Professional Position Posting
Librarian for Advanced Research & Engagement
Department: Collections, Research & Instructional Services (CRIS)
Rank and Salary: Salary and appointment level based on experience and qualifications.
§ Associate Librarian IV – VII ($56,496 – $68,892)
§ Librarian Rank I – IV ($68,892 – $88,488)
Position Availability: Immediately
The UCLA Library seeks applications/nominations for the position of Librarian for Advanced Research & Engagement.
Description of Institution and Library
One of ten University of California campuses, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is located in Westwood Village, approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica. Comprised of the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools, the 419-acre campus features 174 buildings, including the Center for Health Sciences. UCLA has more than 6,300 faculty and academic staff and approximately 26,000 employees. Founded in 1919, UCLA offers 118 undergraduate degree programs and 200 graduate programs and has more than 24,800 undergraduates and 10,800 graduate students. Academic excellence, faculty distinction, and a comprehensive curriculum are hallmarks of UCLA, which is a member of the Association of American Universities. Among the faculty are five Nobel Laureates, nine National Medal of Science winners, seven MacArthur Grant winners, and 52 Guggenheim Fellows. UCLA is California’s largest university and is a model for public institutions of higher education. As the 10th largest employer in the region, UCLA generates almost $9 in economic activity for every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA and generates an annual $6 billion economic impact on the greater Los Angeles region.
Ranked among the top 10 academic research libraries in North America, the UCLA Library is comprised of 8 major libraries and 13 library wide departments and the Southern Regional Library Facility, the remote storage facility for the southern UC campuses, reporting to the University Librarian. In addition, there are 12 affiliated libraries and library units located on the campus. There are approximately 125 librarians on the campus, and the UCLA Library has a staff of approximately 350 and approximately 600 – 700 student employees. The Library has an organizational structure that includes the use of teams in conjunction with departments and units. The library collection consists of more than 8 million volumes and more than 78,000 current serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection. The Library’s annual budget is in excess of $33.9 million; more than $10 million supports the acquisition of print and digital material, and the library is part of the California Digital Library. The UCLA Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).
Based in UCLA’s Charles E. Young Research Library, the CRIS department is composed of area and subject specialists who are responsible for building, managing, and providing access to the research collections in all formats in support of humanities and social sciences research and teaching. CRIS librarians serve the faculty and students in these disciplines by providing high-level reference and research services in person, via telephone, and electronically (i.e., e-mail and chat). The department is responsible for staffing the Research Library reference desk. CRIS librarians actively participate in UCLA’s Information Literacy Program, taking the lead in the design and delivery of specialized instruction sessions for upper division and graduate level courses. Subject specialist librarians in CRIS work closely together and in cooperation with librarians from other UCLA Library units to meet faculty and student needs. They serve as liaisons to academic departments and research units in their areas of responsibility.
Position Duties
Reporting to the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Team Leader in CRIS, the Librarian for Advanced Research & Engagement (LARE) serves as an ambassador for the Library, promoting library spaces, expertise, and services to advanced scholars in the social sciences and humanities. Using the recent renovation of the Research Library as an opportunity to rethink the role of the library on campus, this individual will create programming, staffing, and services to foster an intellectually stimulating environment that nurtures and invigorates the research life cycle. Broadly speaking, the LARE conceptualizes, implements, and promotes projects, programs, and events with faculty and students; develops and coordinates associated library services; and provides strategic leadership in the area of research and consultation services.
More specifically, the LARE plays a central role in developing research services and scholarly programming both for the newly renovated Research Library spaces—particularly in the Research Commons and Reading Room—and throughout the UCLA Library enterprise-wide. The Librarian also plays a central role in highlighting the collections of the UCLA Library and launches programming—such as physical and virtual exhibitions, films, seminars, workshops, lectures, and discussion groups—to highlight and promote use of existing print and digital collections as well as scholarly tools at UCLA. The LARE works closely with social sciences and humanities faculty and students to address their research and teaching needs, and develop new research projects. In collaboration with subject specialist librarians, the LARE acts as a key Library liaison to the numerous Organized Research Units (ORU) on campus, including the Ethnic Studies research centers, the Center for the Study of Women, the International Institute, and others, working with them on research projects, programming, and exhibitions. The LARE leads outreach efforts to other campus groups that work with graduate students and faculty -- such as the Graduate Writing Center, Academic Technology Services, the Center for Digital Humanities, and the dozens of research centers on North Campus -- to coordinate their services with those of the Research Library. The incumbent will also be responsible for keeping abreast of new modes of research in the humanities and social sciences, and consequently develop ad hoc methods of engagement that highlight the Library’s role in promoting and furthering this research.
