Head of Library (1,0 FTE), Nijmegen

Are you interested in leading our library with vision, determination and a passion for academia? We are looking for a motivated Head of Library who will support our researchers in making the world a better place through world‑class psycholinguistic research.

The library of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is part of the Max Planck Society (MPG) and participates in the MPG’s consortium agreements. The library team is part of our administrative departments and supports our researchers in their information‑seeking activities through a wide range of analogue and digital resources. The library’s collection and its remit are closely aligned with the Institute’s research interests. The library team comprises two members: the Head of Library and a Library Assistant.

Your Tasks

Management of the library, including financial planning and organisation of the library

Conceptual and strategic development of the library

Representing the library internally: collaboration with the Library Committee, the Press Office, Research Coordination, IT and the Directorate

Representing the library externally: within the Max Planck Society and in the Dutch library and information sector

Organising informative events on library-related topics (e.g. induction sessions for new staff)

Library tasks

Consulting on open access and open science

Management of publications by our researchers in the Max Planck Society repository (MPG.PuRe)

Maintaining the internal and external library websites

Point of contact for bibliometric enquiries

Active participation in audits

Assistance with all standard library tasks as part of a supportive team environment (e.g. building up the physical and digital collections, acquisitions, interlibrary loans, archiving the institute’s publications)

Projects

Migration from Aleph 500 to a new library management system in collaboration with other MPG institutes and service units (e.g. MPDL)

Further development and configuration of our Discovery System (Vufind) in collaboration with other MPG institutes and service units

Your Profile Required:

A degree in library and information science, or a comparable scientific or non-scientific qualification

Several years’ experience in academic librarianship and/or publishing

In-depth knowledge of the structure and operational processes of library administration

Experience with library‑specific tools and digital information services

Familiarity with scientific methods

Ability to manage staff

Very good command of German and English

Experience in system administration of library systems

Technical understanding of library systems and resource discovery systems

Experience in the Dutch library and information sector

Interest in developments in Open Science and library‑related AI tools

Good command of Dutch

Your regular workplace is Nijmegen. Although hybrid working is possible, we believe this role is best performed with frequent on‑site presence.

Benefits: The salary is in accordance with the German collective labour agreement TVöD and is classified in salary group E11. Depending on the experience, the salary is between EUR 4,269.64 and 6,326.77 gross per month (for full‑time employment), plus a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross salary. This equates to EUR 55,334.53 to 81,994.94 per year, including holiday allowance.The offer contains a one‑year contract with intention for permanent employment, pension scheme, 30 holidays and multiple training opportunities.

Position start: 1 September 2026 or by mutual agreement.

#J-18808-Ljbffr