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Scholarly Communications and Licensing Librarian, MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA

Posted June 23, 2016

The MIT Libraries seek an entrepreneurial and enthusiastic professional with a commitment to making scholarly research as openly accessible as possible. The Scholarly Communications and Licensing Librarian will join a newly created, innovative department which incorporates collections resource management under the umbrella of a strong and long-standing scholarly communications program. As part of that team, the Librarian will have the exciting opportunity to participate in influencing the evolution of the scholarly communication landscape in ways that benefit MIT and the broader environment for research, teaching and scholarship.

Reporting to the Department Head for Scholarly Communications and Collections Strategy, the Scholarly Communications and Licensing Librarian will manage the production demands of a licensing negotiation workflow, negotiate library content licenses, participate in the development and deployment of the license program strategy, and support open access and scholarly communications initiatives in the MIT Libraries.

Specific responsibilities include:

  • reviewing library content license agreements, and carrying out projects related to license interpretation and license metadata
  • serving as the point person for text-mining of licensed and other scholarly resources
  • participating on project teams related to open access workflows and assisting with implementing changes to open access workflow systems, including for the MIT Faculty Open Access Policy
  • providing copyright and open access outreach to the MIT community, including teaching workshops, building guides, and writing blog stories, particularly for student populations
  • participating as a member of the Research Data Management Services group and the Negotiations team
  • working on projects that support scholarly publishing, open access, and copyright initiatives

As part of the negotiations team, the Scholarly Communications and Licensing Librarian will have the opportunity to experiment with using a licensing program to effect positive change in the scholarly communications landscape. Additionally, s/he will join actively in evolving discussions and experimentation regarding how best to infuse the values of transforming scholarly communications, social justice, diversity, and inclusion into our collections and licensing processes. The Librarian will collaborate extensively with subject, acquisitions, metadata, and other librarians in the MIT Libraries and will be expected to engage professionally with library and scholarly organizations to further his/her foundational knowledge of trends and issues related to scholarly communication and licensing in order to contribute to strategic change.

The successful candidate will be a flexible and situational thinker who appreciates change and ambiguity and thrives on working in a fast-paced environment. Professionals who enthusiastically embrace the empathy, courage, self-reflection and respect essential in a multicultural, diverse and inclusive workplace, and who strive to incorporate those values in public service work, research, and program development are encouraged to apply.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS for the position include:

  • MLS/MLIS
  • Minimum of 2 years’ professional experience in a research library setting with some experience working with vendors of scholarly information resources, with license agreements, and/or negotiations
  • Demonstrated enthusiasm for experimentation and implementing new services and work methods
  • A collaborative approach to problem solving and working across organizational boundaries
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work effectively in a team-based, shared decision-making environment: appropriately taking initiative or seeking guidance, working independently or collaboratively, and coordinating projects.
  • Knowledge or familiarity with matters pertaining to scholarly communication, such as open access, scholarly publishing practices, copyright and fair use, licensing, data management, repository services, and user privacy issues.
  • A commitment to increasing openness in the scholarly communication ecosystem

Preferred

  • Demonstrated vendor negotiation skills
  • Experience in open access outreach and workflows
  • Experience managing and manipulating metadata
  • Teaching/instruction skills
  • Expertise with tools or practices common in digital scholarship

SALARY AND BENEFITS: $55,000 is minimum entry-level salary. Actual salary and appointment classification (Librarian I or II) will depend on qualifications and experience. MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health and retirement plans, a dental plan, tuition assistance and a relocation allowance. The MIT Libraries afford a flexible and collegial working environment and foster professional growth of staff with management training and travel funding for professional meetings.

Apply online at: http://careers.mit.edu/. Applications must include cover letter and resume. Priority will be given to applications received by July 11, 2016; position open until filled. MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community and particularly encourages applications from qualified women and minority candidates.

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