Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Collections Librarian (Librarian I/II)

POSITION: Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Collections Librarian (Librarian I or II)

DEPARTMENT: Special Collections

DATE REQUIRED: January 1, 2022

Are you looking for challenging, meaningful work in a supportive and diverse environment? Are you looking for a career at one of Canada’s top employers? Work where the world comes to think, discover and learn. Consider a career at the University of Toronto. About the University of Toronto Libraries The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is consistently ranked in the top ten among academic research libraries in North America. The system consists of 42 libraries located on three university campuses: St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This array of college libraries, special collections, and specialized libraries and information centres supports the teaching and research requirements of over 300 graduate programs, more than 70 professional programs, and about 700 undergraduate degree programs. In addition to more than 15 million volumes in 341 languages, the library system currently provides access to millions of electronic resources in various forms and over 31,000 linear metres of archival material. More than 150,000 new print volumes are acquired each year. The Libraries' data centre houses more than 500 servers with a storage capacity of 1.5 petabytes.

The Opportunity

The University of Toronto Libraries seeks an energetic, innovative, creative, and service-oriented librarian to serve as the Library's Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Collections Librarian. Reporting to the Associate Chief Librarian for Special Collections, the incumbent will build on our existing strong collections in Hong Kong and East Asian studies (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Tibetan studies) as well as important Chinese print, ephemera, and manuscript collections in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library to create a collection documenting the experiences of Chinese immigrants to Canada and the Chinese Canadian community. The Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Collections Librarian will work collaboratively with colleagues in the Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and the Media Commons Archives in Robarts Library.

The successful candidate will:

• Solicit and build collections strategically in the area of study in partnership with faculty
• Acquire from the Chinese Canadian community film, broadcast, photographic and oral history and other media and manuscript of historic significance as cultural records
• Engage the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario Chinese Canadian communities that seek institutional support to preserve the communities’ documentary history
• Devise and carry out community engagement programming, aimed at building collections
• Initiate work in oral history collections and preservation
• Create metadata to enable discovery for learning and research
• Process, preserve and conserve collections in various formats including digital
• Organize large scale digitization initiatives to make collections available to scholars worldwide
• Supervise graduate student library assistants to achieve programmatic goals
• In co-ordination with colleagues in the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library and the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library, liaise with faculty and graduate students in Chinese, Chinese Diaspora and Chinese Canadian Studies
• Provide a range of public services including advanced reference and instruction
• Forge relationships for collaboration with other institutions engaged in complementary work, including other campus special collections, such as Toronto Public Library, the University of British Columbia, as well as Library and Archives Canada
• Participate in development activities in support of the Libraries, including representing the University of Toronto at appropriate national and international meetings, fundraising, and grant writing
• Encourage and cultivate close relations with colleagues in the field, and with donors of funds and materials relating to the Chinese Canadian Studies collections
• Participate in library and other committees as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• A degree from an accredited Master’s level program in library and information studies
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of inclusivity, diversity and accessibility
• High level of professional competency in written Chinese
• Fluent in Cantonese
• Knowledge of Pinyin Romanization systems
• Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to apply printed/manuscripts processing and cataloguing and/or metadata
• Outstanding interpersonal, organizational, presentation, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively, as part of a team and independently, in a culturally diverse environment
• Self-motivated and detail-oriented, with good team-building skills, and a strong service orientation
• Demonstrated flexibility, creativity and ability to innovate and adapt to a changing environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Reading knowledge of classical Chinese
• Knowledge of standard archival practice
• Fluent in Mandarin

Salary and Terms of Appointment:

This is a permanent status stream position. Rank and salary will be commensurate with experience and academic/professional qualifications. It is anticipated that this position will be filled at the Librarian I or II level, subject to review and experience. Minimum salary: LIB I: $69,356; LIB II: $72,367 (Salary is dependent on rank at hire and qualifications).

Benefits:

We offer generous benefits packages to all employees. Additional information is available at: https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/

Additional information

Librarians at the University of Toronto are members of the University of Toronto Faculty Association.

How to Apply

Application Materials Required:

A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references of which at least two have supervised your work. Please send a single electronic file (MS Word or pdf) with a file name convention of [Surname,FirstName. RCLCCCollections] to Library Human Resources at utlhr@utoronto.ca; or to Room 1140, 130 St. George Street, University of Toronto Libraries, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A5; by September 15, 2021. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact utlhr@utoronto.ca. The University of Toronto Libraries thanks all applicants but will only contact applicants selected for an interview.

University of Toronto Library System: http://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/

University of Toronto: https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/ Policies for librarians: https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/policies/

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