Inside Higher Ed
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES MANAGER, University Libraries
Inside Higher Ed, Boston, Massachusetts, us, 02298
Electronic Resources Manager, University Libraries
We are seeking an Electronic Resources Manager to oversee the licensing, acquisition, discovery, and management of the library's electronic resources, including e-books, e-journals, databases, and other digital materials.
Job Description
Licensing and Acquisitions: Negotiate terms and conditions for electronic resources licenses in coordination with the BU Libraries Collections Council. Develop training materials for electronic resources staff and create documentation to supplement licensing best practices, such as model license agreement templates and license terms checklists. Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, publishers, and consortial negotiation partners to secure favorable license terms. Provide leadership for annual reviews of continuing resources in electronic and print formats, establishing a calendar of expected milestones in alignment with vendor and subscription agent renewal dates. Monitor year‑over‑year cost increases for continuing resources, working in collaboration with the Collections Council to maintain fiscal year target costs. Support collection development efforts by compiling quantitative and qualitative metrics, including COUNTER and non‑COUNTER usage data; produce analytical reporting for collection assessment.
Management and Supervision: Supervise a team of four staff members. Evaluate work performance of electronic resources staff, address performance issues as they occur, and support continuous professional development. Perform routine quality control on staff outputs, assuring that all work meets expected standards and conforms to accepted best practices. Provide training for all technical services staff who contribute to the management of continuing resources in electronic and print formats. Develop training materials and documentation on continuing resource management workflows for staff. Provide leadership and mentorship to electronic resources staff, identifying professional opportunities where appropriate and ensuring that staff's knowledge and abilities are in line with current practice in the field.
Access and Discovery: Support reliable access to electronic resources, providing leadership and expertise in the management of library systems including Alma, Primo VE, and EZproxy. Monitor and triage electronic resource access issues, taking lead role in overseeing service queues, delegating troubleshooting assignments, and working directly with content providers to resolve issues related to access and discovery in a timely manner. Manage automated knowledgebase holdings updates, ensuring accuracy of discovery systems and responding to linking issues as needed. Provide expert assistance to library colleagues who prepare and deliver support to users of electronic resources. Oversee the receipt, processing, binding, and maintenance of print serials collections.
Collaboration and Professional Practice: Stay abreast of best practices, emerging technologies, and evolving standards in technical services through professional development activities, conferences, and engagement with relevant professional organizations. Pursue professional engagement for self and staff through projects, publications, and by attending and participating in national conferences and meetings to connect the Boston University Libraries with best practices and emergent issues in higher education administration and library service development. Participate in library committees, working groups, and projects.
Required Skills
Master's degree in library and information science or related field.
Minimum three years of professional experience working in electronic resources management, metadata, serials/continuing resources, or acquisitions.
Experience with vendor communication/relations, negotiation, and/or management of license agreements.
Strong understanding of scholarly electronic resources, including online journals, databases, and e‑books.
Experience with or working knowledge of relevant standards, initiatives, tools, and services, such as COUNTER, SUSHI, OpenURL link resolvers, and proxy servers such as EZproxy and authentication methods such as SSO.
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Two or more years of supervisory experience.
Experience using Ex Libris' Alma and Primo VE.
Experience working with subscription agents on annual serial renewals.
Familiarity with trends in scholarly publishing such as open access (OA) support models, transformative agreements, read and publish subscriptions, and subscribe to open.
Familiarity with the licensing and acquisition of datasets to support research in STEM and digital humanities disciplines.
Location & Compensation Boston, MA
Salary Grade: $72,000.00 - $85,000.00
Position Type: Full‑Time/Regular
Posted: 10/15/2025
For consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV, and list of professional references. Review of applications will begin on November 7, 2025. The position will remain open until filled.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy‑related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Job Description
Licensing and Acquisitions: Negotiate terms and conditions for electronic resources licenses in coordination with the BU Libraries Collections Council. Develop training materials for electronic resources staff and create documentation to supplement licensing best practices, such as model license agreement templates and license terms checklists. Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, publishers, and consortial negotiation partners to secure favorable license terms. Provide leadership for annual reviews of continuing resources in electronic and print formats, establishing a calendar of expected milestones in alignment with vendor and subscription agent renewal dates. Monitor year‑over‑year cost increases for continuing resources, working in collaboration with the Collections Council to maintain fiscal year target costs. Support collection development efforts by compiling quantitative and qualitative metrics, including COUNTER and non‑COUNTER usage data; produce analytical reporting for collection assessment.
Management and Supervision: Supervise a team of four staff members. Evaluate work performance of electronic resources staff, address performance issues as they occur, and support continuous professional development. Perform routine quality control on staff outputs, assuring that all work meets expected standards and conforms to accepted best practices. Provide training for all technical services staff who contribute to the management of continuing resources in electronic and print formats. Develop training materials and documentation on continuing resource management workflows for staff. Provide leadership and mentorship to electronic resources staff, identifying professional opportunities where appropriate and ensuring that staff's knowledge and abilities are in line with current practice in the field.
Access and Discovery: Support reliable access to electronic resources, providing leadership and expertise in the management of library systems including Alma, Primo VE, and EZproxy. Monitor and triage electronic resource access issues, taking lead role in overseeing service queues, delegating troubleshooting assignments, and working directly with content providers to resolve issues related to access and discovery in a timely manner. Manage automated knowledgebase holdings updates, ensuring accuracy of discovery systems and responding to linking issues as needed. Provide expert assistance to library colleagues who prepare and deliver support to users of electronic resources. Oversee the receipt, processing, binding, and maintenance of print serials collections.
Collaboration and Professional Practice: Stay abreast of best practices, emerging technologies, and evolving standards in technical services through professional development activities, conferences, and engagement with relevant professional organizations. Pursue professional engagement for self and staff through projects, publications, and by attending and participating in national conferences and meetings to connect the Boston University Libraries with best practices and emergent issues in higher education administration and library service development. Participate in library committees, working groups, and projects.
Required Skills
Master's degree in library and information science or related field.
Minimum three years of professional experience working in electronic resources management, metadata, serials/continuing resources, or acquisitions.
Experience with vendor communication/relations, negotiation, and/or management of license agreements.
Strong understanding of scholarly electronic resources, including online journals, databases, and e‑books.
Experience with or working knowledge of relevant standards, initiatives, tools, and services, such as COUNTER, SUSHI, OpenURL link resolvers, and proxy servers such as EZproxy and authentication methods such as SSO.
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Two or more years of supervisory experience.
Experience using Ex Libris' Alma and Primo VE.
Experience working with subscription agents on annual serial renewals.
Familiarity with trends in scholarly publishing such as open access (OA) support models, transformative agreements, read and publish subscriptions, and subscribe to open.
Familiarity with the licensing and acquisition of datasets to support research in STEM and digital humanities disciplines.
Location & Compensation Boston, MA
Salary Grade: $72,000.00 - $85,000.00
Position Type: Full‑Time/Regular
Posted: 10/15/2025
For consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV, and list of professional references. Review of applications will begin on November 7, 2025. The position will remain open until filled.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy‑related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
#J-18808-Ljbffr