Head of Research and Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA
Posted December 3, 2013
The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Head of Research and Education. The successful candidate for this position will lead a team of 6.5 liaison faculty librarians, 1 consumer health faculty librarian and 3 classified staff in a program of educational engagement and outreach across all academic units and interdisciplinary programs on the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Campus. The Head participates in related library and campus committees and ad hoc groups. The successful candidate will join a culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Director, Tompkins-McCaw Library and Associate University Librarian, the Head of Research and Education will assume leadership for shaping education, research support, and outreach initiatives in partnership with colleagues at Tompkins-McCaw Library, the James Branch Cabell Library and across the university. The Head of Research and Education will:
- Lead the Research and Education department in developing, promoting, and delivering knowledge-based support to programs on the MCV Campus, enabling University community members and external partners to locate, access, and organize information using the most appropriate tools. As needed, the successful candidate may be required to assist in one or more curricular subject areas.
- Manage reference, instruction, and research support operations.
- Promote and support applications of evidence-based practice in clinical, research, and educational environments through a liaison model.
- Oversee the operation of the VCU Community Health Education Center in the VCU Hospitals’ Gateway Building and the Learning Center at Hunton Student Center.
- Collaborate with external teaching faculty to develop course content, participating in assessing and designing student learning outcomes.
- Develop and sustain campus relationships that advance the VCU Libraries’ mission in the context of campus priorities while advocating for library services and offerings to the academic community.
- Lead outreach programs to the campus and appropriate local communities.
The Head of Research and Education is expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty with the VCU Libraries are evaluated, and promoted, on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and professional development and service. TML Faculty are expected to pursue and maintain membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP).
Qualifications
Required: ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline. A minimum of three years of professional experience in a health sciences library environment. Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
Preferred: Experience supervising librarians providing library services to health sciences disciplines. Demonstrated evidence of strong leadership and mentoring skills. Strong knowledge of current and emerging trends in teaching and learning in academic library instruction and adult learning theory. Experience teaching to a variety of audience levels including graduate and professional students. Experience searching relevant health sciences resources such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Experience with systematic reviews and mediated searching. Demonstrated success in the application of technology to support student learning and familiarity with Web authoring tools. Understanding of scholarly communications and an awareness of national trends in scholarly publishing and data management in research libraries. Experience evaluating and using electronic resources. Ability to work independently as well as with a team in a highly collaborative environment. Strong service orientation and the ability to build and maintain relationships. Excellent presentation and public speaking skills. Ability to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities under pressure. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Flexibility and adaptability for work in an evolving, fast-paced environment.
Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Libraries
Virginia Commonwealth University is Virginia’s largest research university, enrolling nearly 32,000 students. Located in Richmond, Virginia (http://www.vcu.edu/richmond/), VCU offers 41 doctoral, 74 masters, 3 professional, and 64 baccalaureate degree programs. Thirty-two of VCU’s graduate, professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation, with 19 programs ranking in the top 25 and two programs — sculpture and nurse anesthesia — ranked number one. Over 3,200 faculty comprise the University’s teaching force. Research strengths at the University include health and life sciences, education, engineering, social work, behavioral sciences, public affairs, advertising and design, and the fine arts. Sponsored research funding totals over $260 million, placing VCU among the top 100 research institutions in the United States. VCU’s strategic plan embraces an acceleration in the growth of VCU’s library system and includes a new Master Site Plan that envisions additions to both library facilities operated by the VCU Libraries. Architectural work has begun on a major addition to and renovation of the James Branch Cabell Library that is expected to open in 2015.
Libraries at Virginia Commonwealth University (including the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus and the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences on the MCV Campus) employ 51 professionals and 90 support staff with an annual budget exceeding $17.5 million. VCU also operates programs in Doha, Qatar, including a library supporting the program there, Northern Virginia, and in various additional locations throughout the U.S. and the world. The VCU Libraries is a Resource Library in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and a member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, SPARC, CNI, BioMed Central, and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), a statewide networking consortium for shared access to electronic and print resources. The VCU Libraries has adopted Primo as its discovery layer and is one of the first libraries worldwide to have implemented Alma as its next generation cloud-based system for library management. CONTENTdm and DSpace supplement the foundation of its system architecture to enhance access to its collections and services.
The VCU Medical Center is mainly located on the MCV Campus in historic Court End, near the government and financial centers of the city. The campus includes the schools of allied health professions, dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy as well as the VCU Health System (VCUHS). An independent school of public health is being formed; when complete, VCU will be one of only six universities nationally with a fully comprehensive health sciences campus. VCUHS includes an 820-bed hospital (MCV Hospitals), outpatient clinics, a 600-physician-faculty group practice and nearly 200 specialty areas, many of national and international renown. It also includes the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia’s first NCI-designated cancer center. In addition to multidisciplinary centers for cancer, cardiology, neurosurgery, and transplantation, the VCUHS offers virtually every form of contemporary medical service.
Salary: Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $60,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. Normal faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans. For more information about benefits, see http://www.hr.vcu.edu/benefits/.
For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at http://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin January 2, 2014, and will continue until the position is filled. Submit cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references to:
Pamela H. Fraga
Assistant to the University Librarian
VCU Libraries, Virginia Commonwealth University
901 Park Avenue
PO Box 842033
Richmond, VA 23284-2033
804-828-1107
804-828-0151 (fax)