Digital Services & Technology Librarian, UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA

Posted August 29, 2022

Description:

The University Library at UMass Lowell is seeking a creative and collaborative problem solver to join our team during an exciting period of assessment and growth. The Digital Services & Technology Librarian is responsible for the library technology services and platforms that support the research, scholarship, teaching, and learning activities of our community and serves as a technology liaison to partners outside the University Library. A key member of the Library’s leadership team, the Digital Services & Technology Librarian provides technological expertise and makes recommendations for strengthening the library systems infrastructure, enhancing operational efficiency, and supporting and enhancing the user experience.

We want candidates to know that we are committed to helping our colleagues develop professionally throughout their time at UML; we do not expect all applicants to possess all of the preferred qualifications we list here. We welcome applications from people who embrace lifelong learning and are passionate about providing meaningful and equitable access to information, resources, and services that enable the success of a diverse and engaged community. If you are excited by the prospect of being part of a team that is seeking the best path forward to serve the current needs and future goals of our community, we hope you consider submitting your application to this position. Opportunities for remote work may be available.

The Digital Services & Technology Librarian is responsible for administering and maintaining library technologies, including the library services platform and discovery system, the library website, digital repositories, and other library web applications. The Digital Services & Technology Librarian seeks to understand our users’ needs and collaborates with Library colleagues, staff from around the University, and external partners to evaluate and recommend new technologies that support library services and initiatives and enhance the user experience. In addition, the Digital Services & Technology Librarian keeps abreast of standards, best practices, and trends in library systems and software and brings this expertise to the Library Leadership Team.

Essential Job Duties:

Lead Digital Services & Technology team

Provide broad support for traditional and emerging library software solutions and standards, including day-to-day administration.
Collaborate with Library staff on the configuration and support of library digital collections and services applications and their integration with the Library website.
Plan and lead system migrations for Library software; implement new system features as they become available.
Work with Library and IT staff to configure and implement authentication methods.
Supervise and support the professional growth of the Web Services Associate (currently 0.75 FTE) and lead the work of the Digital Services & Technology team.

Library website and other digital services

Manage, develop, and support the library website, including content strategy, information architecture, and web style and accessibility guidelines.
Collaborate with the Web Services Associate and other Library staff to develop templates and evolving best practices for presenting material in content management system (currently Libguides).
Serve as technological consultant to the Research & Learning team in their use of live chat, the reference ticketing system, and reference statistics; consult with other Library staff on the configuration and use of Libapps modules and other library administrative tools.
Administer, configure, maintain, and coordinate technical support for the Library’s discovery platforms, including EDS and existing digital archives platforms; lead the evaluation, configuration, and implementation of additional digital repositories.

Training, support, and documentation

Provide technical support and training to Library staff for library-specific software and equipment when needed, making referrals to external colleagues and contacting vendors when appropriate.
Lead and participate in the development of clear and thorough documentation around policies, procedures, workflows, and standards relating to all aspects of library technology systems, digital services, and related applications.

Library strategy and planning

As a member of the Library’s leadership team (LLT), contribute to the development of strategic, operational, and financial planning. Keep abreast of standards, best practices, and trends in library systems and software and bring this expertise to LLT; evaluate new products and services and make recommendations for hardware and software to support library services and initiatives.

Reporting and usability

In collaboration with the Assistant Director for Communications & User Experience and other Library staff, assess web content and infrastructure; participate in the development of usability tests; gather statistics from library systems such as EDS and e-resource publisher platforms, and make recommendations for technology updates.
Support Library reporting and data-informed planning and decision-making by using database technologies to store, manipulate, and query structured data and programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to enhance information retrieval.

Serve as a technology liaison to partners outside the University Library

Develop and maintain good working relationships with Library staff, colleagues from around the University, and vendors and other external partners.
Serve as a Library representative on the University’s Academic Technology Committee.
Collaborate with University colleagues from areas such as Academic Technology, Instructional Technology, Web Services, and Data Analytics & Institutional Research, as well as vendors and peers/partners at other institutions (such as the members of the BLC, MCCLPHEI, and FLO consortia), both generally and on specific projects and initiatives as they arise.

Promote the University’s commitment to customer service by:

Building effective partnerships with co-workers throughout the University by freely sharing appropriate information and providing assistance when needed.
Ensuring optimum service to all internal and external partners in response to all requests for service and information.
Maintaining an environment that is welcoming to persons of all backgrounds, nationalities, and roles.
Embracing lifelong learning and professional development for themselves and their staff.

Minimum Qualifications (Required):

Education and Experience:

Master’s degree in library science, information science, or related field, and at least 3 years of experience working with library systems in an academic or research library; we will consider people who are currently in an LIS master’s program or those with a bachelor’s degree in a highly relevant field that supports the job functions and responsibilities of the position, if accompanied by 5 or more years of experience, at least 3 of which is in a library setting.

Skills:

Working knowledge of a range of digital library services, asset and content-management platforms, and technologies that support library collections, teaching, and scholarship; experience or familiarity with open-source platforms is desirable
Demonstrated experience designing, creating, and maintaining an academic library website in collaboration with stakeholders
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both orally and in writing
Facility and comfort working with a variety of software and hardware; IT troubleshooting
Supervisory experience
Ability to work independently and exercise good judgment
Experience in collaborative environments, working effectively with both technical and non-technical partners
Ability to anticipate and plan for potential problems

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience managing projects in the academic library setting
Familiarity or willingness to learn CSS, Java, SQL, APIs, and other common coding languages and standards used for web and reporting; willingness to stay abreast of emerging languages
Familiarity with some of the following core library systems: ILS/LSP, content management systems, discovery systems, authentication systems, and e-resource management systems
Familiarity with data management and digital repositories such as Omeka, DSpace, CONTENTdm, Dryad, and similar
Knowledge of library and archival metadata standards and metadata management best practices
Experience with current practices related to digitization and digital preservation
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively and flexibility to adapt to and provide leadership in a rapidly changing technology and information landscape
Ability to balance big picture with detail

How to Apply:

For more information and to apply, visit:

https://careers.pageuppeople.com/822/lowell/en-us/job/515799/digital-services-technology-librarian