The LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden was founded in 1899.  It has evolved to be the largest, most comprehensive botanical library in the world and contains ten centuries of knowledge about all aspects of plants and related topics. The Library’s collections comprise more than one million print and non-print items, including 550,000 volumes of books and journals, more than 32,000 pieces of art and illustration plus 6,953 linear feet of archival materials representing more than 75 percent of the world’s literature on systematic botany and approximately 83 percent of the world’s published floras. The Library builds its collections through active purchasing, exchanges with other libraries and gifts.

The Collection Development Librarian is responsible for developing the monographic, serial and electronic resource collections of the Mertz Library. Assesses collection growth, usage and material costs expenditures as they relate and respond to changing institutional activities and programming priorities. The Librarian collaborates with the other Library Staff to articulate collection policies, and procedures for acquiring and accessing resources in all formats. They will actively work towards building cooperative and collaborative relationships with peers and internal staff.