As many of you may know, I am retiring from my work as ACRL Content Strategist in early 2016 and we’re currently inviting applications to fill the position. As someone who has held this position for almost 9 years, I can speak to the fun and excitement of the job as well as to the fantastic culture of working at ALA and ACRL in particular!
The Work
The entrepreneurial person who is selected for this position will have great autonomy and will be charged with pushing the envelope on new publishing and distribution models for books. The ACRL Content Strategist has great and knowledgeable thinking partners in ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen Davis, Choice Editor and Publisher Mark Cummings, and the rest of the fantastic ACRL team.
The person who steps into the position will work with the ACRL New Publications Advisory Board to discover new book-worthy content, authors, and editors in the academic library world who can bring the profession to life and add to our professional literature. The Content Strategist uses their network of contacts to reach those who might have an interest in publishing but didn’t know that ACRL is the only non-profit publisher focused specifically on academic libraries and librarianship. There is still a lot to do to expand our program and to explore new ways of supporting academic librarians in their research and writing. Growth is greatly supported here (both personally and programmatically)!
In addition, if you are that lucky person to be the next ACRL Content Strategist you will get to work with the manager of ACRL’s Professional Development programs to look for new e-learning topics and presenters in current and emerging issues of interest to academic librarians, archivists, and library educators. The position comes with a unique opportunity to create connections between ACRL’s book publishing and e-learning programs.
The Environment
Working at ACRL is a joy. One of the things I value about my position is being both trusted and supported by my team of fabulous colleagues. The ACRL team is a high performing group of people with lots of ideas and energy. We work on a daily basis, in partnership with ACRL members, to make good things happen for academic libraries and librarians. Are you intrigued yet?
If you want to work in a creative, dynamic place that will both push you and support you; if you want to have a job where you can really be creative and experimental; if you want to work with colleagues who are great; and if you want to really make a difference for the profession of academic librarianship, you should look at this job right now! I know you’ll love it as much as I do.