Research Assistant, OCLC Research, San Mateo, CA
Posted February 16, 2017
OCLC Research is recruiting to fill a one-year, grant-funded research assistant position based in our San Mateo, California, office. A brief description of the position follows. Applications should be submitted through the OCLC Careers site: https://oclc.wd1.
Research Assistant
OCLC, a worldwide library services organization headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, is a leader in information technologies and innovative online services. With office locations around the globe, OCLC employees are dedicated to offering premier services and software to help libraries cut costs while keeping pace with the demands of our information-driven society.
This position is responsible for conducting a literature review and supporting a year-long project for OCLC Research, exploring the ongoing redefinition of academic library services in the context of rapid evolution in the global higher education system.
Responsibilities:
- Search for and summarize existing project-related literature (with a particular focus on taxonomies of higher education, institutional classification schemes and evolving academic library service portfolios)
- Collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data on higher education institutions and the libraries that serve them
- Contribute to the design of survey instruments and interview/focus group question sets
- Assist in organizing and facilitating focus group sessions and site visits with selected university libraries
- Assist in writing reports, presentations, and publications
- Maintain current knowledge of higher education and library landscape as applicable to project
- Perform project-related administrative tasks to ensure compliance with funder-required reporting
Qualifications:
- Graduate training (Master’s degree preferred) in library and information science, education, sociology, public policy or related program
- Prior undergraduate or graduate research experience and familiarity with social science research methods
- General knowledge of and an interest in the structure and evolution of higher education systems in the US, with broader global awareness preferred
- Ability to work effectively in a distributed team environment with all levels of internal staff and external colleagues
- Ability to analyze and interpret data and solve problems
- Excellent written and oral communications skills
- Self-directed and able to meet deadlines, manage projects and time, and prioritize assignments
- Ability to respond to changing priorities and meet project deadlines
- Willingness to learn new skills and to extend expertise
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 is desirable