Head, Digital Research & Publishing

The University of Iowa Libraries seeks a dynamic, innovative, and accomplished professional for the position of Head, Digital Research & Publishing (DRP).

Formerly Digital Library Services, DRP was recently redefined with a mission to explore ways that academic libraries can best leverage digital collections, resources, and expertise to support faculty, research staff, and student scholars in their own research and scholarly activities. Specifically, DRP collaborates on interdisciplinary scholarship built upon digital collections, offers publishing services to support sustainable scholarly communication, engages the community through participatory archive initiatives, explores new technologies such as geospatial applications and linked open data, and oversees the University’s institutional repository.

Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Information Technology, the Head of DRP has direct administrative responsibility for the department’s strategic planning, staffing, and daily operations. This position serves as a senior advisor to library management and interacts extensively with other campus units and library departments on issues related to digital research and publishing. The successful candidate must be able to work collaboratively, think strategically, lead effectively, negotiate solutions among diverse stakeholders with competing interests, and articulate the evolving role of a modern academic library.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Manage all aspects of the department, from strategic planning to daily operations.
• Supervise and mentor staff.
• Plan and manage projects: define goals, develop budgets and timelines, effectively coordinate staff and technology resources, maintain vendor contacts, and work with subject specialists, IT professionals, designers, and public relations staff.
• Identify and pursue relevant funding opportunities.
• Oversee locally created digital repositories (Iowa Digital Library and Iowa Research Online).
• Work collaboratively with faculty to promote and support digital publishing and open access.
• Develop and oversee programming and engagement activities, typically in collaboration with campus partners.
• Build awareness of and support for the management and preservation of digital publications and related materials including research data.
• Monitor trends in digital scholarship and digital library programs to ensure that Iowa adopts new and emerging technologies for the benefit of campus scholars and for the public good.
• Participate in developing and helping to shape the library’s strategic plan.
• Encourage experimentation and risk-taking in digital scholarship projects as part of professional growth and innovative service to faculty and students.
• Contribute to the profession through research, publishing, teaching, and/or service.
• Participate in and contribute to relevant library and University-wide activities and committees.
• Represent the University Libraries in campus-wide and inter-institutional initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (master's or above) in a field related to the position (e.g., MLS from an ALA-accredited institution, MA with a certificate in digital humanities, PhD in a related discipline with a digital collections emphasis).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience planning and managing projects and project teams.
• Demonstrated knowledge of emerging trends in digital scholarship.
• Demonstrated ability to work creatively in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based setting where consultation, flexibility, collaboration and cooperation are essential.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity in the workplace or community.
• Demonstrated understanding of the mission of a research university and the mission and functions of a large research library.
• Three or more years of professional experience plus demonstrated evidence of achievement in professional development that will enhance the candidate’s value to the Libraries, the University, the profession, or the scholarly community.

○   Three years of experience plus demonstrated involvement in professional development to qualify as Specialist [II] Librarian.

○    Six years of experience plus evidence of continuing achievement in professional development, particularly at a national level, to qualify as Expert [III] Librarian.

Desired Qualifications:

• Three or more years of progressively responsible experience in digital library initiatives.
• Experience in management and supervision.
• Knowledge of current issues in scholarly publishing, open access, and data sharing.
• Knowledge of current issues and trends in intellectual property, copyright, and fair use.
• Familiarity with the mobile and web-based technologies used in social media and demonstrated ability to learn new technology quickly.
• Ability to articulate the value of digital library collections and digital repositories in a teaching and research environment.
• Strong public speaking skills in an academic setting.

Universal Competencies:

• Positive Impact/Achieving Results: Ability to utilize existing resources and learning to achieve or exceed desired outcomes of current and future organizational goals/needs. Able to demonstrate ethical behavior in diverse situations while producing results.
• Service Excellence/Customer Focus: Ability to meet or exceed customer service needs and expectations and provide excellent service in a direct or indirect manner. Ability to effectively transmit and interpret information through appropriate communication with internal and external customers.
• Collaboration and Embracing Diversity: Ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and civil manner while appreciating the unique contribution of individuals from varied cultures, nationalities, genders, ages, etc.

Salary and appointment: Start date is negotiable. Appointment will be made at the Specialist (II) or Expert (III) Librarian level, depending on qualifications. Salary ranges: Specialist Librarian $47,133 - $59,987; Expert Librarian $57,502-$73,184. 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 several 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 close to a million 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 15th 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, CRL, 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 University has recently instituted a program in creative writing in Spanish. In 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City as a world City of Literature.

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, 33% of the students are minority, with 17% identifying as African-American, 9% as Latino/Hispanic, 7% as Asian-American, and .4% as Native American during the 2011/12 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 #62182. Review of candidate materials will begin on February 18, 2013; applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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/