Working Title: Book Arts & Preservation Librarian

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: JMU Libraries

Department: 100113 – Libraries

Pay Rate: Pay Range

Specify Range or Amount: $62,000 - $67,000

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 1/26/2026

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

JMU Libraries seeks an enthusiastic and innovative leader for the new position of Book Arts & Preservation (BAP) Librarian in the Digital Scholarship & Distinctive Collections (DSDC) department. The BAP Librarian is a full-time, Administrative & Professional Faculty position that will join the collaborative DSDC leadership team and report to the DSDC director. DSDC stewards rare books, manuscripts, and archives; supports digital scholarship methods in teaching, learning, and research; and preserves general and distinctive collections at JMU.

The BAP Librarian will lead the Book Lab, a highly visible preservation space in the renovated and expanded Carrier Library (opening August 2026) and will support teaching, learning, and making in the JMU community. The position will embrace the opportunity to shape the Book Lab as both a working space for collections preservation and a site of active learning for students, faculty, and staff.

The BAP Librarian will lead and offer comprehensive preservation services for general, music, and distinctive collections at JMU Libraries, to include custom housing, non-commercial binding, repair and conservation, environmental monitoring, disaster planning, and exhibit installation. The position will also support learning in the Book Lab through events, class sessions, workshops, and other offerings focused on preservation, conservation, and book arts. As the BAP Librarian shapes the space and services, student employees may be hired and supervised by the position to support the Book Lab.

DSDC values collaboration, and the BAP Librarian will welcome opportunities to engage in teamwork and integrate book arts and preservation with the broad responsibilities of the department. The position joins DSDC and the Libraries at an exciting time with significant potential for innovation and growth.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide leadership for the Book Lab in the Digital Scholarship & Distinctive Collections (DSDC) department. Responsibilities include:
• Collaborating as a member of the DSDC Leadership team to coordinate services, operations, and initiatives across the department.
• With the Director of DSDC, articulating and implementing a vision for the Book Lab as both a working preservation space and a site of active learning for the JMU community.
• Leading the development and continuous improvement of policies, workflows, and best practices for collection preservation, including custom housing, non-commercial binding, repair and conservation, environmental monitoring, disaster planning, and exhibit installation.
• Supervising, coaching, and appropriately delegating tasks to Book Lab student employees.
• Liaising and partnering with relevant colleagues across Libraries to support preservation, conservation, and the book arts.

Support Libraries users by actively contributing to DSDC services, operations, and initiatives. In collaboration with DSDC colleagues, responsibilities may include:
• Designing and delivering instruction sessions related to book arts.
• Researching and curating exhibits in areas of interest and expertise.
• Contributing to outreach through event design and delivery, community event participation, and public communications.

Engage in relevant service and scholarly and professional development activities.

Qualifications:

Required:
• A graduate degree in book arts, conservation, library science, or another relevant field
• Demonstrated understanding of the preservation needs of physical library collections, including rare and fragile collections
• Demonstrated experience leading projects, initiatives, and or operations in an organization
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills to effectively work with a broad community of library users and colleagues
• Demonstrated commitment to building environments that are accessible and welcoming

Preferred:
• Demonstrated instruction experience, especially in teaching book arts
• Demonstrated exhibit experience, especially in exhibit installation
• Demonstrated experience supervising the work of others
• Demonstrated experience with music binding

Additional Posting Information:

The Libraries welcomes applicants who can demonstrate a commitment to building equitable and welcoming environments. We are committed to encouraging dialogue, cultivating a sense of belonging, and celebrating a broad range of life experiences and perspectives.

Links to Question & Answer sessions for this position will be posted on the JMU Libraries Employment Opportunities page by January 12, 2026.

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.