or equivalent graduate degree in library/information studies.

Preferred Education:

Advanced degree (PhD, EdD, J.D., or relevant terminal degree) in a related field or additional graduate credentials in higher education leadership, business administration (MBA), or public administration.
Executive education or certifications in leadership, fundraising, or project management are desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Library & Information Science (MLS/MLIS)
Digital Humanities, Information Science, or Knowledge Management
Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, or Business Administration
Archival Studies, History, or Preservation Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in academic libraries, including at least 5 years in senior leadership roles (associate/assistant university librarian, director-level).

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record of strategic planning, budgetary oversight of multi-million dollar portfolios, successful capital or renovation projects, fundraising and donor stewardship, and leadership of digital transformation initiatives.
Experience working with faculty governance, accreditation processes, consortia negotiations, and a proven record of advocacy for library services at the campus executive level.
Evidence of published scholarship, presentations, or professional leadership in relevant library and higher education organizations is a plus.