Dean of Libraries at Princeton University – Princeton, New Jersey

Overview

Princeton University seeks an accomplished leader to serve as its next Dean of Libraries, who also holds the title of Robert H. Taylor 1930 University Librarian. A member of the President’s Cabinet, the Dean of Libraries reports to the Provost and is appointed by the President and the Board of Trustees. The Dean of Libraries advances Princeton’s research and teaching mission by overseeing and guiding a world-class academic research library system with a strong emphasis on access, preservation, and innovation.

Princeton University Library is one of the world’s most prestigious research libraries, serving an academic community of approximately 9,000 students, 1,000 full-time faculty, and many visiting scholars. The Library’s extensive collections include millions of printed works, as well as archival materials, maps, prints, realia, coins and incunabula. Digital holdings are represented by primary sources such as manuscripts, archives, and rare books, and also include ephemera, data, images, electronic materials, maps, music and video. The Library’s collections grow and evolve through careful selection, acquisitions, and shaping by subject specialists and curators, gifts to the Library, and collaborative collecting programs with partner research institutions and consortia.

A hub of activity for exploration and discovery, the Library is continually evolving and enhancing its contribution to the Princeton research, teaching and learning experience. The Library actively supports today’s researchers through newly designed workspaces, in-depth expertise, state-of-the-art technology, and ever-increasing access to its extraordinary physical and electronic collections. The Library has a campus-wide presence in 10 locations, including the main Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library and the new Commons Library, which opened in fall 2025. More information can be found at http://library.princeton.edu/. 

Responsibilities
Duties of the Dean of Libraries include:

Facilitating strategic leadership, stewardship, and overall curatorial care for the Library’s world-renowned physical and digital collections;Working closely with fellow members of the Cabinet and the Provost’s Office to ensure that the Library’s holdings, resources, and services are forward-looking, agile, and responsive to the evolving needs of the University;Guiding the deployment of technology for continuous improvement of operations;Providing strategic and collaborative campus leadership on emerging trends and wider information policy in the research landscape, including in areas that require ongoing engagement and effective partnership with the Dean for Research, such as research data management, open access, and copyright;Leading, developing, and communicating regularly with a talented library staff of more than 350 that includes employees appointed through the Office of Human Resources, some of whom are unionized, as well as a population of academic professionals appointed through the Office of the Dean of the Faculty;Directly managing eight direct reports – five senior staff members who form the Library Strategy Council, along with three director- or executive-director-level staff from the Library Administrative Team – by cultivating a culture of strong and collaborative teamwork;Working productively and creatively with the faculty and administrative leaders of the Center for Digital Humanities, the staff of which are based in Firestone Library;Overseeing a total annual budget of more than $90 million through a data-informed and strategic approach to decision-making;Building relationships with alumni, donors and others, including the Friends of Princeton University Library, to ensure ongoing support for the Library’s collections and services;Leading an effective communications strategy to raise the profile of Princeton University Library locally, nationally and internationally.Serving on the Board for ReCAP (Research Collections and Preservation Consortium), whose executive director and staff are Princeton University employees;Collaborating closely with peers of other leading research libraries, most notably the ReCAP partners – Columbia, Harvard, New York Public Library, and Yale – and the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation;Representing the Library and the University on relevant professional committees and organizations.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

A distinguished record of professional accomplishment over ten or more years at a senior level within a research library setting;An advanced degree, with a preference for one in library and information science or in an academic field represented at Princeton University;A notable record of setting and achieving strategic goals; A deep understanding of the opportunities facing academic research libraries, along with a clear vision of the role libraries will play in the next decades of the 21st century; Demonstrated success in integrating new technologies to support and improve services, build and maintain collections, and enable innovative teaching and programming;A proven record of successfully overseeing a large staff, including recruitment, talent and skill development, retention, and performance assessment and management; A proven record managing significant resources and budgets effectively; andAn uncompromising commitment to academic excellence, to the highest ethical standards, and to continued creation and support of a vibrant and broadly diverse community of faculty, students, and staff across the University.

Minimum salary of $400,000 or more commensurate with experience.

To apply, please submit a statement of interest, CV or resumé, list of references.

Nominations and inquiries may also be sent to librarysearch@princeton.edu.

For fullest consideration, candidates should apply by March 1, 2026.

The anticipated start date will be no later than September 1, 2026.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.