Collections Care Associate
The University of Iowa Libraries seeks to hire a Collections Care Associate (Senior Library Associate PLC2/3A) to work in the Conservation and Collections Care department. Under the direction of the Collections Care Coordinator, the Collections Care Associate performs a variety of interventions for preventive care and remediation of physical materials, in all formats and across all library locations.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND SPECIFIC JOB TASKS
Acquire, Organize, Digitize, Preserve, and Provide Information Resources and Services
• Perform materials processing workflows: prepare materials for patron use, including assessing for shelf readiness, metadata work, rehousing or other preventive interventions required, marking, and delivery.
• Manage centralized commercial bindery operations out of Main Library, including inventory management, packing and unpacking shipments, and conducting quality control. Coordinate with staff at other library locations for distributed bindery workflows.
• Manage deacidification workflow: plan and communicate with vendor, prepare and ship materials.
• Request page replacements for damaged items through ILL.
• Provide collections care support for materials moving from Main Library and other library locations to remote storage at off-site high-density storage facility.
• Serve as administrative supervisor and/or provide functional supervision for 1-3 student employees in the department. Tasks include hiring, training, evaluating performance, and coordinating workflows and priorities.
• Create, update, and maintain documentation, and collect statistics for measuring impact and efficiency, making recommendations for continuous quality improvement.
• Perform annual updates on the Collection Emergency Response Plan and maintain documents on SharePoint. Maintain emergency response kits throughout all library locations.
• Assist as needed with book repair, mending, and other collection care duties.
• Update and maintain Environmental Health and Safety forms and documentation for CCC staff.
• Serve on disaster response and recovery team as needed in the event of materials emergency.
• Engage in other departmental duties as assigned to support preservation activities and mandates.
Instruction, Consultation, and Public Services
• Respond to inquiries and referrals from library staff regarding collections care, prioritizing items where collections care issues may interfere with patron access.
• Acts as primary contact and manager for the departmental website. Updates information on staff, interns, events, and resources. Monitors the LIB-Pres-Cons email account and responds to inquiries.
Continuous Learning & Skills Development
• Engage in relevant library or university-wide activities and committees.
• Participate in additional responsibilities such as monitoring listservs, attending department meetings, training, or staff development sessions.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and related work experience
• Minimum of one-year related experience
• Experience working with physical collections (e.g., libraries, archives, museums)
• Knowledge of basic collections care, preservation, or conservation principles
• Strong organizational and attention-to-detail skills for inventory, documentation, and quality control
• Ability to manage multiple workflows and prioritize tasks effectively
• Experience using basic office and collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Office, email systems)
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal) for responding to inquiries and coordinating with vendors and internal departments
• Ability to perform physical tasks such as lifting, packing, and moving library materials
Desired Qualifications
• Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or related field
• Experience with materials processing workflows (e.g., metadata handling, preparation for circulation, rehousing)
• Hands-on experience with book repair, conservation, or preservation treatments
• Experience maintaining web content or departmental websites
• Experience with excel, data tracking, and statistics collection
• Experience working in an academic or research library environment
• Ability to train, supervise, or coordinate work of student employees or staff
Application Details:
Applications are only accepted through the Jobs@UIOWA website.
In order to be eligible for interview, applicants must upload the following and mark them as “relevant files” when you upload the documents:
- Cover letter that clearly addresses how you meet each of the required and any desired qualifications of this position. To ensure strongest consideration, applicants are encouraged to review all required qualifications and state directly how they meet each of them.
- Current resume
This job ad will be posted for a minimum of 14 days and may be removed from posting and filled any time after that date.
Please contact andrea-rost@uiowa.edu if you have any questions about the position.
The hiring salary range for this Senior Library Associate position is $45,500 - $52,000 based on experience.
Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification. Up to 5 professional references will be requested at a later step in the recruitment process.
This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.
Joining the University of Iowa means becoming a vital part of the Hawkeye community, where your work directly impacts education, research, and student success. Enjoy exceptional health coverage, university-paid life insurance, robust retirement plans, and generous leave policies. Benefit from 24/7 support services, well-being resources, and access to UI Health Care specialists. Grow professionally with advanced training, leadership development, and tuition assistance. Iowa City offers a great quality of life with world-class performances at Hancher Auditorium, Big Ten athletics, top-ranked public schools, and outdoor recreation. Join us in making a difference at a leading Big Ten university and premier public research institution.
Equal opportunity employer
The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences.
Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, (319) 335-2660 or fsds@uiowa.edu. For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543.
