Policy and Government Librarian

The George Mason University Libraries seek to fill the position of the Policy & Government Librarian. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment. 

Responsibilities:
This position is responsible for providing library services in the areas of reference, research, and instruction in support of faculty and students in the Schar School for Policy and Government; and developing corresponding library collections and outreach initiatives. The position, part of the Social Sciences Team, reports to the Lead, Social Sciences Team, and works in an ever-changing public service environment. 

Selected Duties:

• Provides holistic subject librarian services and support to the Schar School of Policy and Government;
• Provides library instruction and support for face-to-face and online/distance education classes in assigned departments and programs;
• Provides general and specialized reference and research assistance, as well as email and virtual reference; assists patrons in use of the research resources; participates in service desk coordination, including: maintaining ready reference materials, providing reference training for access services staff, and providing input regarding workflow or projects;
• Provides instructional services (including curriculum-based instruction, walk-in instructional sessions, web-based tutorials, library orientations, and individual student appointments); prepares and maintains web-based instructional materials, online research guides, etc., as necessary; 
• Works closely with faculty on collection development, including identifying, monitoring, and selecting research materials; monitors, and is responsible for, the spending of fund lines for assigned departments;
• Works with the Digital Scholarship Center to support the data needs of designated departments, including identifying datasets and general analysis, as well as other digital scholarship projects of students and faculty;
• Follows trends in scholarship in assigned departments and programs in order to respond to student and faculty needs;
• Provides back up to other subject librarian positions, principally with the Social Sciences Team, as appropriate or as needed; 

Required Qualifications:

• ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in Library or Information Science OR an equivalent certified foreign degree;
• Graduate degree in a subject field relevant to the position: Political Science, Public Policy, International Relations, etc;
• Experience in providing responsive and quality reference, instruction, digital and collaborative library research services; as well as practical understanding of the changing research needs of students and faculty (at least two to three years of professional-level experience is preferred); 
• Experience in developing, building and sustaining working partnerships and relationships with teaching faculty, researchers and students;
• Ability to advocate and promote library resources and services to a variety of constituents;
• Demonstrated ability to use current technologies for delivering and developing library services, including course management systems, online research guides, and digital learning objects;
• Ability to build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships with people of varying backgrounds;
• Ability to thrive in a team-based environment and work collaboratively; 
• Demonstrated commitment to professional development and growth; 
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. 
• Ability to meet requirements for reappointment and promotion (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/libhandbook.html).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of social science research methods and digital scholarship trends. 

Appointment/Benefits:
12-month professional faculty appointment with rank; health plan options and paid life insurance; several retirement plans, including TIAA-CREF; 24 vacation days and 12 paid holidays; tuition waiver for self. 

Salary: Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience; not less than $58,000/year.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
All applications for this position ( FA002z) MUST be submitted online at George Mason’s employment page (https://jobs.gmu.edu/). Applicants must submit letter of application, resume, and the names, addresses (including e-mail) and phone numbers of three current references. Questions should be directed to Renee Prokop (rprokop@gmu.edu), Human Resources Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Libraries. Review of applications will begin March 5, 2019.

The George Mason University library system, comprised of a large central library and four other distinctive libraries, is located on three campuses in the Northern Virginia-metropolitan Washington, D.C., region. One of Virginia’s leading academic research libraries, the Mason Libraries continues to gain steadily in national stature as it undergoes extensive transformation in all areas that are key to a 21st century research library—innovative technologies and services, expert library faculty and skilled staff members, growing collections, publishing, modern facilities, and transformational partnerships. Visit us at library.gmu.edu for more information.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.