The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Arts Collections Curator. This position works in a collaborative environment within the Special Collections and Archives (SCA) department. The Arts Collections Curator develops, promotes, and provides collection stewardship for Special Collections and Archives arts-related special collections including over 4,000 pieces of book art, 125,000 comic arts holdings, 3,000 works of art, and other related collections. The Arts Collections Curator will play an integral role in stewarding Special Collections holdings through collection development and donor relations, supporting the SCA instruction program, and leading related outreach initiatives. The successful candidate will join an exceptionally talented, culturally and academically diverse faculty.

Special Collections and Archives at the VCU Libraries connects students, faculty, researchers, and community members with rare and unique materials in areas such as comic arts, book arts, Richmond and Central Virginia history; African-American, women’s and LGBTQ community histories; social movements and activism; 15th-19th- century medical texts and imprints; health sciences history focused on Virginia and the South; and University Archives. The department currently consists of 6 faculty and 4 professional staff across two locations - James Branch Cabell and Health Sciences Libraries. The Arts Collections Curator will be based in the Cabell Library and play an integral role in the continuing the development of our arts-related special collections.

Located in culturally diverse, historic, and dynamic Richmond, Virginia, convenient to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the recreation destinations of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Commonwealth University is one of Virginia's largest universities and among the nation's leading research institutions. VCU Libraries, one of Virginia’s outstanding research library systems, advances the University’s teaching, research, service, and patient care mission with comprehensive digital and print collections and nationally recognized innovation in its facilities, advanced media and technology resources for its community. In February 2018, the Association of College and Research Libraries recognized VCU Libraries with the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. In 2020, the Health Sciences Library received the Medical Library Association’s Research Advancement in Health Sciences Librarianship Award. The successful candidate will join an exceptionally talented, culturally and academically diverse community.

Diversity and InclusionVCU’s commitment to diversity is one of the institution’s unique strengths. Our student body is one of the most diverse in Virginia in terms of race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and one of the four themes of our Quest 2028 Strategic Plan is “Diversity driving excellence.” The United States Department of Education has designated VCU as a minority serving institution effective July 1, 2022. VCU is committed to building an increasingly diverse faculty and leadership team, and is actively engaged in partnerships with diverse communities in the Richmond metro area. VCU Libraries is purposeful in our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion and expects that the Arts Collections Curator will be a leader in fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all members of the VCU community. The successful candidate will receive support for research, service, and professional development and will have ample opportunity to pursue diversity and inclusion related opportunities in those areas.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Special Collections and Archives, and working closely with department colleagues, the Arts Collections Curator is responsible for curatorial support, including promoting access and use, collection development, and donor relations. The Curator will play an integral part in the growth of our arts-related special collections prioritizing holdings by and about historically underrepresented groups. The Curator will predominantly focus on arts-related materials but may occasionally work with additional rare and localized special collections, such as rare books and other published works.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Contribute to operations, management of the collection development funds, research services, programs, and technical functions for special collections

• Collaborate with the department head and team members to assist in developing strategic initiatives, policies, and programs related to special collections

• Develop and manage arts-focused special collections in all formats, building research collections of distinction that advance teaching, scholarship, creative expression, and student success

• Actively work with vendors, book sellers, donors, and artists to acquire arts-focused collection materials and curate collections that reflect current and developing needs, and seek to expand collections that build and strengthen a diverse representation of subjects and materials

• Collaborate with colleagues in other divisions to enhance access to special collections and support collection development

• Initiate and coordinate outreach programming to promote arts-related special collections through physical and online exhibits, presentations, tours, and other outreach activities in collaboration with the department and other university faculty

• Foster relationships with the VCU community, donors, and other stakeholders connected to the Arts in collaboration with Library Development

• Work with students and faculty; provide research consultations, assist with the development of educational programs and course related instruction sessions

• Supervise hourly employee(s) in addition to students and interns connected to arts-related work 

The Arts Collections Curatoris expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty with the VCU Libraries are evaluated, and promoted, on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and service.

Qualifications

Required:

• ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline

• Experience working with or interest in art, art history, book arts, history of the book and printing, comic arts, and/or related subject matter

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU

Candidates need not meet all the preferred qualifications to be fully considered. We value individual and unique skills that would strengthen the VCU Libraries and our teams.

