Asst or Assoc Professor, Research Specialist Librarian

Research Partnerships Librarian

University Libraries

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University Libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) invites applications for a tenure-line faculty librarian position in our newly formed department, Research Partnerships, within the Libraries’ Research & Learning division. We seek a collaborative, team-oriented librarian in various functional areas, including geospatial data and programs, evidence synthesis, and research impact and metrics, among other possible specialty areas, to join us in designing, creating, and innovating solutions to enrich, sustain, and mobilize the research and scholarship of a major land grant university. The position is a Research Specialist Librarian (assistant or associate professor, depending on experience and scholarly record). The UNL Libraries desires to grow our cohort of assistant professors, including those seeking their first librarian position, those who will complete their MLIS (or equivalent) by May 31, 2023, as well as those seeking career path changes and the opportunity to grow in new roles.

Research Partnerships engages with the advanced information and data needs of UNL research communities of all disciplines. Collectively, the department has responsibility for the design and delivery of a range of information and data-intensive programs and services. In addition to providing and developing position-specific expertise, the successful candidate will participate in the activities of the department to partner on digital and data scholarship and visualization, promote good research data management and ethical sharing, take part in skill sharing and collaboration within the department and across the University Libraries, and contribute to the design of community engagement and knowledge mobilization activities across the Libraries and University community. They will join a team with expertise in research data management and data curation; clinical, sociological, biological, and agricultural research; comprehensive literature review and evidence synthesis methods; digital scholarship; and public communication of science, among others, that engages the information and data needs of UNL researchers.

The successful candidate will join the Libraries at a time of change and renewal. We are now into the second year of our strategic plan, have recently created a number of internal leadership positions to grow talent from within, and have an ambitious faculty hiring plan.

The Research Partnerships librarian will engage with the Libraries’ strategic plan, including the expansion of research services, and will co-create the activities and culture of the department, which is committed to advancing UNL's Journey for Antiracism and Racial Equity. Research Partnerships undertakes its work with attention to the social impacts of information technologies, including how social and structural biases and inequalities are manifest in information and data systems and in research systems. Professional development opportunities will enable all members of Research Partnerships to grow into new and exciting roles at the leading edge of research collaboration.

Responsibilities

As Research Partnerships enlarges its capacity to support and partner with researchers, this Research Specialist Librarian will advance evidence synthesis and research metrics activities within the department, among other possible research specialties. Working cooperatively with colleagues in Research Partnerships, Teaching Partnerships, Digital Strategies, and across the UNL Libraries, the Research Specialist Librarian will:

• Cultivate and contribute to evidence synthesis and/or research metrics activities within the department through consultation, educational programming, and partnering with research teams.
• Partner with individuals and teams to evaluate the scientific and social impact of their research, provide guidance on the use of research metrics, identify and develop other measures of the impact of research and teaching outputs, consult on the presentation of impact evidence, and consult with research administrators across the university to illustrate the reach of UNL research.
• Partner on the design and implementation of a range of evidence synthesis efforts, including systematic reviews and bibliometric and scientometric research; identify research trends and gaps in the literature; and identify and map scholarly networks, research domains, and collaborations.
• Support the UNL Libraries in expanding into or adding capacity in additional research specialty areas, such as knowledge mobilization, computational and algorithmic methods, reparative research practices, community-centered research, and community data.
• Participate in the Libraries’ tiered reference program in one or more areas of disciplinary and functional knowledge.
• Actively engage in antiracist work to develop inclusive excellence and redress systemic inequities.
• Contribute to the knowledge base of the profession through research, publication, and professional engagement in line with a tenure-line faculty appointment.
• Participate in library, university, and professional service activities.

Minimum Required Qualifications

A vital qualification for this position is the ability and desire to grow in the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the job duties with increasing excellence over time. We encourage applications even when candidates are unsure if they fully meet all qualifications. Applicants should use the cover letter to share how their particular combination of expertise, experience, and skills are relevant to the work described, addressing each of the required qualifications. We are open to a broad range of ways and contexts in which candidates might demonstrate how they meet these qualifications. For example, while candidates might document their demonstrated commitment, experience, and knowledge through work activities—including in positions outside of libraries—they might also speak to coursework, community service, participation in cultural or other organizations, and involvement with student groups, among other possibilities.

• Master’s degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited institution (or international equivalent), or terminal degree in another discipline and relevant experience, by the time of appointment/position start.
• Demonstrated commitment to and support for a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Experience, familiarity, knowledge, and/or expertise with methods, software, tools, and data sources relevant to the specific position(s) sought.
• Strong desire and demonstrated ability to learn new tools and technologies.
• Knowledge of synthesizing literature reviews and/or the evaluation of research.
• Applicants at the rank of associate professor will have a record of job experience, service, and scholarship equivalent to that of faculty at the Associate Professor level. Applicants need not identify their prospective rank at the time of application.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with data management and digital preservation practices, trends, and issues in research data at research-driven institutions.
• Familiarity and experience with software tools for digital and/or data scholarship, visualization, or analysis.
• Experience providing services in a research library and an understanding of the mission and function of a large academic library in a research university.
• Knowledge of statistical and/or computational research approaches and methodologies.
• Awareness of algorithmic bias and reparative research practices.
• Awareness of accessibility issues in tools, outputs, and program design.
• Demonstrated teaching, instruction, or presentation skills and facility working with a diverse range of audiences.
• Experience supporting researchers in academic or similar advanced research environments.

Compensation
Salary will start at $61,200 minimum for an assistant professor and $70,500 minimum for an associate professor. Faculty are eligible for annual merit raises, with raises also at times of promotion in rank. All faculty in the UNL Libraries currently receive professional development funding of $1,700 per fiscal year, with the opportunity to request additional financial support.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides generous relocation support, including options that do not require new employees to pay expenses out of pocket.

The University of Nebraska offers an extensive benefits package that includes health, life, disability, and long-term care insurance; retirement accounts; tuition remission for employees, their spouses, and dependent children; and reimbursement accounts for health care and dependent daycare. Leave policies are designed to help employees deal with personal or family events or crises. Please refer to the University of Nebraska Benefits site for information.

To Apply

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with a preference for applications received by February 13, 2023. To apply for this position, submit your cover letter, C.V., and application at https://employment.unl.edu, requisition F_230000. In your cover letter, please be sure to directly address all minimum required qualifications and provide examples that speak to each qualification. In addition, applicants at the assistant professor rank should describe how related data analysis, data, and programming skills will enable them to grow professionally in the area of evidence synthesis or research impact, or both. Applicants who know they wish to be considered only at the associate professor rank should describe their experience and expertise in evidence synthesis or research impact or both. Cover letters must also include a description from the applicant that speaks to how their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion could be integrated into this position.

As an EO/AA employer, the University of Nebraska considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See https://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.