Third Time's the Charm? John Marshall Law (Chicago) Conducts Search for a Library Director (Again)

The John Marshall Law School is now conducting its third search for a Director of the Law Library.  The announcement was sent out by Judith Wright (Univ. of Chicago) on behalf of the search committee as outgoing John Marshall director Dorothy Li is currently in China.  Word on the street is that the school is seeking a sitting director from an established school to take over.  The first search was complicated when the then-Dean unexpectedly left the post as finalists were being considered.  The lack of a sitting Dean surely adds to the challenge of attracting qualified candidates. 

Creating further problems is that Northwestern will also be conducting a search for a new director once Chris Simoni officially leaves for Drexel.  If the street view is accurate, and remember that the street loves to make up its own facts at times, John Marshall is advised to take a more pragmatic approach to filling the position. 

The library staff at John Marshall is exceptionally competent and was singled out as such in a Princeton Review capsule description of the school.  Hope is that they will have more involvement in this search than they did in the past two. If not, file under "Due Diligence." [JH]

Announcement

Law Library Director
The John Marshall Law School in Chicago seeks applications for the position of Director of the Louis L. Biro Law Library.  John Marshall was founded in 1899.  The Law School is accredited by the ABA and the Higher Learning Commission, and is a member of the AALS.  The Louis L. Biro Law Library supports the research of students, faculty, and alumni of John Marshall, as well as members of the Chicago Bar Association.  The collection is housed on five floors and two mezzanine floors.  There are more than 45,000 square feet of library space, providing room for more than 600 seats, including 250 study carrels.  The Library currently contains over 380,000 volumes, including the equivalent of 145,000 volumes in microform.  It has a full-time staff of 16, including 8 professional librarians.  Each reference librarian holds degrees in both law and library science.

The Law School is located in Chicago’s Loop, close to the federal and state courthouses, museums, theaters, and public transportation. The John Marshall Law School offers excellent benefits and a highly competitive salary.

Responsibilities: The Director’s principal responsibility is the full-time management of the law library.  In particular, the Director oversees and is responsible for all aspects of library administration, including: hiring, training and supervising library staff; collection development; budgeting; technological development; and strategic planning.  The Director also monitors the programs and services of the Library, and ensures that they are sufficient to meet the needs of students, faculty, and the Bar.  The Director is responsible for ensuring that the Library meets the accreditation standards of the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission, and the membership requirements of the Association of American Law Schools.  The Law School encourages participation by its librarians in the activities of the American Association of Law Libraries and other law library organizations.  In addition to the administrative appointment as Director, the successful candidate will also be appointed to the faculty.  The faculty appointment may be either tenure-track or its equivalent, depending on the successful candidate’s interests, preferences, and qualifications.

Requirements: Applicants must have a law degree from an ABA-accredited law school, a graduate degree in library science (or its equivalent) from an ALA-accredited institution, and significant administrative experience in an academic law library.

To Apply: To ask for information about the position, or to apply, please contact Professor Susan Brody, The John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago, IL 60604.  You may contact Prof. Brody for these purposes by e-mail at 7brody@jmls.edu. We are currently accepting and reviewing applications and will continue to do so until the position is filled. We will be interviewing candidates in St. Louis in July at the AALL Annual Meeting.