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Health and Life Sciences Librarian

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Position description

Department: Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library
Rank and Salary: Assistant Librarian – Associate Librarian ($47,722 –$65,734)
Position Availability: Immediately
Application deadline for first consideration: July 16, 2016

This is a 2-year temporary position.

Description of Institution and Library
As one of the world's great public research universities, UCLA integrates education, research, and public service so that each enriches and extends the others. From its beautiful neighborhood campus in a uniquely diverse and vibrant city on the Pacific Rim, teaching and research extend beyond the classroom, office, and lab through active engagement with communities, organizations, projects, and partnerships throughout the region and around the world.

UCLA’s diverse community of scholars encompasses nearly 30,000 undergraduates pursuing 125 majors, 13,000 graduate students in fifty-nine research programs, and 4,000 faculty members including Nobel Laureates; Rhodes Scholars; MacArthur Fellows; winners of the Fields Medal, National Medal of Science, Pritzer Prize, and Pulitzer Prize; and recipients of Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, and Golden Globes. UCLA ranks tenth in the Times of London Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, twelfth in the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and fifth in the U.S. by Washington Monthly. The National Research Council ranks forty of its graduate and doctoral research programs among its top ten.

To enable these accomplished students, faculty, and staff to create, disseminate, and apply knowledge for the benefit of global society, the UCLA Library is re-envisioning how it is acquired, synthesized, and shared across academic audiences and with the public. It was among the first academic libraries to develop subject-specialist librarians and to launch a program to enhance students’ research skills. Its Special Collections pioneered the acquisition by public institutions of rare and unique books, children’s literature, pulp and detective fiction, works by or about women and minorities, screenplays, architectural plans, and Los Angeles-related materials and today leads the way in collecting archival resources in digital format such as emails and manuscripts. It has launched innovative data management services and an affordable course materials initiative that have served as models for other libraries.

The Library serves UCLA students, faculty, and staff whenever and wherever they need its resources and expertise. Reconfigured, high-tech spaces and services in its ten campus libraries enable users and librarians to explore and work with print and digital materials collaboratively or individually, pursue new lines of inquiry, and develop new pedagogical approaches as well as novel forms of scholarship. More than 3.5 million people visit annually, while an additional 3.4 million visitors enter online through its virtual front doors.

Whether on campus or online, the Library forms the intellectual heart of UCLA, a hub for cutting-edge discovery, scholarship, and instruction.

The Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library serves UCLA’s health and life sciences communities, which include upper division undergraduate students, graduate students, residents, fellows, faculty, and staff from the four professional health sciences schools, the Division of Life Sciences, and UCLA Health, as well as the health and life sciences information needs of the UCLA community as a whole. The library is the Regional Medical Library and serves as the headquarters for the Pacific Southwest Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The Reference, Instruction, and Collection Services (RICS) division is responsible for a broad range of services, including consultation, instruction, and collection development as well as an emerging program in data management. At the most fundamental level, resources are delivered to the desktop in the classroom, clinic, research laboratory, and office. Current RICS staffing includes: 4.0 FTE librarians, 1.0 FTE data curation specialist, 1.0 FTE computer resource specialist, and 5 part-time reference desk students from UCLA’s Department of Information Studies.

Position Duties
The Health and Life Sciences Librarian cultivates partnerships between the Biomedical Library and UCLA Health and Life Sciences communities by providing a broad range of information services, including in-depth reference and consultation service, instruction, and outreach to UCLA students, faculty, staff, and researchers. Working with the UCLA Library and UCLA community, the Health and Life Sciences Librarian will use well-grounded pedagogy and technology to develop sustainable products and services related to information literacy in high volume teaching areas of the health and life sciences. The Health and Life Sciences Librarian is a member of the Research, Instruction, and Collection Services (RICS) division and reports to the RICS Team Leader.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:
• Serves as liaison for outreach and instruction to departments, to be determined, within UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine.
• Acquires and maintains expertise in curricular and research efforts in the departments, collaborating with faculty to address departmental research and teaching information needs.
• Works closely with informationist colleagues and instructors to design, develop, deliver and assess in-person activities and online modules appropriate for health and life sciences communities related to information literacy and data fluency.
• Continually assess, evaluate, and improve training materials and activities.
• Provides in-depth reference services, both in-person and virtually.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library or Information Science OR significant graduate-level coursework toward such a degree OR equivalent education and experience (subject expertise combined with professional library education and/or experience).
• Knowledge of established and emerging teaching/learning methods and technologies and their application to university-level instruction.
• Familiarity with the research process and teaching information literacy principles in the health and life sciences.
• Familiarity with publication trends, scholarly publishing issues, and tools to assess funding compliance policies (e.g., UC Open Access policies, NIH Public Access Policy, etc.) on open/public access to publications and research data.
• Demonstrated evidence of initiative and flexibility. Ability to work independently and collaboratively, as a leader and team member, with library colleagues.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, time, and project management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and ability to work with a diverse campus community.
• Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Two or more years of professional experience working in a science-oriented academic or research library.
• Knowledge of audio and video recording hardware and software. Experience with audio and video production techniques and practices.
• Knowledge of creative digital design tools and practices including rapid prototyping, storyboarding, and wire-framing.
• Knowledge of a variety of health and life sciences databases, including record structure, indexing policies, and thorough knowledge of search interfaces

General Information
Professional librarians at UCLA are academic appointees. Librarians at UCLA are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This is a represented position. They are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits.

Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork, and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library, and/or university and community service, and/or scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.

Candidates applying by July 16, 2016 will be given first consideration for this position. UCLA welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks applications and nominations from women and minorities. UCLA seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: UC Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action Policy at http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Employment is contingent upon completion of satisfactory background investigation.

Visit the UCLA Library Employment and Human Resources website at: http://library.ucla.edu/about/employment-human-resources

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Cover Letter - Describing qualifications and experience.

  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. detailing education and relevant experience.

  • References - Names and contact information for three professional references, including current or previous supervisor; contact information only.

Job location

Los Angeles, CA