Public Health Liaison and Data Curation Specialist, University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries, Minneapolis, MN

Posted November 2, 2015

The University of Minnesota Libraries invites applications for a liaison to the School of Public Health who will also serve as a research data curation specialist. We seek applicants who are innovative and flexible, possess data management skills, and understand public health as a broad discipline and its impact on population health and disease prevention.

This position is a member of the Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) division of the University Libraries, which includes include the Bio­Medical Library (http://hsl.lib.umn.edu/biomed), the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, and the Veterinary Medical Library. HSL is led by the Director and Associate University Librarian for the Health Sciences, and the position reports to the Associate Director for Education and Research Services. The successful candidate will collaborate with 15 librarians and 16 staff in HSL as well as with librarians and staff across the University Libraries.

We are seeking an outgoing, proactive, engaged professional who can develop collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, and students of the School of Public Health (http://www.sph.umn.edu/), and create new tools, programs, and initiatives that respond to information trends in public health education, practice and research. Areas of responsibility include the integration of content and inquiry skills into the eLearning environment, effective use of research networking systems such as Experts@Minnesota, and the application of methods to measure research impact. In response to the University’s Research Data Management policy (http://policy.umn.edu/research/researchdata) and recent federal mandates to make research data publicly accessible, we envision this position supporting the management and curation of research data sets. Responsibilities include analyzing data sets for sensitive data, recommending best practices for de­identification, and ensuring that metadata is applied to facilitate discovery and re­use. The liaison will contribute to the broader efforts of a Libraries­wide team that focuses on research data curation (https://www.lib.umn.edu/datamanagement/archiving), and will collaborate with other University data management initiatives, such as those within the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI, http://z.umn.edu/ctsidata) and the College of Liberal Arts  (CLA, http://researchsupport.cla.umn.edu/).

The individual will also contribute to the knowledge base of the profession through research, publication, and professional engagement, as he/she works towards continuous appointment status.

The University of Minnesota’s Academic Health Center (AHC, http://www.health.umn.edu/) is one of the nation’s few comprehensive centers encompassing programs in medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and allied health, as well as a number of interdisciplinary programs that serve the entire University. A new AHC Education and Learning Center is being planned, and a new Health Sciences Library will be a key element of the Center. In addition, the University of Minnesota and the Libraries have a strong record of outreach and service to the state and region.

Responsibilities of the Public Health Liaison:

● Forge relationships with faculty, staff, and students of the School, consulting and collaborating on a wide range of topics to identify their information needs and provide solutions to their information problems.

● Work closely with faculty and students to understand their changing workflows, seeking opportunities to partner on projects or grants that require deep expertise in information science and data management.

● Develop effective services and tools for managing and curating data sets, including identifying sensitive data, recommending best practices for de­identification and applying metadata to facilitate discovery and re­use.

● Apply active­learning techniques in classroom and workshop settings on a wide range of information­related topics, such as library research skills and the basics of data visualization.

● Actively engage with faculty as partners in integrating content (licensed or freely available) and critical inquiry skills into the curriculum.

● Promote new modes of scholarly communication and recruit institutional scholarly output for inclusion in the University Digital Conservancy (http://udc.umn.edu) and the Data Repository for the U of M (DRUM, http://z.umn.edu/drum).

● Contribute to the goals and strategic initiatives of the Libraries through leadership of and/or active participation in collaboratives, working groups and task forces.

● Collaborate with the HSL Research Services Coordinator, the Libraries’ data curation specialists, and other research/data management service providers across the University (CTSI, CLA).

Qualifications

Required:

● American Library Association accredited Master’s degree in Library/Information Science OR

a combination of an advanced degree in a related discipline (e.g., public health, social work,

sociology, psychology, etc.) and relevant experience.

● Familiarity with sensitive research data and an understanding of best practices for

de­identification.

● Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

● Demonstrated ability to take initiative and actively engage with faculty and students.

● Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a research­intensive

environment.

● Ability to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.

Preferred:

● Working knowledge of major statistical software (SAS, R, SPSS, STATA).

● An understanding of and skill in data visualization techniques.

● Demonstrated understanding of scientific research processes and methods for measuring

research impact.

● Experience in a health science or academic research library.

● Experience in the design and integration of new technologies into the delivery of information

services.

● Facility with technology (e.g., basic programming, web applications, APIs) and its application

in academic contexts.

● Demonstrated ability to teach, with an understanding of instructional design principles,

particularly in an eLearning environment.

● Demonstrated involvement in professional activities.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: ​This is a full­time, 12­month, continuous­appointment track,

academic professional position with probationary appointment at Assistant or Associate

Librarian. The Libraries offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Excellent

benefits and substantial moving allowance.

TO APPLY:​ Applications must be submitted online at http://z.umn.edu/ulib350 . To be

considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will

have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter

and resume.

Please attach the following documents in Word or PDF format (DO NOT copy and paste):

● Curriculum vitae

● Cover letter (identify the cover letter with UL350)

● Names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of three current

professional references.

The University of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer.