Reference & Instruction Librarian for STEM & Digital Scholarship

The Carleton College Gould Library’s Reference & Instruction department seeks an enthusiastic individual to serve as Reference & Instruction Librarian for STEM & Digital Scholarship. The librarian in this position serves as the liaison to selected departments, including Chemistry, Biochemistry, Math and Statistics, and Physics. The Librarian helps carry out the mission of the Reference & Instruction department and Gould Library to support the teaching and learning goals of the college. They provide one-on-one instruction at the Research/IT desk, in research consultations, and during information literacy instruction sessions in a manner that supports the curriculum and mission of the college. 

The Librarian actively participates in campus initiatives, is involved in the campus intellectual life, and collaborates with others in the library and across campus to provide leadership for Carleton’s digital scholarship program. The Librarian serves as the primary systems manager for Springshare products and other core departmental digital resources; they also provide technical expertise on emerging technologies and digital accessibility as needed. The Reference and Instruction Librarian for STEM and Digital Scholarship reports to the Head of Reference and Instruction.

The ideal candidate has the enthusiastic heart of a STEM reference and instruction librarian, plus a deep love for organizing projects, workflows, and data. They are good at explaining complicated technical problems, and enjoy working with students!

The ideal candidate will also have a demonstrated understanding of issues and trends in information literacy in STEM fields, including open science and open data; and have a demonstrated facility with digital scholarship and LibApps. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working with technology, but we are willing to train you in specifics. We know there are great candidates who won’t fit every aspect of a job, or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply.

As part of the College and Gould Library’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) efforts, commit to building a strong and inclusive community among students, faculty, and staff, by respecting and making space for diverse backgrounds, values, and points of view. The Reference and Instruction Librarian for STEM and Digital Scholarship reports to the Head of Reference and Instruction. 

Carleton College Library is a member of Bridge, a collaborative consortium with the St. Olaf College Libraries. As a member of the Bridge Consortium, the Reference & Instruction Librarian works collaboratively with peers at the St. Olaf Libraries to provide strategic direction and services for the research needs at Carleton and St. Olaf. 

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the hire is complete. Priority will be given to applications received before April 30. Please submit both a cover letter; and a current CV or resume. Your cover letter should address the requirements mentioned above, and offer examples of ways in which you have worked with faculty and students in these areas. We accept only online applications.

Compensation:

The expected starting salary range for this position is between $68,000 and $70,300. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities:

Reference & Instruction (50%)

• Maintain and continuously develop subject expertise in order to provide excellent reference services to faculty, students, and staff
• Actively engage and provide outreach to faculty to identify and meet students’ information literacy needs by providing information literacy instruction and student research consultations, with an emphasis on the sciences and digital scholarship across the curriculum.
• Participate in general reference responsibilities in person, on the phone, through email, chat, and video chat at the Research/IT help desk. 
• Create and maintain course, subject, and general online research guides
• Develop and maintain a reference collection that meets the research needs of the students, regardless of publication format
• Collaborate with colleagues in Reference & Instruction on assessment projects to improve the instruction and research support offered by the department
• Collaborate with other academic units on campus, including the Academic Support Center, Quantitative Resource Center, Academic Technology, and the Humanities Center to provide curricular and research support for faculty and students
• Collaborate with library colleagues to mentor and supervise Library Interns 
• As part of the College and Gould Library’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) efforts, commit to building a strong and inclusive community among students, faculty, and staff, by respecting and making space for diverse backgrounds, values, and points of view
• Serve on various library, Bridge, and campus committees as needed

Digital Scholarship (30%)

• Serve as one of several project managers for digital scholarship projects involving faculty, students, and other staff.
• Supervise and support the Digital Humanities Associates and Digital Scholarship Interns, including coordinating work and providing training.
• Collaborate, consult, and advise faculty on topics related to digital scholarship and build connections among faculty and staff. 
• Stay current on the latest trends and best practices in digital scholarship, data visualization, and scholarly research services to enhance the libraries’ service portfolio.

Systems support (20%)

• Coordinate with the Head of Access Services & Technology in the library to maintain and document internal use of Springshare LibApps (LibGuides, LibInsight, or LibCal). Coordinate with other Carleton librarians to maintain content in LibApps. Coordinate with Minitex librarians to maintain our shared instance of LibChat.
• Coordinate with ITS on Research/IT Desk maintenance and CarlTech student worker training.
• Collaborate with other staff as needed to help maintain and/or develop technological systems across the library.
• Collaborate with library and campus partners across the disciplines to evaluate the ethical implementation of emerging technologies, such as Generative AI; provide technical expertise on data privacy and digital accessibility (WCAG) to ensure new tools are implemented responsibly within the library.

Education/Experience/Skills:

Required:

• Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited Library program. Applicants who are near degree completion are welcome to apply. Candidates must have completed their degree before the start date of the position.
• Experience providing reference services
• Experience teaching research tools and information literacy 
• Demonstrated understanding of issues and trends in information literacy in STEM fields, including open science and open data
• Demonstrated facility with tools and methods of digital scholarship
• Demonstrated facility with LibApps

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in the Sciences
• Academic library experience
• Experience working in collaboration with faculty to deliver information literacy instruction  
• Proficiency in web development and systems management, including CMS/repository platforms (such as Wordpress, Omeka, Scalar, LibApps); front-end and back-end technologies (such as HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python, APIs, XML); and modern development workflows (such as Git, CLI, LTI).

Must have the ability to understand and follow written and oral work instructions, operations, safety procedures, and hazardous labels. 

Note: This position description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the organization. 

We accept only online applications.

Carleton College is an AA/EEO Employer: We are committed to developing our staff to better reflect the diversity of our student body and American society. Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Carleton also offers a robust suite of benefits including: A generous 403(b) retirement plan with a 10% employer contribution and 2% employee contribution. Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. Paid time-off, including 25 annual leave days, 8 paid holidays, and extra days at the end of the calendar year to make a continuous week off before New Year’s. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees. A dependent tuition program after six years of service.

Founded in 1866, Carleton College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college of roughly 2,000 students located in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton College occupies more than 1,000 scenic acres of campus, arboretum, over 100 campus buildings, and athletic fields. Located 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Carleton offers access to the cultural advantages of a major metropolitan area.