DIRECTOR, WILLIAM L. CLEMENTS LIBRARY

University of Michigan

Director, William L. Clements Library

Ann Arbor, Michigan

The University of Michigan seeks nominations and invites applications for the position of Director of the William L. Clements Library, an internationally renowned collection of print and manuscript materials on the history of North America and the Caribbean from the pre-Colonial period to about 1900.

THE WILLIAM L. CLEMENTS LIBRARY

The library was founded in 1923 by Michigan industrialist William L. Clements, a Regent and alumnus who donated the funds for the library’s Albert Kahn-designed building located on Ann Arbor’s central campus. Recently renovated and expanded, this neoclassical landmark was built to house Clements’ extraordinary Americana collection of rare books, early newspapers, significant maps, and important manuscripts. These include the papers of notable early statesmen and military leaders, making this trove a premier research archive of the Age of Discovery, Colonial Era, American Revolution, and Early Republic. Over nearly 100 years, the subject areas of these holdings have expanded through the Civil War into the Progressive Era, while growing dramatically in four divisions: books of rare print material; manuscripts ranging from personal accounts to official documents; maps, printed and manuscript; and graphics comprising photographs, prints, musical scores, ephemera, and three-dimensional objects. The collection is used by visiting and campus-based researchers and serves as a resource for classroom instruction as well as regular exhibits and public events addressing topics from the culinary arts and musical performance to abolition and Emancipation.

THE DIRECTOR

The Director is an integral member of the university’s academic leadership tasked with ensuring the continued care and development of the library’s rich collections, while engaging faculty and staff to inspire innovative approaches to teaching, research, and scholarly communication. The Director reports to the Office of the Provost and oversees a staff of some twenty professionals, while working with the Clements Committee of Management and Clements Library Associates through its Board of Governors.

THE CANDIDATE

The successful candidate will be an administrative and intellectual leader with a strong background in a discipline relevant to aspects of the Clements’ collections in their broadest sense—African American Studies, American Studies, Atlantic Studies, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Native American History, Religion, and related fields in architecture, literature, science, and the arts, etc.

Desired qualifications include experience in library administration, fiscal management, and digital strategy; and a passion for fundraising, and the ability to engage the campus and educate broader publics about the resources of the Clements and their contemporary relevance. The Director must share the deep commitment of the library and the University of Michigan to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and should have a clear vision for showcasing and increasing the library’s diversity in all its forms.

Nominations and applications will be reviewed beginning January 7, 2019 and will be accepted until the position is filled. Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be treated in a confidential manner and should be submitted to the retained search consultants—Alan Wichlei, Beverly Brady, and Heather Ray—at Isaacson, Miller at www.imsearch.com/6879.  The consultants may also be reached at (617) 262-6500.

More can be learned about the mission and resources of the William L. Clements Library at
http://www.clements.umich.edu

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.