Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois
Wrightwood, California
Washington, D.C.
Kennesaw, Georgia
Posted: 27-Mar-25
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Type: Full Time
Reports to: Assistant Head of School for Teaching & Learning
Role Duration: Faculty 11 months, full time
Job Summary
Ashley Hall invites applications for a full-time Director of Library & Media Services, beginning August 2025. This leadership role will oversee the School’s libraries, serving students from Early School through 12th grade, and will be instrumental in fostering a dynamic and enriching learning environment. The Director will collaborate closely with the school librarian, faculty, and academic administrators to develop innovative programming that enhances the curriculum, with a particular emphasis on early childhood and elementary education. As a visionary leader, the Director will hold a vital role in shaping the library’s philosophy, ensuring it remains a central hub of intellectual exploration and discovery for Ashley Hall. This role requires a welcoming and engaging presence, inspiring students and faculty to make full use of the library’s resources. The successful candidate will cultivate an inviting space that encourages curiosity, wonder, supports academic excellence, and instills a lifelong love of reading and learning. Ashley Hall seeks a dedicated professional who is passionate about library and media services and committed to creating an inspiring and resource-rich environment for students and educators alike.
Major Responsibilities and Duties
- Curriculum Support
- Develop division-specific curriculum plan for library skills/usage
- Teach Early School and Lower School library classes, coordinating schedule of programming for teachers within those divisions to bring students to the library
- Teach library and database orientation to students
- Create research and information guides for students
- Consult and collaborate with faculty on special projects
- Provide research assistance for faculty and students
- Coordinate library usage by teachers for classes
- Work in partnership with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinators to create IB-specific learning opportunities that complement class instruction
- Continually improve knowledge of library resources and equipment to assist students and faculty
- Partner with Technology Integration Specialist to support students’ use of digital resources, online databases, and technology tools for research
- Collection Development
- Select, acquire, and organize diverse texts and materials that align with the school’s curriculum needs as well as texts and materials that would be of interest to students in the early childhood program through upper school
- Review, inventory, and organize collection/databases, weeding and replacing materials as needed
- Guide students to find books that align with their interests, reading abilities, and course needs
- Coordinate with academic departments and divisions to expand their collection in support of their curriculum
- Work in partnership with the IB Coordinators to enhance existing collection to complement the school’s IB needs
- Review, evaluate, and select books, reference works, databases, and media for the library
- Oversee cataloguing
- Library Programming
- Direct special library activities including
- Storytime, author visits, and book clubs
- The annual Book Festival and student Summer Reading titles
- Develop activities highlighting the library on campus, including special exhibitions
- Manage library spaces creating an open and inviting environment for all students
- Circulation Needs
- Manage library’s checkout system
- Ensure materials are available to students and faculty
- Help students select age- and developmentally appropriate texts
- Manage overdue books
- Archival
- Historical Record-Keeping: Maintain archives of special memorabilia, yearbooks, student projects, and school events to preserve institutional history
- Organization & Cataloging: Systematically classify and archive school records, historical documents, and special collections for easy retrieval
- Preservation of Materials: Maintain the physical and digital integrity of books, documents, and multimedia resources to ensure long-term accessibility
- Digitization & Access: Convert important materials into digital formats and manage databases to enhance accessibility for students and staff
- Additional Responsibilities
- Administer the purchase and distribution of all textbooks for the school
- Keep up to date with the latest research and trends in library and media sciences
- Supervise any parent or student volunteers
- Perform additional duties as assigned
Minimum Requirements
- Master’s degree preferred in library sciences from an American Library Association accredited school
- Minimum five (5) years experience working in a school / academic library
- Extensive understanding of children’s literature; specifically, current books and other texts across various genres and reading levels
- Knowledge of the theories, principles, and techniques of librarianship
- Administrative and management experience including budgeting, long-term strategic planning, and staff supervision
- Expertise with library technologies and software
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with both students and adults
- Positive, strong, work ethic, with the ability to meet deadlines in a timely manner
In addition, the ideal candidate will
- Demonstrate a commitment to student-centered learning
- Embrace a collaborative, interdisciplinary, team-oriented approach to their work
- Approach their work with students and faculty with patience, kindness, and humor
- Manage student behavior in a library setting and facilitate group activities
- Be a thoughtful self-starter
Interested candidates can send their cover letter, resume and list of references to Lynsey Barrows, Director of Human Resources, at [email protected]
Since its founding in 1909, Ashley Hall has empowered young women to think critically, act ethically, and embrace their world with confidence. The School serves girls from kindergarten through grade 12 (and is co-ed in its Early School, ages 2 to 5 years). Ashley Hall provides a dynamic education grounded in a Reggio approach in its Early School and an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in its Lower School.
Ashley Hall is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.