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Director of Research Services

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Position description

THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

Director of Research Services

Rank and Salary Scale
Librarian ($73,238 - $116,220)

Organizational Unit
Research & Instructional Services

Position Overview
The University of California, Riverside (UCR) Library seeks applications for an innovative, dynamic, and collaborative change agent to shape and lead a team of professionals to work collaboratively to develop, implement and maintain a library program of research services and initiatives to support the scholarly and research activities of UCR faculty, researchers and students.

Located an hour’s drive to the east of Los Angeles, an hour west of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, an hour east of ocean beaches, ninety minutes north of San Diego, and an hour south of mountain ski resorts, UCR is located in an area of dramatic landscapes and rich cultural traditions. The University is a dynamic, aggressively-developing land grant research institution dedicated to preparing its diverse student body to be successful competitors in the world marketplace of ideas. UCR boasts the first new School of Medicine to open on the West Coast in 43 years; a new School of Public Policy; and the Bourns College of Engineering, ranked 10th in the world according to an international ranking organization.

UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification.

The UCR Library is a critical partner in preparing UCR’s students to be globally competitive while simultaneously preparing them for careers in the Inland Empire and beyond. The mission of the UCR Library is no less than to bring the world’s information resources to the UCR community and to ensure that UCR students, faculty, and staff have the skills to fully exploit those resources to change the world for the better.

The UCR Library is building a team of intensely collaborative, forward-thinking colleagues dedicated to providing excellent services to our students, faculty, and community members in a rapidly evolving information environment. The successful candidate will be technologically sophisticated; committed to problem-solving in local, regional, national, and international arenas; and able to develop innovative solutions to complex problems.

The UCR Library is comprised of four facilities housing more than 3,000,000 volumes, 97,000 print and electronic journals, and 2,300,000 microforms. The Library provides services to more than 21,000 students and 1,830 faculty and other academics in an institutional environment planning for and experiencing extensive growth. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic staff of 118 librarians and support personnel (including student FTE) in the work of building a research library of excellence within a dynamic and diverse university ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The UCR Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Among the unique collections of the UCR Library are the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Water Resources Collections and Archives, the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian, the Paul Chou Collection of Chinese history and culture, the George Brown Papers, and the newly established Inland Empire Memories Initiative. Information about the UCR Library is available at http://library.ucr.edu.

The UCR Library is an integral part of the University of California library system. With collections totaling 30 million volumes, UC’s more than 100 libraries are surpassed in size on the American continent only by the Library of Congress collection. In addition, UC’s California Digital Library provides the core of the University’s digital collections. CDL also assists UC to share resources and holdings more effectively, and provides leadership in applying technology to the development of library collections and services. Organizationally situated within the UC Office of the President, the CDL operates in close collaboration with all UC campuses and their libraries.

Responsibilities
The UCR Library is implementing a forward-thinking strategic plan (http://library.ucr.edu/content/about/ucrlibrarystrategicplan_2015.pdf) which will include the development of two functional departments: Research Services and Teaching and Learning. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services, the Director of Research Services will work with the Director of Teaching and Learning to develop and implement a model for two departments—Research Services and Teaching and Learning, in place of the current model of two parallel reference and instruction departments (one for the sciences and one for the social sciences, humanities and arts).

The Director of Research Services will be responsible for leading the Research Services Department, and is responsible for leading the development, implementation and ongoing program for library research services and initiatives to support the scholarly and academic activities of UCR faculty, researchers and students. The Director of Research Services will initially lead a team of librarians and other professionals who currently provide research and instructional programs for the sciences, technology and engineering; however as the functional model is implemented, the primary focus of team membership will move from discipline to function. Discipline-based focus will be emphasized as programmatic need arises.

The Research Services Department will be developed based on an assessment of student, researcher and faculty needs, the focus of the library strategic plan, and within an environment of collaboration, open communication, adaptive planning, continuous improvement, and rapid and flexible response to change. The research services program will support current needs and include the implementation of programs and pilot projects that support emerging needs.

Specific responsibilities include:
• Providing vision and managing an efficient and effective department through engagement in strategic planning, team leadership, assessment, continuous improvement and reporting
• Providing overall direction for a diverse group of professionals within an environment of creative exploration and play to develop and implement a research services program
• Effectively delegating, empowering team members to make independent decisions at appropriate operational levels, holding team members accountable for successful completion of assignments, establishing workloads and procedures providing guidance and direction, monitoring and evaluating performance, and coaching and counseling as needed
• Establishing collaborative strategies for current and future library research services
• Developing proactive faculty and researcher services and support for data in all formats, addressing issues such as discovery, use and management
• Developing proactive services and support for faculty and researcher grants, addressing issues such as citation searching, patent searching, embedded library support, etc.
• Overseeing services for the Patent and Trademark Resource Center
• Continually assessing and reinventing programs and services to meet the needs of users
• Staying professionally active and keeping current on trends related to university needs, technology and current library services
• Leading collaborations on research services projects with all relevant library stakeholders including Teaching and Learning, Metadata, Preservation, Collections, and Special Collections & University Archives
• Fostering and sustaining collaborative relationships with faculty and researchers related to supporting new services and initiatives
• Fostering and sustaining operational and strategic relationships with peer institutions, consortia, and relevant vendors
• Participating in library-wide activities, administrative committees, special projects and library programs; representing the UCR Library on University of California standing committees and ad-hoc groups, as assigned
• Assisting in the Library fundraising, grant-writing, and development efforts
• Participating actively in the national library research services environment, and contributing to developments in the field

Required Qualifications
• ALA-accredited Master’s Degree or equivalent experience or degree in one or more fields relevant to the position
• Experience providing services related to research or reference services
• Successful record of management and administration of a department or service, along with the ability to articulate vision, set direction, and accomplish initiatives in rapidly changing environments
• Demonstrated record of project management
• Demonstrated expertise in developing services with high-level support for faculty research needs, including grant support and patent searching
• Demonstrated expertise in data support
• Demonstrated ability to manage professional library staff, including librarians and other professionals
• Demonstrated record of innovation
• Demonstrated successful experience with change management
• Demonstrated understanding of changes in academic library research and reference trends and ability to analyze, implement and adapt to evolving services and technologies
• Demonstrated assessment and data analysis skills
• Evidence of creative thinking about library services and technologies
• Excellent organizational skills, and effectiveness in balancing multiple assignments and projects
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and creativity
• Effective oral and written communication
• Record of sustained scholarly and/or professional achievement in the field
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to work successfully in an intensely collaborative environment with a broad range of people from culturally diverse backgrounds including colleagues, administrators, students, faculty, donors, and alumni

Preferred Qualifications
• PhD degree in relevant accredited program
• Commitment to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students

Salary and Benefits
Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Appointment at rank of Librarian. Advancement through the librarian ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every two to three years, each of which includes substantial peer input. Excellent retirement system, health, and vacation benefits. Relocation assistance is provided.

Application Information

Please complete and submit the information requested in AP Recruit (cover letter addressing qualifications and experience related to the primary duties of the position, resume/curriculum vitae, and three to five professional references as directed at https://aprecruit.ucr.edu/apply/JPF00543 .The final date to apply is April 11, 2016.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. (pdf format)

  • Cover Letter - Cover Letter (pdf format)

  • Statement of Research - (pdf format)
    (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching - (pdf format)
    (Optional)

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Statement addressing past and/or potential contributions to diversity through teaching, research, professional activity, and/or service. (pdf format)

  • Misc / Additional - (pdf format)
    (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)

Job location

Riverside, CA