THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
Position Vacancy
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE LIBRARIAN
Specialist (PLB2-4A) or Expert Librarian (PLB3-5A)
Position Description: The University Libraries seeks a creative, user-focused, subject liaison for English and American literature to support the research, teaching, and scholarly needs of faculty and students in the English Department and related programs. Under the direction of the Head, Research and Library Instruction Department (RLI), the English and American Literature Librarian will assume direct responsibility for collection development, reference and research consultation, and instruction for a diverse community of faculty and students.
Responsibilities:
§ Serves as primary liaison to the English Department.
§ Collection Development - includes selecting materials in all formats, working with vendors, managing budgets, participating in consortial activities and other collection-related activities. May take on additional subject areas based on expertise and library need.
§ Provides instruction, workshops, credit courses, and other kinds of outreach, developing collaborative relationships with faculty, staff and students. Participates in general RLI activities.
§ Engages collaboratively with other library staff and with relevant academic departments and programs to enhance scholarship and teaching through innovative uses of technology.
§ Encourages positive change in the system of scholarly publishing and communication.
§ Participates in Libraries’ initiatives outside RLI by serving on Libraries’ and campus committees and contributing to other relevant activities and events.
§ Maintains a course of personal professional contributions through active participation in national organizations and associations.
Required Qualifications:
§ Master’s Degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited program.
§ Two years of professional experience to qualify at the Specialist Librarian level plus demonstrated interest in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.
§ Four years of professional experience to qualify at the Expert Librarian level plus evidence of continuing achievement, particularly at the national level, in an area of professional interest that will enhance his/her value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.
§ Knowledge of current developments in scholarship and teaching in the humanities and changing library roles for responding to the evolving needs of faculty, scholars and students.
§ A thorough understanding of research needs and the organization of scholarly materials in the humanities and familiarity with digital humanities.
§ Experience teaching in a library or academic setting.
§ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
§ Experience working with staff, students and faculty from diverse cultural backgrounds.
§ Experience with or demonstrated knowledge of current and emerging technologies as they apply to collection development, instruction, and reference and research services.
§ Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment where consultation, flexibility, creativity, collaboration and cooperation are essential.
§ Demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace or community.
§ Demonstrated interest in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.
Desired Qualifications:
§ Graduate-level study, or equivalent experience, in a field directly relevant to the subject areas supported.
§ Experience selecting and managing research collections in the humanities.
§ Familiarity with concepts, trends and assessment methods related to information literacy and instructional technology.
Universal Competencies:
· Positive Impact/Achieving Results: Ability to utilize existing resources and learning to achieve or exceed desired outcomes of current and future organizational goals/needs. Able to demonstrate ethical behavior in diverse situations while producing results.
· Service Excellence/Customer Focus: Ability to meet or exceed customer service needs and expectations and provide excellent service in a direct or indirect manner. Ability to effectively transmit and interpret information through appropriate communication with internal and external customers.
· Collaboration and Embracing Diversity: Ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and civil manner while appreciating the unique contribution of individuals from varied cultures, nationalities, genders, ages, etc.
Salary and appointment: Appointments will be made at either Specialist Librarian (PLB2-4A) within a salary range of $50,000 to $64,000, or Expert Librarian (PLB3-5A) within a salary range of $55,000 to $79,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Start date is negotiable. The University of Iowa offers an attractive package of benefits including 24 days of paid vacation per year, your choice between two retirement plans and two University of Iowa health insurance plans, dental insurance, pre-tax child and health care spending accounts, and additional options.
Application Procedure: To apply, visit the University of Iowa Jobs@UIOWA website at https://jobs.uiowa.edu/pands/view/69650. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm on Sept. 28, 2016.
The University of Iowa Libraries: The University of Iowa Libraries system consists of the Main Library, the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and a number of branch libraries. The Libraries has more than 5 million volumes including thousands of electronic resources and coordinates the development and maintenance of the University’s locally-created open access digital resources including the Iowa Digital Library, featuring close to a million digitized texts, images, and audio and video recordings, as well as Iowa Research Online, our institutional repository. Our Special Collections include over 200,000 rare books, ranging in age from the 15th century to newly created artists’ books.
Library systems are built on a mix of open source, locally developed, hosted services, and vended applications primarily from Ex Libris, OCLC, and Microsoft. The University of Iowa is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), ARL, OCLC, CRL, SPARC, CNI, CLIR, LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and Portico. The Libraries provides a program of support for professional development activities and its staff members are actively engaged in national cooperative efforts.
The University and Iowa City: A major research and teaching institution, the University of Iowa offers internationally recognized programs in a diverse array of academic, medical, and artistic disciplines, from otolaryngology to fiction writing, printmaking to space science, hydraulic engineering to dance. The University consists of a faculty of 2,000 and a permanent staff of 13,000 serving 30,500 students, more than 40% of whom are from out of state and close to 10,000 of whom are registered in graduate and professional degree programs. Approximately 9% of the University’s faculty and staff and 10% of its student body are members of minority groups, and 8% of the students are from foreign countries.
The University of Iowa is home to the Writers’ Workshop, the oldest graduate creative writing program in the country, and the blueprint for many of the creative writing programs that now thrive on campuses worldwide. It is also home to the International Writing Program where, since 1967, over a thousand writers from more than 120 countries have participated. The University has recently instituted a program in creative writing in Spanish. In 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City as a world City of Literature.
Iowa City is a community of some 71,000 people (more than 150,000 live in the surrounding area) with excellent educational, recreational, and cultural advantages. It is consistently cited in the national media as a city with an excellent quality of life. The city is readily accessible via interstate highways and a major airport is only 30 minutes away. The community is growing in its diversity; within the Iowa City Community School District, 35.4% of the students are minority, with 19.8% identifying as Black, 8.4% as Hispanic, 6.7% as Asian/Pacific Islander, and .3% as Native American during the 2014/15 school year.
The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, religion, associational preference, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or status as a protected veteran.
For more information about the University of Iowa Libraries, please see http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/
For more information about the University of Iowa and community, please see https://jobs.uiowa.edu/why_ui/index.php
