Director of Public Services #00039

Title: Director of Public Services #00039

State Role Title: Library Manager

Hiring Range: $90,000 minimum

Pay Band: 6

Agency: The Library of Virginia

Location: Library of Virginia Building

Agency Website: https://www.lva.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Director of Public Services leads a dynamic team of professionals dedicated to providing comprehensive access to the Library of Virginia’s extensive resources and services. These resources include state and local records, archival and special collections, a robust library collection, and a wide array of digital resources—both institutional digital collections and licensed content. The Director will reimagine research and access services at the Library, fostering a culture of excellent service through collaboration, continuous assessment, and staff mentorship. Reporting to the Chief of Researcher Engagement, the Director will remain current with best practices and innovative service models in archives and libraries and will work closely with staff and management to ensure a seamless user experience online and on-site.

Key Responsibilities:

Staff Leadership & Management

• Supervise a merged public service team that provides on-site and online access and research support on Virginia history, government, and people.
• Oversee access policies, ensuring compliance with federal and state guidelines.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide coaching and mentoring to support staff development.
• Ensure staff receive ongoing training and professional development aligned with evolving user needs.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight to ensure all staff activities are aligned with and actively advancing the institution’s mission, vision, and long-term strategic goals.

Innovative Service Development

• Develop and implement a forward-thinking service model that evolves with user expectations.
• Lead continuous assessment cycles to improve services.
• Collaborate with Library IT and Digital Initiatives to implement new workflows and technologies, including online reference tools such as chat and video.
• Oversee the creation of instructional materials, including videos, to support user education (e.g., genealogy research).
• Utilize such tools LibAnswers and LibConnect to evaluate and enhance online reference services.
• Actively engage in ongoing space-planning and accessibility improvements.
• Build continual improvement into interlibrary loan services and a robust archival ordering system.

Reference & Collections Expertise

• Maintain expertise in a wide range of reference sources, including licensed databases, open-access platforms, digitized collections, archival records, and published materials.
• Participate in collection development, including evaluating and recommending reference materials.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of research guides, tutorials, and research-focused web content.

Outreach & Collaboration

• Collaborate with Library colleagues to create compelling outreach opportunities, for space activation and online engagement.
• Participate in and contribute to public workshops and educational programs.
• Collaborate with Education & Outreach staff to support presentations, tours, and exhibits.
• Serve on internal committees, task forces, and workgroups.
• Engage with regional and national libraries and archival organizations to stay informed on trends and innovations in information services.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Considerable experience supervising full-time professional employees.
• Extensive experience with managing Library/Archives access and reference service processes.
• Demonstrated experience with performance management.
• Extensive knowledge with ILS systems for Access Services, including patron services and circulation
• Demonstrated experience with workflow documentation for acce