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Head of Digital Scholarship Services

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Position description

The University of California, Irvine Libraries seeks an energetic, creative, knowledgeable, and user-oriented librarian for the position of Head of Digital Scholarship Services. The successful candidate will play a key role in leading innovation and collaboration in the Libraries’ digital scholarship program.

Qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply. The UCI Libraries is committed to recruiting a diverse workforce and advancing UCI’s Commitment to Inclusive Excellence.

Scope of the position

The Head of the Digital Scholarship Services (DSS) Department is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing an active, comprehensive digital scholarship program that meets the needs of a growing campus and the evolving environment of scholarly communication. Within the UCI Libraries, the Head of DSS and team members often partner with library managers, research librarians, and staff on initiatives and services. Externally, the Head and DSS team members collaborate with faculty, administrators, staff, and students in all disciplines across campus as well as with other campus organizations such as the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Research, and the Graduate Division. The Head of DSS leads a team of four librarians and a programmer analyst and works collaboratively with them to develop team projects and services. The Head of DSS, who reports to the AUL for Research Resources, is an active member of Leadership Council, the UCI Libraries’ senior management team responsible for library-wide planning and policy making, and the Research Resources Leadership Team.

Key responsibilities

• Developing, managing, and assessing programs and services of the DSS Department including strategic planning and daily operations in support of digital scholarship programs such as consultation service, data curation, digital humanities, digital preservation, and scholarly communication.
• Supervising and mentoring members of the DSS Department which currently includes four librarians and one programmer analyst.
• Creating and coordinating teams with an emphasis on collaboration and communication among key stakeholders. Some key internal collaborators are Cataloging and Metadata Services, Library IT, Special Collections and Archives, and liaison librarians throughout the Libraries. Key external collaborators are faculty, students, and administrators as well as UCI’s Office of Information Technology, the Office of Research, the Graduate Division.
• Directing the col lection, description, preservation, and promotion of the digital intellectual content of UCI affiliates by effectively coordinating technology resources, DSS staff, subject specialists, IT professionals, and public relations staff.
• Developing and monitoring workflows and processes for the enhancement of digital assets as a part of the research and publication life cycle.
• Developing and marketing new digital scholarship services to the UCI Libraries community and system-wide where applicable
• Fostering digital scholarship projects that leverage digital collections and support faculty, researchers, and students in their own research and scholarly activities
• Providing project management, workflow development, and provision of ongoing digital services
• Building awareness and support for the DSS programs and services by providing information and education to internal and external constituencies.
• Advocating and collaborating with constituencies on issues related to digital research, outreach, and publishing both directly and through the assistance of subject liaisons across all library departments.
• Providing consultation to researchers for grant requirements related to data management, sharing, and publication.
• Keeping abreast of the latest trends and best practices in the field of digital scholarship services.
• Encouraging experimentation and risk-taking in digital scholarship projects as part of professional growth and innovative services.
• Participating actively and collaboratively on library committees, task forces, and project teams as appropriate.
• Actively seeking opportunities to participate in professional organizations outside the library, provide university and public services, and/or engage in research activity in order to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion.

Qualifications
Required

• Graduate degree in library science from an ALA accredited institution or an equivalent combination of relevant advanced degree and library or digital scholarship experience.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in an academic setting.
• Excellent technology skills, knowledge of current digital scholarship and scholarly communication trends, and ability to evaluate and apply new technologies.
• Ability to successfully supervise, mentor, and train librarians and staff.
• Ability to build relationships, foster collaboration, lead teams, and plan projects and new initiatives.
• Experience planning, managing, and delivering complex digital scholarship projects in an academic setting.
• Experience providing consultations as well as teaching or leading workshops on digital scholarship tools and/or methods to faculty and students.
• Demonstrated ability to build and engage an active intellectual community, including working collaboratively and building partnerships across disciplines.
• Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively and to promote teamwork, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness within UCI Libraries and the campus.
• Leadership qualities to be an effective Department Head and Leadership Council member.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement in the Librarian series.

