English and American Literature Librarian

Position Description: The University Libraries seeks a creative, user-focused, subject liaison for English and American literature to support the research, teaching, and learning of faculty and students in the English and Theatre Arts Departments and related programs. Under the direction of the Head, Reference and Library Instruction Department (RLI), the English and American Literature Librarian will assume direct responsibility for collection development, reference and research consultation, and instruction for a diverse community of faculty and students. Specifically, the English and American Literature Librarian:

§  Develops and manages the library’s collections related to literatures in English and to theatre arts and serves as primary liaison to the English and Theatre Arts Departments. Responsibilities include selecting materials in all formats, working with vendors, managing budgets, and other collection-related activities. May take on additional subject areas based on expertise and library need.

§  Provides instruction, workshops, credit courses, and other kinds of outreach, developing collaborative relationships with faculty, staff and students. Participates in general RLI activities.

§  Engages collaboratively with other library staff and with relevant academic departments and programs to enhance scholarship and teaching through innovative uses of technology.

§  Participates in outreach efforts to faculty and students, encouraging positive change in the system of scholarly publishing and communication.

§  Participates in Libraries’ initiatives outside RLI by serving on Libraries’ and campus committees and contributing to other relevant activities and events.

§  Participates in relevant consortial activities.

§  Maintains a course of personal professional development through active participation in professional associations or other appropriate professional activity.

Required Qualifications:

§  Master’s Degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited program.

§  Knowledge of current developments in scholarship and teaching in the humanities and changing library roles for responding to the evolving needs of scholars and students.

§  A thorough understanding of research needs and the organization of scholarly materials in the humanities and familiarity with digital humanities.

§  Experience teaching in a library or academic setting.

§  Knowledge of emergent trends in academic librarianship.

§  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

§  Experience working with staff, students and faculty from diverse cultural backgrounds.

§  Experience with or demonstrated knowledge of current and emerging technologies as they apply to collection development, instruction, and reference and research services.

§  Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment where consultation, flexibility, creativity, collaboration and cooperation are essential.

§  Demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace or community.

§  Demonstrated interest in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.

Desired Qualifications:

§  Graduate-level study, or equivalent experience, in a field directly relevant to the subject areas supported.

§  Experience selecting and managing research collections in the humanities.

§  Familiarity with concepts, trends and assessment methods related to information literacy and instructional technology.

Additional Expectations of the Position:

§  Civil and Respectful Interactions:

Demonstrates respect for all members of the University community in the course of performing one’s duties and in response to administrators, supervisors, coworkers, and customers; constructively brings forward workplace concerns to coworkers and/or supervisor.

§  Diversity and Inclusion:

Welcomes the richness of talent from a diverse workforce and recognizes that diversity brings stimulation, challenge, and energy that contribute to a productive and effective workplace.

§  Leadership Accountability:

Represents the interests of the University and of unit leadership in the use of resources to meet service and productivity demands within unit goals and budgets; strives to promote continual process and quality improvement.

§  Learning and Professional Development:

Seeks opportunities to enhance one’s own professional knowledge, skills, and abilities as they relate to one’s current position and/or to prepare for potential future roles and overall career development.

Salary and appointment: Appointment will be made at the Librarian I level with a salary range of $43,000 to $46,000. Start date is negotiable. The University of Iowa offers an attractive package of benefits including 24 days of paid vacation per year, your choice between two retirement plans and two University of Iowa health insurance plans, dental insurance, pre-tax child and health care spending accounts, and additional options.

The University of Iowa Libraries: The University of Iowa library system consists of the Main Library, the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences and a number of branch libraries. The Libraries has more than 5 million volumes including thousands of electronic resources and coordinates the development and maintenance of the University’s locally-created open access digital resources including the Iowa Digital Library, featuring more the 440,000 digitized texts, images, and audio and video recordings, as well as Iowa Research Online, our institutional repository. Our Special Collections include over 200,000 rare books, ranging in age from the 15^th century to newly created artists’ books.

Library systems are built on a mix of open source, locally developed, hosted services, and vended applications primarily from Ex Libris, OCLC, and Microsoft. The University of Iowa is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), ARL, OCLC, SPARC, CNI, CLIR, LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and Portico. The Libraries provides a program of support for professional development activities and its staff members are actively engaged in national cooperative efforts.

The University and Iowa City: A major research and teaching institution, the University of Iowa offers internationally recognized programs in a diverse array of academic, medical, and artistic disciplines, from otolaryngology to fiction writing, printmaking to space science, hydraulic engineering to dance. The University consists of a faculty of 2,000 and a permanent staff of 13,000 serving 30,500 students, more than 40% of whom are from out of state and close to 10,000 of whom are registered in graduate and professional degree programs. Approximately 9% of the University’s faculty and staff and 10% of its student body are members of minority groups, and 8% of the students are from foreign countries.

The University of Iowa is home to the Writers’ Workshop, the oldest graduate creative writing program in the country, and the blueprint for many of the creative writing programs that now thrive on campuses worldwide. It is also home to the International Writing Program where, since 1967, over a thousand writers from more than 120 countries have participated. The stature of the programs was recently enhanced when two poets connected to the workshop shared the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and International Writing Program veteran Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize. Finally, UNESCO designated Iowa City as the world’s third City of Literature in 2008.

Iowa City is a community of some 68,000 people (more than 150,000 live in the surrounding area) with excellent educational, recreational, and cultural advantages. It is consistently cited in the national media as a city with an excellent quality of life. The city is readily accessible via interstate highways and a major airport is only 30 minutes away. The community is growing in its diversity; within the Iowa City Community School District, 32.47% of the students are minority, with 16.22% identifying as African-American, 8.55% as Latino/Hispanic, 7.33% as Asian-American, and .37% as Native American during the 2010/11 school year.

Application Procedure: To apply for this position, please visit the University of Iowa Jobs@UIOWA website at http://jobs.uiowa.edu. To help facilitate your application process, note the requisition number 59866. Applications must be received by October 2, 2011.

THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. WOMEN AND MINORITIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

For more information about the University of Iowa Libraries and community, please see http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/about/employment/