Scholarly Communication and Data Curation Librarian/Assistant Professor

St. John's University Libraries

Scholarly Communication and Data Curation Librarian/Assistant Professor

Job Description

The St. John’s University Libraries seeks applications from innovative candidates to act as its Scholarly Communication and Data Curation Librarian.  Reporting to the Dean of University Libraries, the Scholarly Communication and Data Curation Librarian will support scholarly communication and data curation endeavors of faculty, researchers, students, staff, and librarians working locally and globally. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting library-led initiatives including the development and management of an institutional repository and development and implementation of an electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) program. The Librarian will provide leadership in the area of data curation on behalf of the Libraries and work with faculty researchers to identify, recruit, ingest and deposit data in the library’s digital repository. The successful candidate will play a significant role in outreach to the research community to deposit data in the digital repository and the creation of training programs, help guides and web resources to support this effort. The Librarian will also be responsible for providing leadership in areas related to digital publishing, copyright, intellectual property, open access, open education and other emerging trends in digital scholarship. The individual will monitor trends and developments in scholarly communication and act as a liaison to national efforts in the area (such as SPARC and HathiTrust). The incumbent will also develop outreach and educational programs that promote scholarly communication in furtherance of both the University and Libraries mission. This tenure track faculty position requires self-motivated and continual learning, professional development, and application of additional expertise in these and related areas. 

The St. John's University Libraries is committed to teaching and learning and provides content-based information resources, instructional services, and other support in the most effective formats for University programs and student and faculty research. The Libraries provide the foundation for the University's mission of academic excellence and lifelong learning. St. John's University is one of America 's leading metropolitan Catholic universities – recognized for its superb academic programs, diverse community, and New York vitality. Founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Community, St. John's has distinguished itself by giving students the knowledge, skills and confidence to serve others while achieving lasting success – personally, professionally and spiritually. Our students can study at any of our three NYC locations (Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan), and also at our international campuses in Rome, Italy, and Paris, France, with other study abroad locations around the world.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage the implementation, promotion and use of the St. John’s University institutional repository (Digital Commons).
• Develop policies, programs and practices supporting electronic publishing, the institutional repository, e-portfolios, and electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs).
• Monitor scholarly communication trends and developments and serve as liaison to national efforts in this area.
• Provide University faculty, students, staff, researchers and librarians with guidance and resources concerning copyright, fair use, open access (OA) and open educational resources (OER).
• Provide guidance on appropriate metadata standards and quality to improve discoverability of repository content.
• Work collaboratively with all stakeholders to raise awareness of and participation in digital initiatives, as well as coordinate training and marketing for such initiatives.
• Act as the point person for the data curation efforts.
• Design and implement policies, workflows and technical processes involved in managing the lifecycle of digital datasets.
• Provide guidance and instruction on discovery, acquisition and use of research data in the public domain.
• Provide research assistance, reference, and instruction.
• Serve on University and Library committees.

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Act as liaison to academic departments relevant to subject background and expertise.
• Supervise staff and students as needed.
• Provide collection development within subject areas.
• Other duties and responsibilities, as necessary.

Required Qualifications

• ALA-accredited Master’s degree or an equivalent combination of a relevant advanced degree and experience.
• At least four years relevant experience in an academic, research or special library.
• Demonstrated knowledge of or direct experience working with or managing an institutional repository inclusive of an ETD program.
• Demonstrated knowledge of or direct experience working with or managing research data.
• Knowledge of information technologies, standards and best practices prevalent in digital or data curation.
• Knowledge of metadata formats, including Dublin Core, MODS, METS, and data exchange protocols such as SWORD and OAI-PMH.
• Knowledge of technologies for data management and curation, and familiarity with preservation principles and practices.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to present and share ideas clearly and effectively to a diverse audience.
• Ability to work independently and effectively with others as a team within a diverse and complex organization.
• Demonstrated time management and project completion skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Second master’s degree is highly desirable and is required for appointment at the Associate Professor level.
• Experience documenting workflows and procedures.
• Experience in identifying researcher information needs and in creating effective services to meet those needs.
• Demonstrated experience in the acquisition and management of born-digital or digitized library, archival, or research materials.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service.

Applicants for this tenure track position must meet the required qualifications to be appointed as Assistant Professor. Anticipated start date is July 1, 2017. Please submit your letter of application along with three references by May 30, 2017 to receive full consideration. Applications after this date will be considered on a case by case basis.

St. John’s University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from women and minorities.

Any offer of employment is subject to receipt by St. John’s University of satisfactory references, verification of employment and education.