Systems and Analytics Librarian, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN

Posted January 19, 2023

Job Title

Systems and Analytics Librarian, James E. Walker Library, Tenure-Track Faculty

Department

Library Collection Development & Management

University Expectation

MTSU seeks candidates committed to innovative teaching, robust research/creative activity, and meaningful service. We also seek to attract a culturally and academically diverse faculty who value working with a diverse student body.

Salary

Salary and rank commensurate with education and experience

Job Summary/Basic Function

The James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University invites applicants for a 12-month, full-time, tenure-track faculty position (#401070) at the rank of assistant or associate professor as the Systems and Analytics Librarian in the Collection Development and Management Department. The position is contingent upon funding.

Under the direction of the Chair of Collection Development and Management (CDM), the Systems and Analytics Librarian serves as the unit leader, supervising staff while guiding the advancement and innovation of the unit’s priorities. The librarian leads a unit responsible for the implementation, maintenance, repair, upgrades, and support of the James E. Walker Library’s library systems and servers. Through leadership, support, project management, and workflow analysis, the librarian works collaboratively to advance the library’s resources and services to the MTSU community and beyond. The unit engages in collaborative projects related to digital scholarship, the Library’s LSP, discovery, and access. The Systems and Analytics Librarian is also expected to monitor emerging trends and new technologies related to systems management and e-content access. As a faculty member, the librarian is expected to conduct research and scholarship, participate in faculty governance and committee work, and continue professional development consistent with university standards for promotion and tenure.

In accomplishing this work, this position will:

Provide leadership, guidance, innovation, and expertise to CDM, Technology Services, and User Services to advance the departments’ and library’s priorities through their expertise and knowledge of library systems.
Supervise, manage, and conduct regular evaluations of professional staff. Facilitate training and professional development to advance staff skills supporting the unit’s activities.
Advise the CDM Chair in articulating a user-centered, holistic vision to meet current and emerging information needs and technology as well as new collection/content building and delivery models.
Plan, implement, and evaluate operations, establish policies and procedures, manage resources, ensure clear communication with stakeholders, and set priorities in library systems with the end-user experience in mind.
With the Chair of CDM, contribute to developing and implementing the library’s strategic priorities and help ensure sufficient infrastructure is in place to achieve those priorities.
Serve as the primary library contact to the ILS/LSP vendor.
Optimize system functionality through system configuration, scripting, and API implementation; Administer, maintain, customize, and enhance the library’s LSP: FOLIO, e-resource access portal: EZproxy, and online public access catalog (OPAC): VuFind.
Assist individuals and library units in designing workflows and collecting statistics, analytics, and usage data.
Incorporate Business Intelligence (BI) activities for data analysis for historical, current, and predictive reporting on library operations and activities.
Monitor server activity to mitigate downtime or respond quickly to unexpected outages. Coordinate with onsite library staff and technology services around e-resource access issues. Communicate with key stakeholders about planned and unplanned outages impacting user access to library resources and services.
Collaborate with the Digital Scholarship Librarian, the Special Collections Librarian, the Web and Discovery Librarian, cataloging and metadata faculty, and other faculty and staff on projects requiring library systems expertise and support.
Collaborate with the Web and Discovery Librarian and other faculty and staff to identify opportunities for improvement in Libraries’ discovery service (EDS) and catalog (VuFind).
Collaborate with the Chair of CDM, the Acquisitions Librarian, the Continuing Resources Librarian, and relevant stakeholders to develop, coordinate, and implement policy and practices within the Library’s LSP (FOLIO).
Collaborate with other internal library units and external campus archival centers.
Serve as a permanent member of the Library’s Discovery and UX Committee (MT DUX).
Serve as a rotating Library’s Information Resources Group (IRG) member.
Create and maintain local documentation on library systems management and access policies and procedures, standards, and application guidelines.

Required Education

Master’s in Library Science from an ALA-accredited institution

Other Desirables

Experience in a library technology position
Management of full-time staff and operations
Experience with Library Management Systems
Experience with Web Services and APIs
Working knowledge of one or more programming languages (e.g., PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, Java, Bash, etc.)
Knowledge of metadata standards and MARC records
Experience with version control systems such as git
Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript frameworks
Experience with XML/XSLT and JSON
Experience with SQL and MySQL
Experience with Linux
Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
Experience planning and managing multiple projects and priorities

Documents Needed to Apply

To successfully apply, applicants must include the following documents as separate attachments at the time of online application submittal: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a Research Statement or Creative Activities (as appropriate to the discipline).

Special Instruction to Applicants

If you need help applying, please contact the Faculty Recruitment Specialist at (615) 898-5128.

If you have position-specific questions, please contact Denise Quintel at [email protected].

Application Review Date: 02/11/2023