Employment Opportunity: Curator of Latin American Collections University of New Mexico

Position Description

The University of New Mexico Libraries in Albuquerque seeks a Curator of Latin American Collections to manage its collections related to Mexico and Latin America. The Curator of Latin American Collections serves constituencies across campus and is part of the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections (CSWR).  S/he works closely with faculty and students conducting research in a variety of academic fields, through specialized and general reference services, as well as instructional programs using general and special collections. This is a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track faculty position. The desired start date is June 1, 2020. The annual salary is negotiable based on qualifications and includes full benefits.

Responsibilities

The Curator of Latin American Collections continually analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the collection in order to manage its development, preservation, and growth. This involves building both archival and research collections on Mexico and Latin America. The Curator initiates and manages strategic initiatives, programs, outreach activities, grants, and special projects, including a current initiative to digitize Mexican political materials in partnership with Fideicomiso Archivos Plutarco Elias Calles y Fernando Torreblanca (FAPECFT) in Mexico. The Curator reports to the Director of the CSWR and, in consultation with the Director, other Curators and the Department of Collection Development, has responsibility for the Mexican and Latin American Collections.

The incumbent will spend regular time at the CSWR reference desk. Staff at CSWR serve an extremely varied group of readers who range from members of the general public and relatively inexperienced undergraduates to advanced graduate students, faculty members, visiting scholars, and other readers from across the state and around the world.

Primary Duties

• Serves as the primary liaison to the Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) and actively develops professional relationships with faculty, staff, and students in cross-disciplinary Latin American fields
• Provides instruction in research and information literacy in a variety of settings
• Engages in library outreach activities related to Mexico and Latin America
• Seeks extramural funding to support special collections development
• Builds connections with Latin American partners to develop and increase visibility of special collections
• Selects and manages collections related to Mexico and Latin America, including working closely with specialized vendors
• Manages collection funds allocated to these areas to ensure timely and appropriate expenditure
• Participates in UNM Libraries faculty governance and in library management as required
• Meets librarianship & teaching, scholarship and service requirements for promotion and tenure as detailed in the UNM Faculty Handbook
• Contributes to UNM Libraries’ initiatives that further UNM’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Collaborates with the Director of CSWR regarding support services and may directly supervise CSWR services staff.

The Environment

The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a member of the Association of Research Libraries and the Greater Western Library Alliance and leads the LIBROS Consortium of seventeen academic libraries in New Mexico. The UNM Libraries contain over 3.5 million volumes and includes four branch libraries: Centennial Science & Engineering Library, Fine Arts & Design Library, Parish Memorial Library (business and economics), and Zimmerman Library (humanities, social sciences, and education). Zimmerman Library also houses the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. UNM is a Tier I Research Institution and a Hispanic-serving institution.

UNM Libraries consider their Mexican and Latin American Collections one of their distinctive collections, which represent the strongest single area of the library’s print materials with nearly 600,000 books in English, Portuguese and Spanish. UNM’s holdings for Mexican and Latin American Art, Art History, History, and Photography are widely recognized among the best in the United States. The Libraries works closely with the Latin American & Iberian Institute (http://www.laii.unm.edu/) which has over 110 affiliated faculty members.  Together with the LAII, CSWR hosts up to three Richard E. Greenleaf Visiting Library Scholars annually.  Discover more about CSWR and its Latin American holdings through our websites at http://elibrary.unm.edu/cswr and https://elibrary.unm.edu/about/collections/latin-american-collections.php

In addition, CSWR’s Mexican and Latin American holdings contain extensive primary research collections in all formats: manuscript collections, photographs and other pictorial collections, music score collections, microforms and digital materials, and rare books.

The UNM Libraries is an institutional member of SALALM (Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials) and MOLLAS (Midwest Organization of Libraries for Latin American Studies)

Minimum Basic Qualification at time of application:

• An earned Master’s degree from an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library/information sciences program or equivalent degree OR a Ph.D. in a subject-relevant field.
• One year of experience in an academic or research library with demonstrated success in supporting Latin American research or learning in a library or archive.

Preferred (desired) Qualifications:

Progressive experience in an academic or research library with demonstrated success as a Latin American Curator

Progressive experience in Collection Development in one or more Latin American countries

Progressive experience in a special collections environment

Native or near-native ability to speak, read, write, and comprehend in Spanish and English

Proficiency in Portuguese and/or an Indigenous language of Latin America.

Record of progressive accomplishment as a scholar-librarian

Strong knowledge of existing and emerging trends in scholarship related to Mexico or Latin America

Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills

Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success as well as working with broadly diverse communities