Mennonite Historical Library Curator

Position Summary:

Goshen College is a Christian liberal arts institution that prepares students to thrive in life, leadership and service. We strive to model an inclusive community committed to
transformative justice, peace, and sustainability. A respect and appreciation of the Anabaptist-Mennonite faith perspective and practices, and a commitment to the mission, vision, core values and community standards of Goshen College, are important for teaching and administrative faculty members.

Founded in 1906, the Mennonite Historical Library (MHL) at Goshen College (GC) maintains
one of the most comprehensive collections in the world related to the Radical Reformation,
Anabaptists, Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish and other Plain groups. Since the creation of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism (ISGA) at Goshen College in 2011, the MHL has strengthened its collection and presentation of sources that document and serve Anabaptist-Mennonite communities outside of North America and Europe. These qualities have made the Mennonite Historical Library (MHL) at Goshen College an indispensable resource for a wide range of local, domestic, and international scholars.

The MHL curator partners with the ISGA director to leverage the MHL’s collection for greater
global connection and storytelling in ways that enrich academic scholarship and current faith communities. The curator is responsible for collection development and preservation;
organization and description of collection materials; providing research assistance to the library patrons; overseeing daily operations and personnel within the library; communicating the value of the MHL’s collections to students, faculty, and local and global researchers and partners; and promotion and outreach that deepens engagement and access.

The salary for this position $49,800 annually. Salary may be adjusted for additional qualifications above and beyond the requirement.

Position Duties:

1. Oversee collection development, including assessment of collection strengths and gaps, selection, acquisition and processing. Define priorities and assess possibilities for digital collections, in collaboration with the director and in conversation with global partners.
2. Collaborate with the ISGA director to identify goals and objectives for the library and to align operations with departmental and college mission and vision.
3. Ensure compliance of procedures with national and international metadata standards, supporting original and complex description of materials in a variety of formats and languages.
4. Supervise and engage MHL staff, volunteers, and students workers in creating a collaborative work environment. Oversee and include staff in organization, description, access, and promotion of materials held by the MHL. Ensure accurate data collection and comprehensive understanding of appropriate usage statistics by staff.
5. With intercultural competence, sensitivity, and flexibility, assist diverse on-site and remote researchers. Develop and implement procedures for technical operations and public services, including answering reference questions, developing research guides, and facilitating reproduction of materials.
6. Encourage use of the MHL’s collection among GC and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary faculty and students, working with faculty to identify new opportunities to integrate special collections into undergraduate and graduate curricula and research.
7. Collaborate with the ISGA director to engage global and local scholars, the campus community, and the broader public with the MHL’s collection. Support a range of exhibits, programs, written materials, displays, lectures, workshops, etc. that align with the ISGA’s mission to deepen global connection and storytelling.
8. Determine and regularly assess technical conditions, standards, and space needs for storage, display, and long-term preservation of the collection. Make use of available options with creativity and flexibility.
9. Serve as the primary contact for GC institutional archives inquiries and for technical storage questions of the archives.

Position Qualifications: 

• BASIC QUALIFICATIONS –
  • Master’s degree in library science (MLS or MLIS) or relevant terminal degree and experience
  • Experience could include any of the following: metadata management; research collections; archival management; collection development for special collections; exhibit curation; grant-writing; teaching with primary source materials; and digital initiatives for special collections
• OTHER REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS –
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills, subject research skills, and organizational skills
  • Demonstrated interpersonal skills and intercultural competence; can competently serve patrons and students from a wide range of cultural, linguistic, and national backgrounds and work effectively with others in a multicultural environment
  • Flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to innovate
  • Familiarity with user-oriented bibliographic and metadata services
• PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS –
  • Knowledge of Anabaptist-Mennonite studies or adjacent fields
  • Ability to perform original, copy and derived cataloging
  • Supervisory experience highly desirable
  • Reading knowledge of Dutch or German desirable; other language abilities also helpful
  • Evidence of successful project management
  • Familiarity with WorldShare Management Services or another library management system

Benefits

• Health insurance (employee premium 100% covered)
• Dental, vision, life and LTD insurance
• Retirement plans
• Tuition discounts
• Free employee membership to Recreation/Fitness Center
• Flexible Spending Account
• Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave

See our website for additional benefits information.

About Goshen College

Goshen College is a nationally-ranked college and Hispanic-Serving Institution in Indiana renowned for its distinctive hands-on, real-world educational opportunities, and its commitment to creating positive change in the community and the world. The college offers over 65 undergraduate areas of study; as well as best-in-class graduate programs in nursing, business administration, social work and environmental education. This caring, safe and diverse campus prides itself on providing excellent academic programs that connect arts with sciences, and theory with practice — exposing students to multiple perspectives and encouraging them to think deeply, live creatively and lead purposefully.

The college is located in the City of Goshen in the heart of Elkhart County, within several hours of Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit, Residents of Goshen enjoy a culturally diverse small-town atmosphere with an active arts community, a vibrant and entrepreneurial downtown, the Maple City Greenway network of bicycle paths and affordable housing prices. Learn more at www,goodofgoshen.com.

How to Apply

Application materials may be attached to the Teaching and Administrative Faculty Application Form or sent electronically to hr@goshen.edu.

Required:

• Complete the online Administrative Faculty Application Form
• Letter of Application
• Curriculum Vitae
• List of three professional references with contact information

Review of applications will begin on February 23, 2024 and continue until the position is
filled. With a commitment to building a diverse faculty and staff, underrepresented
persons are encouraged to apply.

E-Verify Statement of Participation

Goshen College participates in E-Verify. If you are hired, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Goshen College is an equal opportunity employer, committed to enhancing diversity across the institution. Goshen College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or any legally protected status. As a religious institution, Goshen College expressly reserves its rights, its understandings  of, and its commitments to the historic Anabaptist identity and the teachings of Mennonite Church USA, and reserves the legal right to hire and employ individuals who support the values of the college. To protect the welfare and provide for the safety of the students, employees, visitors and resources of Goshen College, background checks are conducted by the Office of Human Resources on all new and re-hired employees.

Human Resources
Goshen College
1700 S. Main Street
Goshen, IN 46526-4795

E-mail: hr@goshen.edu
Telephone: (574) 535-7111