Job Description

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Research and Engagement Services Librarian plays a pivotal role in advancing research, teaching, and learning within a vibrant and innovative Social Sciences community, with a primary focus on Business Management, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and related disciplines. The Librarian will work independently and collaboratively with library colleagues and campus partners to contribute to academic success and advance strategic initiatives through a balanced portfolio of key activities: research support, client engagement, instruction, and collection management. The Kelvin Smith Library is deeply committed to promoting a culture of empathy, collaboration, and respect where all people are welcome, heard, empowered, and valued. This role is ideal for a librarian who is excited to leverage emerging technologies, is familiar with scholarly communication and data services, and can be a conduit for interdisciplinary collaboration.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Research, Teaching, and Learning Support: Serve as a trusted partner to faculty and students in academic research and teaching related to social sciences disciplines. Provide guidance in scholarly communication, open access publishing, and research impact and visibility. Provide guidance on researching with data, including finding and using data, across multiple disciplines. Offer responsive research support through consultations, chat, and on‑call services. (30%)
• Campus Engagement: Build strong relationships with students, faculty, and departments to understand their evolving needs. Promote library services and resources through targeted outreach. Champion emerging forms of scholarship and foster interdisciplinary collaborations that expand the library’s impact across campus. (20%)
• Instruction: Design and deliver high‑impact instruction that fosters information fluency and research skills. Collaborate with faculty to integrate library resources into the curriculum using innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence and data literacies. (15%)
• Collections Management: Select, evaluate, and manage budget allocations for resources that meet the specialized needs of business management and social sciences programs and align with university priorities and library goals. Have some familiarity with discipline‑specific resources such as company, industry, and market information; financial datasets; and statistics. (15%)
• Actively participate in library and campus committees to foster collaboration, advance strategic initiatives, and help shape policies and procedures that support student and faculty success. (7%)
• Contribute to the library, the institution, and the profession through sustained and progressive scholarship, creative expression, and service at the state, regional, or national level; contributions will support the advancement of librarianship and increase service to the University and community. Keeps abreast of trends for libraries in higher education. (6%)
• Contribute to a work environment that promotes and maintains a culture of empathy, collaboration, and respect. (6%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Perform other duties as assigned. (1%)

CONTACTS

Department: Regular contact with the Head of Research and Engagement Services to ensure excellent service. Moderate contact with staff at all levels of the organization to provide library services, including discipline‑specific collaboration with Social Sciences and STEM Research and Engagement Librarians. Occasional contact with managers and staff of other units in the library as required by projects.

University: Frequent consultation with faculty and staff, including assigned liaison faculty, campus committees, and other department administrators to support research and teaching. Consult occasionally with other campus libraries to coordinate and provide library services.

External: Participate in local, regional, and national professional organizations. Occasional contact with vendors to support resource selections in assigned subject areas.

Students: Frequent communication with students to provide assistance and information resources to support their education and research needs.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities but may supervise nonexempt staff and/or student employees.

QUALIFICATIONS

Librarian level: Appointment to the level of Librarian 2 assumes that all requirements of the level will be met and sustained, that the individual will demonstrate continued and outstanding growth in the profession, and perform existing duties and responsibilities at the highest level. Librarian levels are outlined in the librarian handbook.

Education: (Core for librarian positions) A Master’s degree in Library/Information Science or an advanced degree in a related discipline plus 1 year of relevant library experience.

Experience: 1 to 3 years of related work experience may be required or preferred.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Subject Expertise: Knowledge of social sciences disciplines, particularly business management, finance, entrepreneurship and related fields, and a familiarity with the research lifecycle, scholarly communication, and academic publishing practices.
• Research and Instructional Excellence: Provide research support to include knowledge of new forms of scholarship, scholarly communication practices, and data management. Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering instruction and applying best practices in information and AI literacies.
• Collection Development: Experience in or familiarity with best practices for evaluating, selecting, and managing collections that support social sciences and management disciplines, including specialized resources like company, industry, and market information; financial datasets; and statistics.
• Collaboration and Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments and disciplines. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a commitment to diplomacy and teamwork.
• Technological Fluency: Skilled in leveraging emerging technologies and tools to enhance research, teaching, and learning especially in areas such as GenAI, open scholarship, data management, and research impact and visibility.
• Project and Time Management: Effective organizational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced academic environment.
• Professional Engagement: Evidence of or an interest in professional contributions and/or professional service at the state, regional, national, or international level.
• Ability to demonstrate successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face‑to‑face.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office/library environment. This position is hybrid‑eligible in accordance with CWRU’s hybrid program and the needs of the library.

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