The LARE works with the Head of CRIS and with the SSH Team Leader, as well as with the AUL for Academic Services, the AUL for Collection Management and Scholarly Communication, and the AUL for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology on long-range strategic planning for new initiatives, projects, programming, exhibitions, events, and grants. The incumbent also works closely with the Librarian for Digital Research and Scholarship, the Director of Teaching and Learning Services and Head of the College Library, the Director of Library Communications, the Director of Library Development, the Director of Access Services, the Director of Library Special Collections, and others as needed, to provide ways for scholars to engage with library resources and promote resources, services and programming. The LARE develops capacity and expertise among the librarians and staff within CRIS and other Library departments and units to support work in advanced scholarship through instruction, training, demonstrations, lectures, and workshops. The LARE partners with other campus stakeholders to position the Library as a bridge between researchers in different fields, facilitating interdisciplinary scholarship. The LARE will also develop a for-credit course on advanced research to be taught in the Department of Information Studies or as an undergraduate seminar class and design a research program that will bring social sciences and humanities scholars into the UCLA Library to maximize use of the campus’s research collections.
In the LARE’s capacity as Research and Engagement coordinator, the incumbent will provide vision and strategic leadership as well as coordination of services for the Research Library’s scholarly services. Duties also include developing and implementing, in collaboration with the CRIS Department Leadership Team, a research support service model that will maximize subject specialists’ expertise. The incumbent identifies and implements suitable assessment tools to capture the full breadth of qualitative and quantitative data related to scholarly services; works with other departments within the UCLA Library organization to provide assistance to scholars across a broad range of expertise, in a variety of library settings; and partners with other coordinators within the UCLA Library to develop, manage, and deliver a unified scholarly services profile. As Research and Engagement Coordinator, he or she will oversee activities, services, and staffing in the Research Commons and Reading Room, according to the model established. These duties may include hiring, training, and supervising student Reference Desk Assistants to provide research services. The incumbent may also oversee a training program for research service providers, including librarians and staff.
The incumbent is responsible for the following duties:
Leadership of Enterprise-Wide Scholarly Outreach and Collaboration
§ Plays a central role in creating research services and scholarly programming for the newly renovated Research Library spaces--particularly in the Research Commons and Reading Room--and throughout the UCLA Library enterprise-wide.
§ Launches programming-- such as physical and virtual exhibitions, films, seminars, workshops, lectures and discussion groups--to highlight and promote use of existing print and digital collections as well as scholarly tools at UCLA. Publicizes research output on campus.
§ Works closely with Social Sciences and Humanities faculty and students to identify and address their research needs, and to develop new research projects. In collaboration with subject specialist librarians, acts as a key Library liaison to the numerous Organized Research Units (ORU) on campus, including the Ethnic Studies research centers, the Center for the Study of Women, and the International Institute. Works with ORUs on research projects, programming, and exhibitions.
§ Leads outreach efforts to other campus groups that work with graduate students and faculty -- such as the Graduate Writing Center, Academic Technology Services, the Center for Digital Humanities, and the dozens of research centers on North Campus -- to coordinate their services with those of the Research Library.
§ Keeps abreast of new modes of research in the Humanities and Social Sciences and develops ad hoc methods of engagement that highlight the Library’s role in promoting and furthering this research, including demonstrations of emerging scholarly resources and technologies to interested faculty, students, staff, librarians, the research community, and library supporters.
§ Works with the Head of CRIS, the SSH Team Leader, the AUL for Academic Services, the AUL for Collections Management and Scholarly Communication, and the AUL for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology on long-range strategic planning for new initiatives, projects, exhibits, events, and grants.
§ Within the Research Library, works closely with the Librarian for Digital Research and Scholarship, the Director of Teaching and Learning Services and Head of the College Library, the Director of Library Communications, the Director of Library Development, the Director of Access Services, the Director of Library Special Collections, and others as needed, in providing ways for scholars to engage with Library resources and in promoting Library resources, services and programming.
