State Librarian – Maryland State Library Agency (MD)

The Maryland State Library Agency (MD) seeks an innovative and forward-thinking leader as its next State Librarian to support 192 public library branches and 22 mobile libraries in their mission to provide outstanding resources, programs, and customer service to over 3.3 million Marylanders. Reporting to the Maryland State Library Board, the State Librarian will be responsible for 33 full-time staff, a $103 million budget, and overseeing the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, Maryland’s public libraries, the State Library Network, the Public Library Capital Grants Program, and the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library from its offices in Baltimore, MD. Agency highlights include the Futures Conference, the Hatchlings Early Literacy Program, and the Statewide Blueprint which encourages shared understandings of, and collaborations on, non-library trends shaping the future of public library services in the state. Key initiatives include continued advocacy for funding at the state level, support of intellectual freedom through access and legislative advocacy, and implementing the Maryland State Library Agency Library Services and Technology Act five-year plan goals.

Responsibilities: Administration of the Maryland State Library Agency; management of State and Federal funds to help Maryland libraries provide outstanding resources, programs and excellent customer service; development and implementation of all financial aspects of the agency including operational and capital budgets, statewide audit of libraries, federal grants and fiscal controls; provision of leadership and guidance for the planning and coordinated development of library and information services; provision of specialized library services through the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) and the Deaf Culture Digital Library (DCDL); coordination of the Maryland State Library Network encompassing the State Library Resource Center (SLRC), and the regional library systems and promote collaboration with Maryland’s public school, college, university and state institutional libraries; promotion of innovation and planning in the development of statewide library programs; and representation of Maryland’s libraries at the state and national level including the Council of State Library Agencies (COSLA). Additional duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description linked below. The ideal candidate must have excellent written and verbal communication skills. The candidate should be responsive to the needs and concerns of others, and a collaborative leader who values input and diverse perspectives.

Qualifications: A master's degree from an institution accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) and at least seven years of progressively responsible library experience, five of which shall have been in administrative positions in large library-related organizations such as a state library, other consortia, or the equivalent is required. The ideal candidate must have experience that demonstrates knowledge of all types of library settings; supervising staff, including direct-report staff who supervise other staff; demonstrated ability to articulate, strategically implement, and continually evaluate a vision for library service; and a collaborative leadership style with demonstrated success in team-based decision-making and project management.

Compensation: The hiring salary range is $125,000 – $145,000 (with placement negotiable dependent on experience and qualifications) and an excellent fringe benefits package.

For further information, contact Bradbury Miller Associates (https://bradburymiller.com). Apply via our application portal (https://bradburymiller.com/current-clients/) with a meaningful cover letter and your resume as Word or PDF attachments. This position closes on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

View the most up to date version of this announcement in its entirety along with accompanying links on our website. (https://bradburymiller.com/current-clients/).

Submit specified application materials to brianhare@bradburymiller.com.