Special Collection & University Archives Outreach and Instruction Librarian

Position Description: Reporting to the Head, Special Collections & University Archives, the Outreach and Instruction Librarian is responsible for the design and implementation of innovative library services and instruction programs that enhance access to and understanding of a broad range of rare book, manuscript, archival, and digital materials. General responsibilities include:

·         Coordinating visits by classes and creating presentations. Interacting with faculty and departments to address instruction needs using Special Collections & University Archives material.

·         Creating exhibitions inside and outside of the Libraries using Special Collections & University Archives material.

·         Developing departmental presence using social media such as blogs and Facebook.

·         Initiating new ways to engage the campus and community with our materials.

·         Coordinating activities of students seeking volunteer experience in the department.

·         Collaborating with colleagues working in areas of collection development, archival and manuscript processing, rare books cataloging, preservation, and digitization.

·         Providing reference services, participating in collection development, and supporting day-to-day operations.

·         Participating in Libraries’ initiatives outside of Special Collections & University Archives by serving on Libraries’ and campus committees and contributing to other relevant activities and events.

·         Maintaining a course of personal professional development through active participation in rare book, manuscript, and archives professional associations or other professional activities external to the Libraries.

Required Qualifications:

·         Graduate degree in library science from an ALA accredited institution or a graduate degree in an academic discipline with advanced training in archives administration, rare book or manuscript management.

·         Demonstrated ability to work creatively in a rapidly changing environment.

·         Demonstrated knowledge of or experience with emerging trends in rare book and manuscript librarianship.

·         Demonstrated ability to work productively and sensitively with library and university colleagues, faculty, students, researchers, and donors.

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

·         Experience with or demonstrated knowledge of current and emerging instructional technologies.

·         Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

·         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:

·         Experience in a Special Collections, archives, or museum environment.

·         Experience with or demonstrated knowledge of digital collections, social media tools, and digital humanities concepts and techniques.

·         Experience working on exhibitions and/or public programming.

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.

·         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 250,000 rare books, internationally significant manuscript collections, and a focus on bringing these materials to users in new and dynamic ways.

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.

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 59864. Applications must be received by September 18, 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/