§ Develops additional capacity and expertise among the CRIS librarians and staff and librarians and staff in other Library departments and units to support advanced scholarship through instruction, training, demonstrations, lectures, and workshops.
§ Partners with other campus stakeholders to position the Library as a bridge between researchers in different fields to facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship.
§ Develops and teaches a for-credit course on advanced research, in collaboration with the Department of Information Studies or the Fiat Lux undergraduate seminar program.
§ Designs and launches a research program that will bring Social Sciences and Humanities scholars into the UCLA Library to maximize use of the campus’s research collections.
Research Library Academic Research and Engagement Coordination
§ Provides vision and strategic leadership as well as coordination of the Research Library’s scholarly services.
§ In collaboration with the CRIS Department Leadership Team, develops and implements a research support service model that will maximize subject specialists’ expertise.
§ Identifies and implements suitable assessment tools to capture the full breadth of qualitative and quantitative data related to scholarly services.
§ Works with other departments and coordinators within the UCLA Library organization to provide assistance to scholars across a broad range of expertise, in a variety of library settings, and to develop, manage, and deliver a unified scholarly services profile.
§ Hires, trains, and supervises student Reference Desk Assistants to provide research services in the Research Commons and Reading Room.
§ Oversees training program for research service providers including librarians and staff.
Required Qualifications
§ ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library or Information Science OR significant graduate-level coursework toward such a degree OR equivalent education and experience (subject expertise combined with professional library education and/or experience).
§ Minimum of two (2) years professional experience in an academic, research, or special library.
§ Substantial experience with developing programs intended to provide innovative library services to advanced research scholars.
§ Demonstrated understanding of the academic library’s role in research, teaching and learning and knowledge of higher education and curriculum.
§ Record of providing substantial outreach services to faculty and academic program leaders on campus as demonstrated through participation in faculty departmental and 1-on-1 meetings, engagement in programs, and/or participation in collaborative projects.
§ Understanding of trends in the scholarly research process in the Social Sciences and Humanities, and also in the academy more broadly, as demonstrated through such activities as teaching, participation in professional associations, presentations and publications.
§ Ability to articulate a vision for research support services and programming to encourage and sustain scholarly engagement with library collections and resources.
§ Demonstrated leadership and analytical skills, creative and innovative problem-solving skills, and a strong commitment to service excellence.
§ Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
§ Outstanding organizational and analytical skills to lead multiple projects. Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and complete tasks and projects on time and within budget.
§ Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills.
§ Demonstrated proficiency and capabilities with personal computers and software, the Web, and library-relevant information technology applications.
§ Ability to initiate and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and managers. Ability to work harmoniously and as a team player, thrive in a team-based environment, and skill in fostering teamwork among others.
§ Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and ability to work with a diverse student and faculty population.
§ Commitment to professional issues, demonstrated through strong interest in local or national committee work, research, publication, etc.
§ Working knowledge of standard computer office applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint or other productivity software.
§ Ability to follow directions from supervisors (and to provide clear directions to staff and student employees).
§ Ability to get to work reliably and on time and to be present in the workplace during normal working hours
Desired Qualifications
§ Doctorate in a field closely related to the position’s primary responsibilities.
§ Experience with supervising student employees.
§ Experience with training librarians and staff.
§ Evidence of involvement with strategic planning, and some experience with introducing and managing change in complex environments, and evidence-based assessment.
General Information
Professional librarians at UC are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). They are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. UC has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Relocation assistance is provided.
Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork, and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library, university and community service, and scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.
Application Procedures
Anyone wishing to be considered for this position should apply to Jenifer Abramson, Assistant Director of Academic Human Resources, UCLA Library, Library Human Resources, 22478 Charles E. Young Research Library, Box 951575, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575.
E-mail applications encouraged and can be sent to <jobs-hr@library.ucla.edu>. Applications should include:
§ a cover letter describing qualifications and experience;
§ a current resume/vita detailing education and relevant experience; and
§ the names and addresses for at least three professional references, including a current or previous supervisor.
Candidates applying by May 31, 2011 will be given first consideration. UCLA welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks applications and nominations from women and minorities. UCLA seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.
UCLA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/ADA-compliant employer. Under federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States as established by providing documents specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Employment is contingent upon completion of satisfactory background investigation.
Visit the UCLA Library Employment Opportunities Website at
<http://www2.library.ucla.edu/about/employment.cfm>.
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