Arts and Humanities Librarian, UMass Darmouth, Dartmouth, MA

Posted September 15, 2016

Job Description:

SUMMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION:  The Information Services Librarian for Arts and Humanities delivers general and in-depth specialized reference and instruction services (virtually and face-to-face) in conjunction with a team of Information Services librarians.  A member of a long-standing liaison program, the Arts and Humanities librarian develops professional relationships with faculty and students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Humanities Council of the College of Arts and Sciences in order to assess and respond to research, teaching, and learning needs.  This position serves as library liaison to the same combination of the following departments and subject areas:  Art Education, Art History, Artisanry, Design, Foreign Literatures and Languages, History, Music, and Philosophy.  Additional subject areas within the humanities and social sciences may be assigned as appropriate.  This librarian provides proactive and responsive service to faculty and students in the liaison departments, assisting them with research projects, curricular support, and course-integrated instruction in class and individually, in person and electronically.  The librarian has responsibility for collection development and management within the assigned departments and subject areas and is a member of the collection development committee.  Information Services librarians participate in information literacy instruction for first-year English classes. Librarians participate in other division, library, university, and professional activities, projects, and organizations, as appropriate. This position is responsible for the maintenance of the reference collection in assigned liaison areas.

Librarians, like all library staff, have leadership responsibilities regardless of their position within Library Services. Leadership for librarians includes activities such as contributing to goals and strategic library directions through active participation on committees, teams, and task forces and sharing expertise throughout the library in order to further library and university missions.

Follow the University’s best practices to build and/or support student academic success and retention, and assist in meeting strategic objectives for persistence and timely graduation of all the student population.

Examples of Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Works with assigned departments to ensure patron access to quality information resources, instruction in information management, and research and reference assistance
• Establishes dynamic, collaborative networks and relationships with liaison departments and advocates for liaison departments within the library and for the library within the liaison departments
• Provides curricular support for faculty in assigned departments, including the development and delivery of online and blended courses
• Closely works with faculty, researchers, and the data management librarian to develop data/information management plans as required for their research
• Develops appropriate subject and interdisciplinary collections, selecting library materials and tools in a variety of formats that meet the needs of a diverse academic community
• Creates and maintains online subject portals to library resources
• Provides research assistance and support to all members of the UMass Dartmouth community via a variety of methods, including in-person and online
• Provides reference services as scheduled, including evening hours, as well as the potential for weekend and holiday service
• Participates in planning, assessing, and implementing reference services for quality assurance and improvement
• Identifies and implements strategies for learning about and understanding the information needs of the UMass Dartmouth community
• Instructs students in research skills and the use of library and other resources in courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels
• Participates in the library’s information literacy instruction program, including in assigned liaison areas and in a robust first year English curriculum
• Participates in planning, assessing, and implementing improvements to instruction programs, including incorporating developments in instructional design and library pedagogy
• Incorporates emerging and current technologies into library practice, instruction, and research support
• Continuously pursues professional development opportunities to increase personal knowledge and skills in order to improve service models and reflect best practices
• Keeps current on trends, practices, and products in librarianship
• Participates in professional activities at the local, regional, and national level
• Participates in collaborative library and University committees, working groups, and task forces
• Participates in library’s outreach, grants, and funding efforts
• Performs other duties as assigned

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications

Education:  Master’s degree in Library/Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution of higher education or equivalent. 

Experience: Previous experience in instruction and reference (one year or more) in an academic or museum library, or arts/humanities area in a public library.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of art and artists, and some knowledge of other humanities and social sciences disciplines
• Demonstrated  ability to teach course-related research processes and library resources in one or more of the assigned areas
• Demonstrated experience in identifying, selecting, using, teaching and evaluating information resources in one or more of the assigned areas
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt to rapidly changing technologies and methods
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal communication and collaboration skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and in concert with others
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with users of diverse cultures and levels of  academic preparation
• Demonstrated strong written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated strong organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Academic degree and/or significant course work or background in art (art history, studio art, or art education)
• Professional experience as an arts or humanities librarian in an academic library
• Knowledge of digital humanities
• Experience creating and developing content for library web pages and/or subject guides
• Facility with technology and its application to academic contexts
• Enthusiasm for working in a changing library environment

Additional Information:

DEPARTMENT: Library Services and Information Services

Bargaining Unit Status:  AFT                                                                              

EEO Status:  3.4     

Job Code: 243   

FLSA Status:  Exempt                     

Reports To: Works with a team of Information Services librarians under the direct supervision of the Head of Library Information Services division. 

Supervises: May supervise professional, classified, and student personnel as assigned.

Application Instructions:

To apply please submit a letter of interest, current resume and the contact information for three professional references.

The review of applications will begin October 31, 2016 and continue until the position is filled.

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