Undergraduate Education Librarian OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
CAMPUS: Amherst
JOB DESCRIPTION
OFFICIAL TITLE: This is the official title of the position.
Librarian II or III
FUNCTIONAL TITLE: This is the in-house title by which the position may be known. A functional title is usually a more descriptive title than the official title and may be required to identify very specific kinds of work. This title may be used in signing all correspondence.
Undergraduate Education Librarian
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Please provide a brief overview of the general functions of this position. Specific details of duties should be reserved for the Examples of Duties section.)
As part of the Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Services Department, provide leadership in planning, promoting, and assessing the Libraries Information Literacy Program. Lead the Information Literacy Team in creating innovative and effective approaches to strengthening subject librarian skills to design curriculum, tools and learning experiences that enhance critical thinking and information and digital media literacy. Provide information and digital media literacy instruction and individual consultations for subject areas and liaison responsibilities. Provide administrative and programming supporting for the Teaching Commons.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Please indicate the title, but not the name, of the administrative employee or employees responsible for supervision or direction of work; describe the divergent extents of authority of each, indicating the degree, priorities, and relationships of the supervision or direction, which could range from close supervision to supervision with considerable freedom.
Work under the general supervision of the Head of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Services.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Using descriptive non-numerical terms, identify the scope of supervision, training or direction exercised (i.e., whether the supervision is over a few employees, a small number of employees, a large number of employees, etc.); also, describe the degree of supervision, indicating whether close supervision or general direction is involved, and categorize the physical conditions under which the supervision is given, such as in a laboratory or an office. Supervision of student employees should not be included in this section, but may be listed under Examples of Duties, if applicable.
Exercise working supervision over student assistants who work at the Teaching Commons support desk.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: Please list and briefly describe several of the duties and responsibilities typically performed and assumed in this position. This list should not be restrictive but should be descriptive in such a manner as to provide concrete information representing examples of the actual work as well as the level of responsibility for the work being performed.
- Provide leadership in planning, promoting, and assessing the Libraries Information Literacy Program.
- Lead the Information Literacy Team in creating innovative and effective approaches to strengthening subject librarian skills to design curriculum, tools, and learning experiences that enhance critical thinking and information and digital media literacy.
- Provide administrative and programming support for the Teaching Commons in collaboration with the Center for Faculty Training and Development and the Office of Information Technology.
- Collaborate with subject specialists, teaching faculty, and other partners to apply learning theories and technologies in the development, design, implementation, maintenance, and assessment of general and course-specific library instruction, including online learning objects and instructional modules.
- Work with General Education faculty and subject librarians to integrate information and digital media literacy into the syllabi and assignments for their courses, which include large lecture classes. Provide workshops and instruction related training for subject librarians.
- Produce digital learning objects that are interactive, pedagogically sound, engaging to students, and facilitate the integration and use of library resources in course management systems and other online environments for on-campus and remote users.
- Conduct formal assessment of the Information Literacy Program. Share assessment outcomes and make recommendations regarding changes to the Head of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Services, the Information Literacy Team, and the Director of Libraries.
- Plan, implement and assess innovative programming for the undergraduate population via the Learning Commons, including programming that specifically addresses the academic and information needs of minority students.
- Serve as liaison to the University Writing Program. Coordinate delivery of information and digital media literacy instruction, including citation management tools, to teaching assistants/associates who teach Writing Program courses.
- Actively participate in the library liaison program to provide outreach and services to faculty and students in one or more other academic departments and/or academic support services as needed.
- Provide information and research assistance to library users in a variety of formats (e.g. face-to-face, phone, email, IM) and venues (e.g. service desk, off-site reference hours, drop-in workshops, and individual consultations).
- Consult with the Emerging Technologies Librarian and other staff regarding software and other tools that have the potential to enhance library services for undergraduates.
- Stay informed of user needs and academic library service trends, including online learning; information tools and resources; and emerging trends in teaching and learning in academic library instruction.
- Some evening, weekend, and holiday hours required.
QUALIFICATIONS: Please indicate in a general way the knowledge, abilities, skills, education and experience necessary for any individual to assume this position. It is not the objective of this section to list any one person's specific personal traits and training. It is important to indicate, also, what degree of competence would be required (i.e., considerable education, extensive experience, working knowledge, etc.) to perform the duties and assume the responsibilities typical of this position.
Required:
- Master's degree in library science – or equivalent degree – from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or its appropriate equivalent in librarianship from another country, or have appropriate equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 2 years of information literacy experience.
- Demonstrated understanding of the concept of information literacy in academic libraries and its applications, especially for undergraduate populations. Working knowledge of the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.
- Fluency with emerging technologies and ability to use them effectively to create and deliver instructional content. Required: Working knowledge of HTML5/CSS, plus familiarity with one or more of the following: screen casting software (e.g. Captivate, Camtasia); digital audio/video production; Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, RSS, etc.). Ability and willingness to learn new technologies on an ongoing basis.
- Strong service orientation.
- Ability to adapt in a rapidly changing academic environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft office and productivity software.
- Experience with instruction, training and assessment.
- Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in teaching or public speaking in a large audience setting.
- Familiarity with core library resources and collections for undergraduates, including major reference sources, open education resources, and research databases.
- Ability to think critically and evaluate information resources and services.
- Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships and deal with the public graciously.
- Ability to work and coordinate activities as part of a team that promotes collaboration and sharing of knowledge in a diverse educational environment.
Preferred:
- Classroom teaching experience
- Familiarity with basic usability principles for online information delivery.
- Experience or education which demonstrates knowledge of information and digital media literacy competencies and standards, learning theories, and best practices in library instruction.
- Experience with or coursework in instructional design principles.
Last Edited: 8 January 2013