Preferred

• Successful experience managing a unit and supervising librarians and staff.
• Experience applying for and managing grants.
• Experience working with vendors in the digital scholarship arena.
• Knowledge of current issues and trends in intellectual property, copyright, and fair use.
• Evidence of continuing achievement in professional development, particularly at a national level, that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.

The Digital Scholarship Services Department

The Digital Scholarship Services Department, which currently includes four librarians and one programmer analyst, collaborates with UCI faculty members, students, and administrators to transform research and scholarly communication using new media and digital technologies. DSS manages content, infrastructure, and user interfaces for all stages of the research lifecycle, including research planning, execution, dissemination, discovery, preservation, and impact. For more information visit: https://www.lib.uci.edu/dss.

The UCI Libraries

At the heart of University of California, Irvine’s academic community, the UCI Libraries plays a vital role in enabling our outstanding students, faculty and researchers to create new knowledge, develop lifelong learning skills, and make meaningful contributions to society. We value innovation and collaboration, and we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Libraries physical spaces consist of the Langson Library, the Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library. These locations provide a welcoming and technology enhanced environment valued by students as places for study, research, and collaboration. Together they contain over 3,300 public seats, over 500 public access computers, laptop computers for checkout, and a wide range of multimedia resources including 3D printers. The library collection consists of over 3.9 million volumes, 180,000 journals and serial titles, and an ever expanding collection of electronic books, databases, and other resources. Our public website is a portal to access e-resources; discover print, archival, and multi-media collections; and connect with reference and instructional services. It also includes cutting edge digital tools and tutorials and numerous subject specific research guides created by subject specialists.

The UCI Libraries employs approximately 171 full-time librarians and staff and over 174 part-time student assistants. We support the professional and career development of librarians and staff.

The UCI Libraries are a member of the: Association of Research Libraries (ARL), California Digital Library (CDL), HathiTrust Digital Library, Center for Research Libraries (CRL), Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), Digital Library Federation (DLF), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), National Information Standards Organization (NISO), and OCLC Research Library Partnership (OCLC RLP).

University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles. Founded in 1965, UCI has a total of 36,742 undergraduate and graduate students and over 1,600 faculty and staff. Nearly 67% of UCI students identify themselves as Asian American, African American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. Over 50% of UCI’s Bachelor Degrees are awarded to first generation college students. The New York Times ranks UCI as the #1 college doing the most for the American Dream. The University offers graduate degrees in more than 100 academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. and J.D. Many of UCI’s academic programs are ranked nationally among the top universities and several doctoral programs are ranked in the top ten.

Librarians at UCI are academic appointees and receive potential career status at the time of their initial appointment. Librarians periodically receive administrative and peer review for merit increases based on the following criteria: 1) professional competence and quality of service within the Library; 2) professional activity outside the Library; 3) university and public service; and 4) research and other creative activity.

Salary & Benefits: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience based on the University of California pay scales. Appointment is anticipated to be at the Associate Librarian or Librarian rank with a salary of $56,364 - $109,883.

Librarians are entitled to two days per month of annual leave, thirteen paid holidays, and one day per month sick leave. The University has an excellent retirement system and offers a variety of group health, life, and disability insurance plans. Benefits are equal to approximately 45% of salary.

Deadline for Applications: Applications received by June 17, 2019 will receive first consideration.

To Apply: Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should submit the information requested: cover letter; complete résumé; a statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a list of three references (names and contact information only) via UCI AP Recruit at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05306.

Upon application, candidates should be in possession of proof of their legal right to employment in the U.S. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, verification of legal right to work will be required between the time of final selection and hiring, and is absolutely essential in ultimately being hired.

This position description is listed on the UCI Libraries web site at http://www.lib.uci.edu/about/jobs/librarian-vacancies.html with links to additional web sites featuring campus and community information.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated CV – resume style preferred.

  • Cover Letter - Please address your qualifications for this position in a cover letter.

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Statement addressing how past and/or potential contributions to diversity will advance UCI's Commitment to Inclusive Excellence. Please see the UCI Libraries' Diversity Statement and Diversity Plan.

  • List of reference contacts - Names of 3 potential references including contact information and brief statement of relationship to the applicant. Do not include letters of recommendation here.

Job location

Irvine, CA