Director of the UAMS Library

Position Profile

Prepared by:   UAMS Executive Search Group

Director of the UAMS Library:

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is seeking an experienced and innovative leader for the position of Director of the UAMS Library.  The Library serves UAMS (www.uams.edu), the only comprehensive academic health sciences center in Arkansas, which includes colleges of health professions, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and a graduate school as well as the UAMS Medical Center (hospital and outpatient center) located in Little Rock, Arkansas www.littlerock.com.  The Library also serves the Northwest UAMS campus located in Fayetteville and Arkansas Children’s Hospital located in Little Rock as well as other UAMS and Regional Programs campuses located throughout the state. This position offers unique opportunities to provide information services, education and research support, and outreach to support the UAMS Vision 2029.

About the UAMS Library:

• The Library is staffed by 21.55 FTEs: 11 professional librarians, one Public Historian (Archivist), 7 paraprofessional and technical staff, and 5 part-time positions.
• The Library is a 44,000 sq foot facility strategically located at the heart of the Little Rock campus plus a separate 2,500 sq foot Historical Research Center Annex also located on campus.
• The Library’s budget of $3,758,871 (FY 2020-2021) funds resources, services, and personnel.
• The AAHSL Annual Statistics for 2018 indicates that the UAMS Library fits the profile of the ‘composite’ or average health sciences library in annual budget, collection expenditures, number of personnel, composition, and total expenditures.

About the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences:

UAMS is the state's only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS' clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report recognized UAMS Medical Center as a Best Hospital for 2021-22; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide for the third year; and named five areas as high performing — colon cancer surgery, diabetes, hip replacement, knee replacement and stroke. Forbes magazine ranked UAMS as seventh in the nation on its Best Employers for Diversity list. UAMS also ranked in the top 30% nationwide on Forbes’ Best Employers for Women list and was the only Arkansas employer included. UAMS has 3,047 students, 873 medical residents and fellows, and six dental residents. It is the state's largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children's, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health.

Library Role

• Library and information services support research, clinical care, education and outreach for UAMS.
• Library Administration maintains collegial and contractual relationships that support outreach to eight UAMS Regional Programs campuses and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
• Education and Research Services provide expert searchers focusing on research and clinical missions, with IACUC full membership/leadership integration.
• Clinical librarians embedded with hospital clinical teams attend patient rounds to provide education support to residents and students in the use of medical literature resources and the application of evidence-based principles in patient care.
• Outreach supports public libraries and underrepresented communities in Arkansas through a grant-funded project from the NNLM.
• Library faculty liaison service to colleges, departments, and clinical units to provide consultations, specialized search strategy development, library orientations, tours, presentations, and customized training and curriculum-based guest lecturers.   
• Historical Research Center collection and curation of artifacts and items related to the history of the health sciences in Arkansas and the UAMS Archives showcase UAMS’ role in Arkansas health.
• Work-in-progress Women of Color in Arkansas Medicine is a digital collection celebrating the diverse health professionals with Arkansas connections, significantly Joycelyn Elders, MD, former Surgeon General during President Bill Clinton’s tenure.

Director Responsibilities

• Leads all aspects of library operations, including vision setting, policy development, coordination and planning services, and evaluation of operations, resources, and services.
• Stewards a financial budget of $3.8 million.
• Cultivates relationships and collaborations with primary communities served throughout the UAMS system, the community, the state, and regionally.
• Leads library departments:  Education and Research Services, Historical Research Center and Resource Management, Access Services, and Administration.
• Provides guidance and mentorship for library faculty in scholarship, professional development, and promotion.
• Promotes inclusive environment and service.
• Participates in SCAMeL, RML/SCRG, MLA and SCC/MLA, Arkansas Library associations, and consortia.

Candidate Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

Required Qualifications

• Degree from an ALA-accredited graduate school
• At least five years of experience successfully leading an academic health sciences library and/or a major library unit
• Well-developed emotional intelligence with exceptional facilitation, interpersonal, and communication skills
• Demonstrated success in leadership, management, supervision, and mentoring
• Knowledge of key issues, emerging technologies, and best practices in health sciences education and librarianship
• Record of active participation in the profession

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional advanced degree in education, information science, or health/biomedical sciences discipline 
• Membership in the Medical Library Association’s Academy of Health Information Professionals
• Grant-writing experience
• Record of leadership role in profession

Preferred Personal Characteristics

• Passion for excellence and a high level of energy and enthusiasm
• Capacity to embrace change with an appropriate respect for culture and tradition
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity
• Motivator and mentor capable of developing strong teams and developing others
• Unquestioned personal integrity

Interested individuals are asked to submit their CV and a letter addressing their experiences that fulfill the criteria for this position to Robert Moore, Executive Recruiter at rdmoore@uams.edu.

 Written nominations, inquiries, and applications (including emails) may be subject to disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

 UAMS is an inclusive Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and is committed to excellence.