Preferred:

• Degree, coursework, or other evidence of subject knowledge related to art, art history, book arts, history of the book and printing, comic arts, and/or related subject matter

• Curatorial experience in a museum or library/archival setting

• Experience with or interest in training, mentoring, and/or supervising staff, student workers, and/or volunteers

• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse library users and colleagues

• Experience with or interest in managing a collections budget 

• Experience working with booksellers and individual donors to acquire collection materials

Salary: Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $60,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. 12-month faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans. Relocation assistance is available. Librarians are provided a generous professional development allowance.For more information about benefits, see the Faculty Benefits page.

Interviews: Initial interviews will be conducted virtually. We anticipate inviting finalists to campus. 

Learn about the position in an online information sessionWe are hosting information sessions for interested applicants in advance of theMarch 18, 2024 review date. Please consider joining one of these sessions to learn more about the position, meet the supervisor, Chrystal Carpenter, and get answers to your questions about the position.

Join one of our info sessions via Zoom:

Monday, February 26, 2024 | Noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Thursday, March 7, 2024 | 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern

The attendee list for each Zoom session will be hidden and those asking questions may do so anonymously. Live captioning will be provided. To attend a session, please complete the confidential form to receive a Zoom link.

Questions? Please contact: Chrystal Carpenter at carpenterc2@vcu.edu.

Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Libraries

As one of only 64 public universities with academic medical centers to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity,” Virginia Commonwealth University ranks among Virginia’s largest research universities, enrolling over 28,000 students. Located in the heart of Richmond, VCU offers 44 doctoral, 68 masters, 3 professional, and 71 baccalaureate degree programs. Thirty-four of VCU's graduate and professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation, with 29 programs ranking in the top 50 and sculpture and nurse anesthesia ranked number one. Over 2500 faculty comprise the University's teaching force. Research strengths at the University include health and life sciences, education, engineering, social work, behavioral sciences, public affairs, advertising and design, and the fine arts. Sponsored research funding totals over $460 million, placing VCU among the top 100 research institutions in the United States.

Libraries at Virginia Commonwealth University, including the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus and the Health Sciences Library on the MCV Campus, employ over 60professionals and 64 staff with annual expenditures exceeding $22 million. VCU also operates academic programs in Doha, Qatar, supported by a library there, and in various locations throughout the U.S. and the world. The VCU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, Center for Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, National Digital Stewardship Alliance, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), a statewide networking consortium for shared access to electronic and print resources, as well as a Resource Library in the Network of the National Library of Medicine, among others. The VCU Libraries uses the following packages for its system architecture: Alma, Primo, Digital Commons, ArchivesSpace, ILLiad, and Omeka. 

The Monroe Park Campus of VCU is located in Richmond's Fan District, a large, residential neighborhood of townhouses, shops, and cafes. The campus is home to most of the University’s undergraduate and many of its graduate programs, including the School of the Arts, the Colleges of Humanities and Sciences, and Engineering and the Schools of Business, Education, and Social Work. The School of Social Work also offers the Masters of Social Work at the Northern Virginia Campus in Alexandria, Virginia. In addition, VCU’s Qatar campus in the Middle East offers degree programs through the School of the Arts.

The MCV Campus, located in historic Court End near state and local government and financial centers, is home to the VCU Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Population Health; VCU College of Health Professions; the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research; and VCU Health. VCU Health includes VCU Medical Center, a Magnet Recognized hospital with 812 inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, a Level 1 trauma center, and over 800 providers in 200 specialty areas, many of national and international renown, as well as the Children’s Hospital at VCU and Massey Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. In addition to multidisciplinary centers for cancer, cardiology, neurosurgery, and transplantation, VCU Health offers virtually every form of contemporary medical service. 

For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at https://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin March 18, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, go to https://www.vcujobs.com/, complete the application and submit a cover letter, CV/resume, and the names, email addresses, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references. Applicants are requested to submit a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion providing your career aspirations and contributions toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an urban research institution with a richly diverse university community and commitment to multicultural opportunities. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability.

Position Type: Teaching & Research Faculty
Full time equivalent: 1.0
Tenure: Ineligible
Rank: Open
Months: 12
Department:University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives

Salary: Commensurate with experience; not less than $60,000

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