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Assistant or Associate Librarian, Head, Research & Scholarship (20-month appt.)

Assistant or Associate Librarian, Head, Research & Scholarship (20-month appt.)

University of Guelph Job Location: Ontario Apply By: August 12, 2021 or until a suitable candidate is found Date Created: 07-16-2021

The McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph invites applications for a dynamic, creative, collaborative librarian to fill the position of Head, Research & Scholarship. This senior leadership position reports to the Associate University Librarian, Research, and is a member of the library’s management team. This position provides strategic leadership and oversight for the staff and operations of the R&S team, which provides expertise, services, and resources to advance the university’s research mission. This is a forward-looking, transformative role for an individual with a passion for a range of services that engage faculty, researchers, and students at the University of Guelph in support of their research and scholarship. The Research & Scholarship Team (R&S) currently includes the following established and developing/evolving areas of expertise:

  • Research Support: consultations with researchers and research teams; support for field research, research project management
  • Data services: includes the Data Resource Centre (DRC) which provides drop-in and appointment support for data, GIS, statistical computing, and web surveys; research data management services; and data creation and visualization
  • Scholarly Communication: includes areas of shared expertise with the Collections & Content (C&C) team, activity in scholarly communication broadly encompasses support for researchers in the areas of author rights, copyright, publishing, open access, alt metrics, and researcher IDs
  • Open Educational Resources: support for adopting, adapting, and developing OER materials in support of curriculum
  • Digital Scholarship: includes GIS, statistical computing, online exhibits, and variety of sustainable services in support of digital research projects on campus

The incumbent will promote the vision of the library as being central to the University community as a valued facilitator, partner, and catalyst on campus. The core values that drive our vision are learning, service, stewardship, access, innovation, communication, intellectual freedom, and integrity. At the McLaughlin Library, we have implemented a management framework to provide clarity around the expectations of library managers and to develop a shared understanding of library management practices.

Responsibilities and Duties:

  • Provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, expertise, and guidance to a team of approximately 11, including professional librarians, paraprofessionals, support staff, and student staff
  • Develop and adapt strategies to deliver effective, efficient core services to meet the evolving needs of the University of Guelph research community
  • Develop and implement operational procedures, policies, and workflows to guide decision-making and practice in all areas related to the team
  • Lead the team in establishing, managing, and disseminating metrics that represent the impact of R&S core activities
  • Initiate and drive change in line with team, library, and institutional goals and support and nurture a culture and systems that encourage exploration and experimentation
  • Ensure communications and proper consultation and collaboration with researchers, partners in research support, and between R&S and other Library teams
  • In conjunction with the Library Executive, the Head acts as a primary contact, spokesperson, and advocate with the academic community and other campus units, and research partners, and a broad range of other organizations for matters related to digital scholarship, support for research, and scholarly communications. In this capacity, the Head contributes to the transformation of the scholarly communication environment to one that is more equitable and accessible.
  • As a member of the Library Management Team (LMT), participate in the collaborative management of the library, including strategic planning, resource management, administrative coordination that includes policy development, alignment of services and programs with strategic objectives, assessment, and organizational culture and development.

Required Qualifications:

  • ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library & Information Science, or equivalent
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience as a professional librarian in an academic environment, with increasing levels of responsibility (e.g. managing staff, projects, resources, budget), or equivalent combination of education and experience
  • Experience envisioning, establishing, adapting, and implementing research support strategies and programs
  • Demonstrated experience designing and implementing outreach strategies to actively engage stakeholders
  • Experience managing and mentoring a diverse group of staff and developing a collaborative and supportive team culture
  • Demonstrated user-centered service philosophy and client focus, with exceptional ability to build partnerships with colleagues, users, and partners on campus and beyond
  • Exceptional leadership skills with a demonstrated commitment to collaboration and the ability to articulate priorities and values across a diverse constituency
  • Demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication
  • Highly developed understanding of and engagement with the trends and technologies in the research and scholarly communication landscape as evidenced by an established record of scholarship

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