Science Librarian, Vassar College, (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Posted November 12, 2024
Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY) welcomes applicants for our Science Librarian position.
The ideal candidate for this position will have a dual passion for the sciences and for undergraduate liberal arts education, and will embrace opportunities to support student research.
Reporting to the Head of Academic Engagement, the Science Librarian provides multifaceted support for teaching, learning, and research in the sciences. They serve as the primary library liaison to students and faculty in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, and Psychological Science; and in the multidisciplinary programs in Biochemistry, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Science, Technology, and Society. They provide library instruction and research consultations, create and maintain research guides and other learning resources, and are responsible for collection development in these subject areas. They communicate and partner with science faculty to ensure that library services support and anticipate evolving needs in teaching, research, and scientific publishing.
In addition to these liaison responsibilities, the Science Librarian plays a leading role in the library’s efforts to support scholarly communications, open access, and open pedagogy. In collaboration with library and campus colleagues, they advise faculty and students on scholarly communications issues, respond to changing practices in scholarship and publishing, promote open access and open educational resources in the library and on campus, and contribute to the ongoing development of the institutional repository.
The Science Librarian also participates as a full member of the Academic Engagement team, a department that continues to evolve in our emphasis on teaching and learning and our collaborations in and beyond the classroom. Vassar’s Academic Engagement librarians provide reference service, propose and contribute to departmental initiatives, promote library services and programs, and support the varied and richly multidisciplinary needs of the Vassar community.
The starting annual base salary range for this position is $62,000-$74,000.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in library or information science, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Academic background and/or subject expertise in one or more scientific disciplines.
- Ability and desire to build relationships and collaborate across multiple constituencies.
- Commitment to providing research support and instruction that respects individuals’ backgrounds, cultures, and learning preferences.
- Advanced skills in providing general reference service as well as discipline-specific research support.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and as a team member in a rapidly changing environment.
- Competence and sensitivity in working at a college in which students are broadly diverse with regard to many facets of identity, including but not limited to gender, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.
How to Apply:
For more information about this position and to apply, please visit