Computing Librarian

Department: University Libraries

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Arlington, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible, up to 2 days of telework

Salary: Salary commensurate with education, experience, and academic qualifications. Salary at appointment is dependent upon the related qualifications and associated Librarian rank into which the candidate is hired:

Librarian I (not less than $65,000)

Librarian II (not less than $70,000)

Librarian III (not less than $75,000)

Librarian IV (not less than $80,000)

Term: This is a grant-funded, limited-term position; this is an initial 2-year appointment with renewal up until June 2031

Restricted: Yes

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

The University Libraries form an intellectual nexus for George Mason University. It fosters innovation, creativity, and imagination by facilitating access to scholarship and information, providing expert consultation in the research process, and actively teaching the effective and critical use of information. Moreover, it fulfills a critical role in the creation, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge.

The Learning, Research, and Engagement Division (LRE) of the University Libraries has primary responsibility for the spectrum of services and programs related to the outward-focused, direct engagement with undergraduate and graduate students and faculty pertaining to teaching, learning, and research, including the assessment (in conjunction with the Libraries’ Assessment and Planning Office) of such services and programs. 

Through the three disciplinary teams of subject specialist librarians (Arts & Humanities; STEM; and Social Sciences), the LRE division works continuously with individual faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates on their individual learning and research needs by working closely with academic departments and colleges.

About the Position:

The Science and Technology Team serves the College of Engineering and Computing, the College of Health and Human Services, the Costello School of Business, and the College of Science, as well as several STEM-focused multi-disciplinary university-level institutes and centers. Within the team, the programmatic role of the Computing Librarian is to provide computing sciences subject librarian expertise and support for students and faculty in the School of Computing within the College of Engineering and Computing. The librarian’s responsibilities include providing library research instruction, reference, and research consultations; developing collections to support the curricular and research needs of the schools and programs; and engaging in academic outreach. Additional duties include providing research data support for faculty and students. This position coordinates and designates subject responsibilities with the other Computing Librarian, with the Engineering Librarian, and (where appropriate) with the Business Librarian.

This position collaborates with the Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Center (DiSC), Mason Publishing Group, and Collections Strategy unit; as well as with other library departments more broadly and across the university to support research and data efforts, methods, and tools.

The Computing Librarian reports to the Head, Science and Technology Team & Mercer Library.

Note: This is a limited-term position with grant funding ending in FY30; initial 2-year appointment, renewable up until June 2031.

Responsibilities:

Instruction:

• Uses general and subject-specific knowledge and resources, as well as current technologies and appropriate pedagogies, to develop and deliver high-quality instruction to STEM faculty, staff, and students in assigned subject areas;
• Develops a strong understanding of the research and teaching needs of emerging School of Computing programs in order to design new and enhance existing services in anticipation of these needs;
• Assumes responsibility for developing, in partnership with other groups on campus when applicable, library-based curricular educational programming especially for pre-medical programs;
• Actively engages with faculty, students, and staff in School of Computing programs to develop strong working relationships and partnerships;
• Participates fully in the research and teaching initiatives of the libraries, including conducting workshops and training sessions, as needed; and
• Attends training sessions to maintain and enhance skills. 

Reference and Research:

• Provides general and expert academic discipline-based reference and consultation, research assistance and course support; reference service (on-call/virtual reference) as scheduled;
• Develops and implements creative library services and programs to integrate collections with teaching and research, including maintaining content for the library’s online and print guides, as needed;
• Keeps abreast of curricular and program changes in assigned programs and follows trends in reference and information services, particularly in academic libraries; and
• Assesses the impacts and outcomes of reference/research services and programs in assigned subject areas and implements changes or improvements. 

Collection Development and Information Management:

• As subject area expert, and working closely with faculty from assigned departments, the Computing Librarian selects, recommends, monitors, evaluates, and manages reference and research collections (in all formats) in the assigned disciplines to meet curricular and research needs;
• Works with special collections to identify and acquire archives/other special materials;
• Participates in system-wide shared collection initiatives and activities, and as a member of the Science and Technology Team, participates in setting and achieving annual goals and tasks as established by the team;
• Monitors trends and maintains knowledge, skills and expertise with regard to relevant general and subject-area databases, relevant publishers/vendors, intellectual access mechanisms, resource formats, and library and information technologies; and
• Proactively supports initiatives in open access and sustainable collections, open science, and open data. 

Scholarly Communication, Outreach, and Engagement:

• Proactively supports researchers on scholarly communication models and promotes the use of open access sources and tools to faculty, students, and researchers;
• Helps researchers find, manage, and critically evaluate information and data, as well as affiliated research tools, platforms, and infrastructure;
• Supports researchers in data management and data services in assigned fields. Builds internal and external partnerships to support this activity;
• Promotes library services, resources, and programs to the Mason community at the Science and Technology campus; initiates and strengthens communication channels between the Libraries and programs by forming partnerships with faculty and students in assigned academic programs;
• In collaboration with library colleagues, markets library services and programs at Fenwick Library and Mason Square Library, as appropriate.

Participates in the University Libraries’ governance activities. Engages in university and professional service, and in research and creative work as outlined in the George Mason University Librarians’ Handbook.

Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Required Qualifications:

• Degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science program OR a certified foreign equivalent;
• Experience collaborating with instructors to provide library instruction and research services;
• Experience with electronic resources and information technologies to support reference, research and collection development;
• Ability to develop outreach strategies and build relationships with faculty and students to deliver high-impact services and resources; and
• Ability to build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships with people of varying backgrounds and perspectives.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, IT or related field OR significant coursework in those areas;
• Experience collaborating with instructors to provide library instruction and research services for students in STEM fields;
• Experience with electronic resources and information technologies in STEM fields to support reference, research, and collection development;
• Experience considering the impacts of the work (instruction, reference and research, scholarly communications, outreach, and engagement) on multiple population/user groups;
• Familiarity with research trends and with ethical, legal, and policy issues in the broader computer science and technology areas; and
• Knowledge of data management planning, scholarly communications, and open access concepts and trends.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Computing Librarian at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date: April 11, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: May 10, 2024

Open Until Filled?:  Yes