Metadata Librarian/Assistant Professor

Metadata Librarian/Assistant Professor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library

Position Available:

Position available immediately. This is a 100% permanent faculty librarian position.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Statement and EEO Statement:

The University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign values diversity of thought, perspective, experience, and people, and is actively committed to a culture of inclusion and respect. We are dedicated to the practices of social justice, diversity, and equality, and we strive to overcome historical and divisive biases in our society and embrace diverse points of view as assets to the fabric of our community. All positions will be called on to contribute to building this environment in the Library and throughout the campus community, and we encourage candidates who share these values to apply. The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO. 

Position Description:

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library seeks an energized and forward-thinking professional to serve in the position of Metadata Librarian. Reporting to the Head of Acquisitions and Cataloging Services (ACS), the Metadata Librarian leads the Library’s efforts to create and revise descriptive, administrative, and technical metadata to facilitate access, discovery, and use of digital collections and other digital initiatives. The Metadata Librarian provides expertise in the development, implementation, and assessment of metadata policies, procedures, and infrastructure to the Libraries while monitoring external developments and changing needs in these areas. The Metadata Librarian works closely with various groups within and outside of the Libraries, including the Special Collections Division, Library IT, and Digitization Services to develop and implement efficient metadata workflows. The Metadata Librarian engages with subject liaisons, faculty, staff, and students to identify metadata needs and prospective metadata projects and develops and provides metadata training as needed. The Metadata Librarian works closely with members of the Acquisitions and Cataloging Services who contribute both MARC and non-MARC metadata in support of Libraries’ collections; contributes to staff training; fosters an environment that supports staff professional development; and advocates for resources as needed to position the unit for success in its service efforts. 

Duties and responsibilities:

• Provides leadership for metadata practitioners in conceiving, designing, planning, and implementing appropriate metadata schemes and innovative metadata projects to facilitate user discovery of library resources;
• Builds and maintains collaborative relationships with internal and external groups, providing expertise in the area of metadata and authority control;
• Analyzes metadata use cases and requirements to develop strategies for metadata capture, data quality, quality control, normalization, transformation, storage, and discoverability;
• Initiates and provides continuing education to library staff regarding linked data, resource description, and metadata management;
• Leads in planning and executing data migrations between information systems;
• Includes and supports individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, and perspectives in work activities to support all students and faculty and foster excellence in a diverse and global society;
• Researches emerging metadata trends, practices, and standards;
• Contributes to the national and international reputation of the University Library through professional research, service, and collaboration with national colleagues and organizations. 

Qualifications

Required:

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program or equivalent;
• Demonstrated knowledge of metadata in digital library setting;
• Familiarity with current developments in linked data initiatives;
• Ability to balance quality and productivity;
• Excellent communication and organizational skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a diverse community;
• Evidence of the ability to do research, publication, and service consistent with University standards for tenure and promotion.

Preferred:

• Working experience in academic or research library setting;
• Experience designing or updating metadata workflows;
• Knowledge of linked data principles, JSON-LD, and SPARQL;
• Knowledge of programming language;
• Experience planning and providing training. 

Environment:

The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world. With more than 14 million volumes and significant digital resources, it ranks second in size among academic research libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest possible collections and services and engaging in research and development activities in pursuit of the University’s mission of teaching, scholarship, and public service. 

Salary and rank:

Minimum starting salary for faculty positions in the Library is $60,000 and is commensurate with credentials and experience. Librarians have faculty rank, and must demonstrate excellence in librarianship, research, and university/professional/community service in order to meet university standards for tenure and promotion. Library faculty have an obligation to remain professionally informed, to pursue the discovery of new knowledge related to their field of expertise, to disseminate the results of their scholarly work, and to seek opportunities for service to the Library, campus, state, nation and profession. Library faculty are governed by University statements on review and promotion found in Article IX of the Statutes, and in Provost’s Communication No. 9 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-9-promotion-and-tenure/ and Provost’s Communication No. 13 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-13-review-of-faculty-in-year-three-of-the-probationary-period/. For more information on library tenure and promotion, see https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/promotion-and-tenure-advisory-committee. 

Terms of Appointment:

Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.

Campus and Community:

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members who serve 31,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receives campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu. The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: https://illinois.edu or https://www.champaigncounty.org.

To Apply:

To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, and contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.

Deadline:

In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by August 20, 2021. The review of applications will continue until the position is filled. The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility. The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment.

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