Discovery User Experience Librarian, Indiana University Bloomington Libraries, Bloomington IN
Posted September 8, 2013
The Indiana University Bloomington Libraries (http://www.libraries.iub.edu) are among the leading academic research library systems in North America, having recently been named the top university library by the Association of College and Research Libraries. The IUB Libraries provide strong collections, quality service and instructional programs, and leadership in the application of information technologies. The collections support every academic discipline on campus and include more than 6.6 million books, journals, maps, films, and audio/visual materials in over 900 languages. Users can access more than 400 databases, 43,000 electronic journals, and 224,000 electronic books, as well as locally developed digital content.
The IUB Libraries are active members of regional and national associations and consortia including the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Digital Library Federation (DLF), and is a founding member of HathiTrust, a shared digital repository. IU is the principal investigator for Kuali Open Library Environment (OLE) and is working with academic library partners to develop a next generation open source library management system.
The Indiana University Libraries are committed to facilitating discovery through improving and enhancing tools such as IUCAT, Indiana University’s online catalog, and OneSearch@IU, another discovery interface that enables a single search across citation data from thousands of publishers as well as the Indiana University collections. The implementation and development of these discovery interfaces is part of an overall effort to unify our web presence and present the Libraries’ collections, services, and resources in a way that enables a more holistic approach to supporting teaching, learning, and research in the Indiana University community.
The Discovery User Experience Librarian plays an essential role in ensuring the effective functioning of Indiana University’s discovery interfaces through focusing on the user experience. The work of this position primarily serves the Bloomington campus but activities and responsibilities, as they pertain to IUCAT, also benefit the IU Libraries statewide. Working in a collaborative team environment, the position will be responsible for participating in library-wide efforts to optimize the operation of a suite of discovery and retrieval systems designed to help expose the Libraries’ investment in collections, and leveraging relevant technologies to provide user-centric services for information access and discovery. This position will also be responsible for overseeing a diverse range of projects from initiation to completion. As part of the Discovery and Research Services department (DRS), s/he participates actively in development of IUCAT’s discovery interface in cooperation with the UITS (University Information Technology Services) Library Information Systems team. The Librarian works with a variety of library and UITS employees, focusing on reviewing displays and identifying problem areas to increase accuracy and consistency in content and presentation. The incumbent will be expected to play an active role, representing a public services perspective, in the upcoming migration to Kuali OLE (Online Library Environment) and in ongoing work with and on the IU implementation of the OLE system. The Librarian works closely with DRS colleagues and other library staff to support discovery of information through the library web site through identifying unmet needs for discovery and research tools among Library staff and patrons and actively planning and participating in user testing activities. S/he also collaborates with library public services staff within DRS and other departments to create documentation for end-users and library staff and to develop and assist with staff training for discovery applications and systems.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Support discovery of library resources through the online catalog and other discovery interfaces:
o Collaborating closely with library and UITS staff as appropriate, assist with maintenance and management of the library catalog discovery interface, and oversee management of OneSearch@IU, the Bloomington libraries’ web scale discovery interface.
o Maintain awareness of enhancements and changes to interfaces and configurations of systems.
o Work across library departments to plan, coordinate, facilitate, and accomplish projects that improve and enhance discovery services.
o Lead the department in an ongoing review of products and local quality assurance activities to constantly improve the user experience.
o Focus on building better relationships between resources aligning with the broader context of the Libraries’ discovery strategy.
o Document recommendations and decisions made by existing library groups, task forces, and departments for configuration of discovery interfaces.
o Create documentation for discovery systems suitable for use by end-users and library staff statewide and develop and present training for discovery applications and systems.
o Serve as liaison between programmers, internal customers, and end-users, working with programmers to solve problems and resolve “bugs”, and communicate with library staff about fixes and workarounds.
Support discovery of information through the library web site and other appropriate venues:
o Collaborate closely with library and UITS staff as appropriate, assist with maintenance and management of the library website.
o Maintain awareness of enhancements and changes to interfaces and configurations of systems.
o Participate in an ongoing review of site content and functionality and local quality assurance activities to constantly improve the user experience.
o Take a leadership role in building tighter integration between the library web site and its resources, aligning with the broader context of the Libraries’ discovery strategy. Plan, lead, and oversee projects that support this goal.
o Serve as liaison between programmers, internal customers, and end-users, working with programmers to solve problems and resolve “bugs”, as well as communicate with library staff about fixes and workarounds.
Takes a lead role in evaluating current discovery tools using user-centered design principles and in identifying and developing new resources to support user research and teaching/learning.
o Identifies concrete objectives for the Libraries’ discovery resources and plans methods to evaluate the effectiveness of these resources.
o Collaborates with the Assessment Librarian and with the User Experience & Digital Media Services department to identify research needs of internal and external users, gather and analyze feedback, and interpret user feedback to recommend changes that will better meet user needs.
o Uses research tools, including Qualtrics and standard usability testing tools, to study ways in which users interact with the web site and the discovery tools, in collaboration with the User Experience & Digital Media Services department and the Assessment Librarian.
o Initiates and completes research and development projects
Maintains connections with users of the library website and with library public services staff by providing reference services to all levels of library users and serving as the supervising librarian, if scheduled, on evenings and weekends.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
o ALA accredited MLS
o Two years’ experience working in academic libraries
o Strong experience working with and assisting library users in finding information (preferably both face-to-face and remotely) in an academic library setting required
o Basic knowledge of MARC
o Experience with one or more Library enterprise systems such as library management systems (Symphony, Aleph, Endeavor), discovery interfaces (Ebsco Discovery Services, Summon, Primo), search technologies (Solr, Elasticsearch), and course management software (Sakai, Canvas, BlackBoard)
o Familiarity with theory and practice of usability testing and information architecture.
o Ability to discuss technical information with users, discern their needs, and collaboratively develop programs, systems, screens, which meet those needs
o Excellent written, oral and interpersonal communication skills and ability to be diplomatically persuasive in a collaborative, team atmosphere
o Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team
o Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse community and communicate with users at all levels of technical expertise; and ability to communicate technical and complex information to non-technical users
o Strong customer service attitude as well as a positive, proactive approach to problem-solving
Preferred
o Teaching experience and experience working with discovery systems strongly preferable
o A wide variety of library work experiences (especially in reference, technical services, and instruction) highly desirable
o Project management experience
o Knowledge of website design, development, implementation, standards, and accessibility/usability guidelines
SALARY AND BENEFITS
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and education; benefits include a university healthcare plan, university-funded base retirement plan, a 100% university paid group life insurance plan, and a generous paid time off plan. This is a tenure-track academic appointment that includes eligibility for sabbatical leaves. For a full list of benefit programs, please refer to the following resources:
- Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/
benefits/neweeo-profe.html - Video: http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/
benefitsvideo/academic.html - Brochure: http://hr.iu.edu/enroll/video.
html
TO APPLY
The position will remain open until filled. For full consideration, applications must be received prior to September 27, 2013. Please send letter of application, professional vita, and the names/addresses/telephone numbers of four references to:
Jennifer Chaffin
Director of Human Resources
Libraries Human Resources
Herman B Wells Library 201
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812-855-8196
Fax: 812-855-2576
Email: [email protected]