The Executive Director of the library provides leadership and is responsible for the overall administration, organization, planning, and management of library operations. The Executive Director will provide expertise in introducing innovative and effective information technology systems in library services. A record of empowering staff members through a commitment to open communication and consultative leadership is foundational to this role. A substantial record of professional contributions as a respected library profession leader is expected. The Executive Director will develop initiatives in accordance with Meharry’s 2026 Sesquicentennial Strategic Plan. This includes establishing cross-cutting and matrixed support teams, exploring support for community-engagement programs, and implementing programs to increase institutional awareness among Meharry employees and students. For example: coordination with the Data Science Institute to help educate and serve students and faculty in data curation, ethics considerations for Big Data research, and data narrative training; integrating with the Office for Research scientific editors to support hands-on bibliographic and background literature collection for researcher manuscript and grant proposals; participation in community serving initiatives in surrounding primary & secondary schools, support of community engaged academic projects, and potentially serving as a clearing house for all community-engaged programs. The successful candidate will possess or acquire knowledge regarding the College’s compliance with regional accrediting bodies, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and the Commission on Dental Education (CODA) regarding the adequacy of the library collection.

The Executive Director manages all aspects of library service, collection development, strategic planning, budget administration (including endowments and grants), personnel management, policy formulation, and facilities as well as supervises and manages the College Archives and Special Collections Department.

Required Skills

• Leadership for a customer-service ethos
• Data savvy and committed to expanding the role of librarians in support of data scientists in Big Data initiatives
• Facile with biomedical and health scholarship and able to implement support for such activities
• Creativity for devising community-engagement strategies within and outside of campus networks
•  Identifying gaps in service and resources and creating solutions to fill them
• Knowledge of medical and dental education, biomedical research, and clinical care and the information resources and services needed to support them.
•  Understanding of the issues of scholarly communication and federal public access policies as they apply to the health sciences.
• Knowledge of current and emerging digital technologies and services in support of medical education and experience in the design and integration of information systems into medical, dental, and public health curricula.
• Ability to provide leadership and direction in a research library.
• Problem solving skills, experience coordinating projects, and the ability to bring projects to fruition.
• Ensure synergy with library resources and academic priorities.
• Experience working collaboratively and independently with various groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing team environment.

Required Experience

A Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA -accredited institution and a minimum of ten years of professional experience in an academic medical library leadership role is required. Must have operational, financial, and budgetary experience. Must have knowledge and experience in an academic medical library in technical, reference, and public services. 10 to 15 years of experience is required.

• Leadership for a customer-service ethos
• Data savvy and committed to expanding the role of librarians in support of data scientists in Big Data initiatives
• Facile with biomedical and health scholarship and able to implement support for such activities
• Creativity for devising community-engagement strategies within and outside of campus networks
•  Identifying gaps in service and resources and creating solutions to fill them
• Knowledge of medical and dental education, biomedical research, and clinical care and the information resources and services needed to support them.
•  Understanding of the issues of scholarly communication and federal public access policies as they apply to the health sciences.
• Knowledge of current and emerging digital technologies and services in support of medical education and experience in the design and integration of information systems into medical, dental, and public health curricula.
• Ability to provide leadership and direction in a research library.
• Problem solving skills, experience coordinating projects, and the ability to bring projects to fruition.
• Ensure synergy with library resources and academic priorities.
• Experience working collaboratively and independently with various groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing team environment.