Director, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Giffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library is a specialized research library that serves as Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s center for research and is an integral part of the Education Strategy and Civic Engagement Division. Through its rich and extensive collections, the library promotes knowledge of colonial British America, the American Revolution, the early United States, and the continuing story of Colonial Williamsburg. The library’s extraordinary collection includes rare books from the 15th-20th centuries, original manuscripts from the 17th-20th centuries, and a vast collection of 18th-century American and British newspapers. The library’s corporate archives, vast photograph collection, and audio-visual archive, offer researchers an unparalleled and vital record of Colonial Williamsburg’s history.

Colonial Williamsburg seeks a dynamic and visionary Director to lead The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. The Director plays a key strategic and leadership role within the organization, specifically in digital scholarship and information governance. The position provides strategic direction and oversight to a dedicated group of information professionals committed to stewarding and providing access to library collections and to working collaboratively across Colonial Williamsburg and with external partners to support Colonial Williamsburg’s mission. 

Essential Functions:

1. Provides visionary and actionable leadership to the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library department. As a member of the Education Strategy and Civic Engagement divisional leadership team and the Foundation Leadership Team, embodies and models Colonial Williamsburg’s mission and values.
2. Strategically manages the library budget, while identifying and implementing efficiencies and improvements in process, organization, staffing, and strategic planning. Administers, prepares, and monitors the library’s annual departmental operating and capital budgets.
3. Supervises the operations, personnel, systems, and resources of the library; establishes and tracks progress of staff goals; establishes and continuously improves upon high levels of productivity, staff development, and teamwork.
4. Oversees and directs the activities of the library’s primary collecting areas, including content and access services, corporate archives, media collections, special collections, and visual resources units.
5. Oversees and directs the overall planning and strategy for the department’s digital initiatives and identifies and manages key digital partnerships, including vendors. Leverages technology to make the library’s collections accessible to the broadest possible audience.
6. Oversees the organization’s records management function and operation of its records center. Serves as a resource for information on the retention and disposition of Foundation records. Appraises the administrative, legal, fiscal and historical value of records generated by the Foundation and helps establish guidelines for retention of permanent, vital, and non-permanent records. Assists in establishing and communicating records management policies and procedures for the organization.
7. Assists in establishing and implementing cost effective means to preserve, store, and retrieve all permanent and non-permanent records transferred to the library’s care. Ensures that all permanent and vital records are properly backed up or obtained for central storage and management. Works with key departments in communicating the importance of archives and records and in obtaining their cooperation. Maintains an understanding of the Foundation’s organization and history, existing paper and electronic records-keeping practices, use of current technology in the industry for managing electronic records, and ability to grasp and work with future technological changes at the organization.
8. Serves as the primary library liaison with donors and Development staff, identifying and communicating library needs to obtain proper funding to help ensure library collections are housed, preserved, and widely accessible. Cultivates and stewards donors and prospects, writes and edits grant proposals and reports, and presents funding opportunities at internal and external meetings. Oversees all activities related to the Friends of John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library.
9. Serves as the primary point of contact for library outreach activities, for positioning the library as an effective community partner, and promoting the Rockefeller Library and its resources to a wide and diverse audience. Identifies and executes strategies to further grow the library’s reach and impact, both onsite and online, for internal and external audiences.
10. Leads a team of dedicated professionals through a period of change, ensuring staff engagement, growth, and satisfaction and maintaining a positive culture.
11. Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Other Duties:  Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required and Preferred Education and Experience: 

Required: Ability to perform the duties of the position generally gained through an MLS/MLIS with concentration in library and archival management and/or records and information management, master’s degree in history or public history, or similar field. Proven management abilities gained through ten or more years of experience in managing library and/or archival staff, systems, and operations. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with Development staff and with donors. Track record of exercising sound judgment, thoughtful leadership, and demonstrated experience working responsibly with sensitive and confidential information.

Preferred: Background in the study of 18^th-century history or museum studies, demonstrated experience in successful grant solicitation and other fundraising activities, including directing the activities of a Friends group. Experience directing a large, specialized research library. Knowledge or work experience with records retention and disposition management and software/systems.

Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated ability to manage a variety of projects and tasks in a dynamic and complex environment; to work effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization; to strategically communicate with and obtain cooperation from others; to analyze and solve problems; to streamline processes through use of technology; and to manage a professional and support staff.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing and overseeing large and complex digital projects and promoting digital best practices to promote the preservation of digitized and born digital assets. Demonstrated experience in implementing and overseeing large and complex digital projects and promoting digital best practices to promote the preservation of digitized and born digital assets. Ability to manage the use of a digital asset management system effectively and strategically and in employing digital assets in innovative and collaborative ways.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with donors and to promote the library and its services through various outreach activities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of archival and records management principles, of archival/historical research trends, and of trends in RIM technology relating to management of current and archival records. Demonstrated knowledge of information governance, records appraisal, creation of records retention schedules, and applying records retention schedules corporate records.
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability (IDEA).