Skip to main content

Health and Life Sciences Librarian

We are no longer accepting applications for this recruitment. Browse open recruitments

Position description

[Two positions available.]

Department: Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library
Rank and Salary: Assistant Librarian – Associate Librarian ($47,722 –$64,006)
Position Availability: Immediately
Application deadline for first consideration: December 16, 2016

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 community by providing a broad range of information services, including in-depth research support, data management consultations, collection development, and outreach to UCLA students, faculty, staff, and researchers. The librarian will be responsible for instigating dynamic and sustainable collaborations with the University and UCLA Health by providing a variety of group instruction sessions, individual consultations and specialized, embedded information services as a member of cross departmental project teams. The Health & Life Sciences Librarian reports to the Director of Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library and Science & Engineering Library.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:
• Cultivates partnerships between the Biomedical Library and assigned liaison areas in the Health & Life Sciences through outreach, instruction, collection, and research support services.
• Acquires and maintains expertise in curricular and research efforts in the departments, collaborating with faculty to address departmental research and teaching information needs.
• Assists with the design, development, implementation, and assessment of library instructional services, including face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning, instruction sessions and workshops, and other innovative approaches to developing student research skills.
• Develops, curates, and assesses the effectiveness of discipline‐specific research guides and other instructional technologies as appropriate.
• Consults on and supports systematic reviews, research impact services, as well as other intensive research projects.
• Assists researchers and staff with UC and federal funding agencies’ policies requiring open/public access to publications and digital research data, communicating new requirements to relevant campus stakeholders.
• Contributes to the UCLA Library and the Schools and Departments it serves by participating on committees, task forces, etc.
• Contributes to the profession and represents the UCLA Library in the academic, scholarly, and professional community.
• Works closely with informationist colleagues and instructors to design, develop, deliver and assess health and life sciences instruction related to information literacy and data fluency.
• Continually assesses, evaluates, and improves 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).
• Enthusiasm for working with varied users in a dynamic academic medical center environment.
• Comfortable working in a highly collaborative team environment.
• Commitment to professional development and contributing to library/information science.
• 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.
• Strong interest in clinical information or life science research support and familiarity with evidence-based practice.
• 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.
• 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.

Desired Qualifications
• Two or more years of professional experience working in a science-oriented academic or research library.
• Demonstrated experience in one of the following areas: conducting EBM and systematic review searches, instructional design & tutorial development, data management services, research impact services, or open access compliance.
• Professional experience in an academic library, health care/biomedical environment, or equivalent professional experience.
• 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. Relocation assistance may be provided.

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 December 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

Under federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States as established by providing documents specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Employment is contingent upon completion of satisfactory background investigation.

Visit the UCLA Library Employment and Human Resources website at: http://www.library.ucla.edu/about/jobs-ucla-library

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