THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
SCIENCES REFERENCE & OUTREACH LIBRARIAN
Librarian (PLB1-3A)
Positions Description: Reporting to the Head, Sciences Library, this position supports the education and outreach endeavors of the Sciences Library to relevant academic departments. The Sciences Reference and Outreach Librarian delivers responsive and innovative information and outreach services in support of departments supported by the Sciences Library, actively building relationships with faculty, researchers, staff, and students. The position collaborates with a team of science librarians to provide Libraries services to programs and scientists.
Specific responsibilities and duties include:
- Serves as a member of the sciences team, providing an array of responsive services and resources that meet the needs of many science disciplines, including the biological sciences, physics and astronomy, and the research centers managed by these programs. Participates in meetings of librarian groups and is an active member of the University Libraries teaching community.
- Initiates and establishes liaison relationships with faculty, students, and staff in the Biology Department, the Physics & Astronomy Department, and others as needed, providing instruction, reference, and consultation services, and participating in departmental activities.
- In consultation with colleagues, creates and maintains research guides, the Sciences Library web site, and other social media marketing (Blog posts, Facebook and Twitter).
- Collaborates with other librarians in supporting data services in the sciences. Assists science faculty and students in managing the entire lifecycle of data resulting from research projects of all types.
- Uses assessment data to inform the development of new services as new needs arise in science fields, following trends in scholarly communication and e-science.
- Plans and promotes Sciences Library events, exhibits, and outreach activities.
- Provides general reference services (in-person, email, chat).
Required Qualifications
- A Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program in all but exceptional circumstances.
- Equivalent education to the MLS would be a graduate degree from a library, information science, or media program which is accredited by a foreign equivalent of the American Library Association AND a degree in science (e.g. biology, chemistry, earth sciences or physics.)
- Evidence of ability to work independently and with others in a demanding and rapidly changing environment where collaboration, consultation, and cooperation are essential.
- Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills; evidence of strong written and oral communication skills.
- Evidence of initiative, creativity, and resourcefulness in previous professional or academic activities.
- Evidence of interest in and ability to learn and apply new technologies to user services.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity and understanding of the contributions a diverse workforce brings to the workplace.
Preferred Qualifications
- Undergraduate or graduate degree or extensive study in the biological or related sciences.
- One to two years of experience working in public services in an academic library.
- Experience working with researchers and students in sciences disciplines.
- Evidence of knowledge or interest in research data management practices and services.
- Experience in planning and/or providing instruction.
Salary and appointment: Start date is negotiable. Appointment will be made at the Librarian level. Salary ranges: $47,476 - $49,000. 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 for this position, please visit the University of Iowa Jobs@UIOWA website at https://jobs.uiowa.edu/pands/view/71277. Extended posting until position filled.
References will be requested at a later date for finalists.
Universal Competencies:
- 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, race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
- 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.
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 Big Ten Academic Alliance, 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 UI Libraries is a charter member of the newly formed ACRL Diversity Alliance.
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.
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
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.