Digital Scholarship Librarian, University of Nevada Libraries, Las Vegas, NV

Posted March 25, 2015

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for the position of Digital Scholarship Librarian.

Profile of the University

Located in one of the most exciting cities in the nation UNLV is a comprehensive research university of approximately 28,000 students and 2,900 faculty and staff dedicated to teaching, research, and service. The university has professional programs in law, architecture, performing arts and dental medicine; and leading programs in fine arts, sciences and education. UNLV is located on a 332-acre main campus and two satellite campuses in dynamic Southern Nevada. In 2009 the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC established Brookings Mountain West on the UNLV campus to study the region.

Founded in 1957, UNLV is a growing urban research institution. Major areas of strategic focus for the campus are: attaining a Carnegie Foundation designation as Tier One “Research University/Very High” (RU/VH) and entering the top 100 American research universities; planning for a public medical school in Southern Nevada that will boost the regional economy and provide the community with more access to quality health care.

UNLV faculty and staff are diverse, talented, and passionate people that contribute to UNLV’s mission of teaching, research, and service. On a vibrant campus you will find a supportive workplace, and tools to help you achieve professional and personal growth. For more information, visit us on-line at: http://www.unlv.edu.

Profile of the Libraries and the Department

As a strong partner in student learning, UNLV Libraries fosters critical thinking and lifelong learning with innovative services, entrepreneurial staff, outstanding digital collections, up-to-date technology and internationally renowned Special Collections, including two research centers: the Center for Gaming Research and the Oral History Research Center. University Libraries is comprised of Lied Library and three branch libraries and we are a gateway to more than 20,000 electronic journals and 1.7 million books, including e-books. We welcome individuals with diverse backgrounds to join our growing organization of over 115 experienced faculty librarians and staff members supporting teaching, learning, research and creative endeavors at one of the nation’s fastest growing universities.

Digital Scholarship is a newly formed unit within the Resource Acquisition, Sharing and Digital Scholarship department. The Digital Scholarship unit is tasked with the administration of the University’s institutional repository and works collaboratively across the UNLV Libraries to support the acquisition and delivery of unique digital assets.

Role of the Position

This tenure- track position, reporting to the Head of Resource Acquisition, Sharing and Digital Scholarship, will be integral to UNLV Libraries’ strategic goal of advancing digital scholarship initiatives and establishing its role in the research and publication lifecycle of digital resources at UNLV.

This position will provide oversight and leadership of UNLV Libraries’ institutional repository Digital Scholarship@UNLV (http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/). The incumbent will establish consistent policies and best practices, engage campus content providers, and provide guidance on scholarly communication issues and concerns.

The position holder will work collaboratively to grow library initiatives in support of new and emerging modes of digital scholarship and scholarly communication through assessment of campus digital scholarship needs and identifying opportunities to support faculty and student digital scholarship creation, access and preservation.

Responsibilities include:

• Builds and promotes Digital Scholarship@UNLV, engages with campus academic departments, centers and individual faculty directly and through Library Liaisons to facilitate inclusion of materials
• Establishes, documents and communicates policies and procedures that govern content acquisition, submission, ingest, organization and description for Digital Scholarship@UNLV
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of Digital Scholarship@UNLV, supervising 1 FTE staff member.
• Works with library colleagues to develop education and outreach activities related to scholarly communication
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to develop UNLV Libraries’ understanding of current and future campus needs related to the creation and dissemination of online digital content
• Contributes to investigations and implementations of new strategies for collecting, managing, and preserving digital scholarly content and new forms of scholarly output, including but not limited to data sets, multimedia, blogs, images, and websites.
• Stays abreast of emerging technologies, alternative publishing models, scholarly communication developments and related legislative initiatives. Propose new initiatives as appropriate.

As a tenure-track library faculty member, the incumbent will be expected to work collaboratively with others; engage in scholarly activities; and provide service to the university, the community, and the profession in accordance with Libraries and University standards for promotion and tenure.

Qualifications

Required

A master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association. Demonstrated knowledge of emerging trends in digital scholarship. Experience working with repositories or data management programs. Demonstrated knowledge of current issues and trends in intellectual property, copyright, and fair use. Demonstrated knowledge of the scholarly publishing enterprise, including open access, and author rights. High-level interpersonal and consultation skills, including evidence of the ability to collaborate and liaise effectively with a diverse range of faculty, researchers, and students. Excellent planning, project management and communication skills. Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.

Preferred

Record of professional experience related to copyright and digital rights management. Coursework or experience with copyright or other intellectual property rights. Awareness of issues related to data curation, data citation, data ethics, metadata, and data privacy. Demonstrated knowledge of issues and technical challenges related to the life cycle of research data and digital curation. Experience managing a unit and supervising staff. Familiarity with metadata standards.

Salary Range

This is a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track position at Rank II or III (equivalent to an Assistant or Associate Professor). Salary range starts at $60,100 – salary is negotiable and commensurate with experience and qualifications. In addition, the UNLV Libraries is committed to and helps fund professional development opportunities. Salaries are competitive with those at similarly situated institutions and dependent upon labor market. Position is contingent upon funding.

Application Details

Application materials must include a current resume, detailed cover letter, and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references who may be contacted. Applicants should fully describe qualifications and experience, since the initial review will serve to evaluate applicants based on documented, relevant qualifications and professional work experience. The review of materials will begin on January 26, 2014, and will continue until the position is filled. Materials should be addressed to the Digital Scholarship Librarian Search Committee Chair, and submitted via on-line application at https://hrsearch.unlv.edu. For assistance with UNLV’s on-line applicant portal, contact UNLV Employment Services at (702) 895-2894 or [email protected].