Hesburgh Libraries

Join the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame

The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame advances institutional priorities by utilizing a talent process that maximizes professional and personal potential, implementing innovative services that further intellectual inquiry, and facilitating access to knowledge across a wide range of scholarly resources in numerous disciplines and formats.

The Hesburgh Libraries system and the flagship Hesburgh Library building are named in honor of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917-2015), who served as Notre Dame's 15th president for 35 years and, according to The New York Times, "transformed Catholic higher education in America and raised a powerful moral voice in national affairs." As Father Hesburgh first envisioned, the library serves as the academic heart of the University and stands as a symbol of academic excellence and the pursuit of truth both on Notre Dame’s storied Indiana campus and with scholarly communities around the world.

Recent Progress

In 2022, the Hesburgh Libraries developed a new mission, vision, and strategic framework designed to help advance Notre Dame's aspirations to become one of the world's leading research universities, while also prioritizing human and professional flourishing. Within this new framework, each member of the library community plays a key role in advancing strategic goals and objectives, sustaining critical operations, and defining shared values.

Throughout the academic year, our workforce will envision how these values guide and help build an inclusive, diverse, and dynamic culture as we partner across the institution at all integration points throughout the teaching and research lifecycle.

In 2022, the Board of Trustees and the Office of the Provost approved elevating the chief librarian's rank to academic dean for the first time in Notre Dame’s history. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In unison with faculty, students, and staff across the campus community, the Hesburgh Libraries has developed a library-specific DEI plan in alignment with the University’s vision and values for DEI and the Notre Dame Board of Trustees’ Task Force Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The plan is a living document — library initiatives and projects will evolve along with our library vision and the needs of our many campus users. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and seek candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds.

The Organization

As the primary library system on Notre Dame's campus, Hesburgh Libraries is a dynamic organization that features the flagship Hesburgh Library. Hesburgh Library, along with the Main Building and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is one of three iconic buildings that define the skyline of the Notre Dame campus. It also features the world-famous Word of Life mural (affectionately known as "Touchdown Jesus"), an artistic work by Millard Sheets that has greeted visitors at the Hesburgh Library's main entrance since 1964.

The Hesburgh Library building houses the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, the Medieval Institute Library, Rare Books & Special Collections, University Archives, and the Visual Resources Center. The Hesburgh Libraries organization also includes three specialty libraries located across the Notre Dame campus (Architecture Library, Business Library, and Music Library). Whether online or within the nearly 500,000 square feet of library spaces, the Hesburgh Libraries engages audiences, inspires intellectual inquiry, and advances teaching and research across the campus and around the world.

Hesburgh Libraries employs nearly 200 people, including more than 50 library faculty members, and has been a long-standing member of several organizations, including Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, and the OCLC Research Library Partnership.

Library Faculty Positions

Per the University's Academic Articles (PDF), librarians at the Hesburgh Libraries qualify for library faculty appointments. Faculty appointment, salary, and rank are nationally competitive with peer ARL members and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Learn more about the Criteria for Library Faculty Appointment and Promotion.

Positions will be posted here as they become available.

Library Staff Positions

Rare Books Cataloging Specialist

The Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame is looking for an energetic, customer focused library professional to join our team in the role of Rare Books Cataloging Specialist. Reporting to the Department Head, Cataloging and Metadata Services, Rare Books Cataloging Specialist is responsible for original and copy cataloging and final processing of rare and distinctive library materials in various languages in collaboration with the Rare Books Cataloging and Metadata Librarian. This position works closely with colleagues in the Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives Departments to identify and process rare materials.

The full position posting and application instructions can be found on the University of Notre Dame Jobs website: https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/36616 Job posting #36616.

Archives Reference Specialist

The University Archives collects, preserves, and makes accessible the official records of the University of Notre Dame. This historically valuable material documents the academic and administrative responsibilities of the University as well as the experiences of its students, alumni, officers, faculty, staff, and benefactors. archives.nd.edu

The Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame is looking for an energetic, customer focused library professional to join our team in the role of Archives Reference Specialist.  Reporting to the Department Head of University Archives, the Archival Reference Specialist supports all aspects of patron and reference services of the University Archives, with an emphasis on photographic material. The position identifies relevant materials to support the university’s teaching, learning, research, and administrative needs. The position requires knowledge of archival theory and practice and an educational background in humanities or liberal studies.

The full position posting and application instructions can be found on the University of Notre Dame Jobs website: https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/36619 Job posting #36619

Archives Processing Specialist

The Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame is looking for an energetic, customer-focused library professional to join our team in the role of Archives Processing Specialist. Working under the direction of the Team Leader for Archival Collections and Management, the Archives Specialist will contribute to the arrangement, description, and management of archival materials within the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, the University Archives, and the Architecture Archives.

Across these repositories, the Libraries maintain exceptional archival holdings in support of research and teaching for a range of disciplines. These include Irish studies, Latin American and Iberian history, sports and physical culture, the history of the Catholic Church in America, and the history of the University of Notre Dame. The incumbent will process and manage materials from these collecting areas and beyond, making rich primary source material available to researchers on campus and around the world.

The full position posting and application instructions can be found on the University of Notre Dame Jobs website: https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/36621 Job posting #36621

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