Information Specialist, Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA
Posted September 23, 2015
Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development laboratory headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 1,500 employees of the Laboratory tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.
Our work is very important to us, but so is our life outside of work. Draper supports many programs to improve work-life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities.
If this specific job opportunity and the chance to work at a nationally renowned R&D innovation laboratory appeals to you, apply now at jobs.draper.com
Position Summary
Provides team leadership in the following library functional areas: document delivery, cataloging, collection development and circulation. This includes overseeing the work of library personnel and determining policies, plans and budget in these areas. The position also includes keeping updated on best practices and implementing improvements for these functions. Works as part of library team in conducting research. Provides documents to researchers, troubleshooting complex problems, which require extensive research. Coordinates cataloging of all library materials, including archival items. Responsible for the selection of resources for inclusion in the library’s collection.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Team lead in the following library functional areas: document delivery, cataloging, circulation and collection development.
- Oversees work of other library personnel in delivering these services.
- Determines policies, plans, procedures and budget.
- Assesses customer needs and analyzes processes to best meet these needs. Ensures first rate customer service.
- Takes lead in promoting use of library services.
- Tracks best practices, benchmarking against other similar information centers.
- Recommends and implements changes to current processes to save time, money and/or to enhance customer service.
- Works as part of library research team in conducting searches of technical literature; analyzes and evaluates data, extracting pertinent information.
- Provides documents to researchers to support their work. Determines sources for documents from a wide variety of places including government, commercial vendors, and other libraries.
- Troubleshoots complex document delivery problems, which require extensive research.
- Analyzes the utilization of document delivery services by maintaining and examining financial and usage data. Based on this analysis, evaluates current and new vendors to determine how best to fulfill customers’ needs.
- Coordinates cataloging of all library materials.
- Performs original indexing of Draper documents.
- Provides organization and descriptions for archival materials.
- Provides training for library staff and Lab employees on usage of catalog and other internal repositories to enhance retrieval of needed research materials.
- Responsible for the selection of materials for inclusion in the library’s collection. Maintains library’s physical collection and oversees circulation function.
- Analyzes the research needs of employees to determine what books and journals to purchase. Bases this analysis on an understanding of budget constraints and availability of materials through other sources.
- Assists in library staff investigations of new or updated services and resources, as well as other special projects.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
- Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, including directing work of others and acting as team lead in one or more library functions.
- Knowledge of document delivery sources highly desirable.
- Knowledge of searching Dialog and other major database systems is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of archival collection management is highly desirable.
- Must be well organized, with excellent attention to detail and good problem solving abilities.
- Must have strong team orientation and dedication to customer service.
Draper Laboratory is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, or protected veteran status. We understand the value of diversity and its impact on a high-performance culture.
Interested applicants must apply through this link and search for “Information Specialist.”