Social Sciences Librarian

Who is Saint Louis University? Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic universities. SLU, which also has a campus in Madrid, Spain, is recognized for world-class academics, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service.

Position Summary

The Social Sciences Librarian provides specialized research consultation and instruction for undergraduate and graduate programs in the social sciences disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences. Additionally, the Social Science Librarian will provide support and education in social science data and geospatial information systems for faculty and students. Alongside colleagues in the Research and Teaching department the Social Sciences Librarian participates in and supports first-year courses, general research services, outreach initiatives, and collection development.

This full-time, non-tenure track faculty position reports to the Head of Research and Teaching. This position is primarily in-person with occasional remote work options and some schedule flexibility.

Position Purpose

Responsibilities include:

Teaching, Research Support, Outreach and Assessment (50%)

• Serves as liaison to academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Collaborates with faculty to design and teach curriculum-integrated information literacy instruction sessions for courses in these academic programs and in Core Ignite courses for first-year students.
• Creates and maintains instructional support tools, such as online research guides, tutorials, and other digital learning objects.
• Collaborates with faculty to design and deliver library instruction that best meets the learning objectives of the Core Ignite courses for first-year students.
• Engages with departmental faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate) to support scholarship and research and provide in-depth specialized reference assistance.
• Provides in-person and virtual research assistance and consultations to students, faculty, staff, and visitors
• Provides support for our government documents collections
• Collaborates with relevant stakeholders to assess instructional programs and services.
• Supports and participates in outreach activities and events organized by the department and the Libraries & Museums

Data and Geographic Information Systems (25%)

• Provides GIS support to the university community
• Support students in finding and understanding social science data, especially census data
• Develops course-integrated GIS and research instruction with faculty partners
• Communicates with faculty, staff, and students to promote the libraries GIS services and resources to support teaching, learning, and research

Collection Management and Assessment (15%) 

• In conjunction with the Associate Dean of Collections & Strategy and the Collection Management Group (CMG), manage and develop electronic and print collections for designated subject areas
• Identifies new titles and/or creates order profiles to facilitate the addition of materials to the collection
• Collaborates with the Collections & Discovery team to make data-informed decisions related to the collections within given subject areas.
• Serves as the coordinator for our federal depository collection  
• Collaborates with other subject librarians and library leaders to assess the usefulness and quality of library collections

Service and Scholarship (10%)

• Serves on committees and task forces at the department, Libraries & Museums, and University level.
• Participates in local, state, and national/international professional and scholarly societies and organizations
• Conducts research and/or scholarship and presents research results thereof at conferences, through publication, or other avenues

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree from an ALA-accredited (or equivalent) library science or information science program
• Ability to develop and deliver dynamic information literacy instruction on discovering, evaluating, and using information resources
• Familiarity with geospatial data sources and software
• Demonstrated competency in both in person and online reference work
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to build connections and collaborate with a wide range of constituencies

Preferred Qualifications

• At least two years' experience providing research and instructional services in a library
• Knowledge or experience in social sciences discipline, such as psychology, sociology, political science, and anthropology
• Experience finding and working with social science data including census data
• Demonstrated experience mapping software
• Knowledge, or experience in emerging issues and technologies in social sciences librarianship
• Understanding of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and its applications in the Arts and Humanities
• Familiarity with content management systems such as Springshare
• Active involvement in scholarship or professional development activities

About SLU Libraries

The SLU Libraries include Pius XII Memorial Library, the main library on SLU's St. Louis campus, the Medical Center Library, and the Vincent C. Immel Law Library, as well as a library at the SLU campus in Madrid, Spain. The SLU Libraries have extensive collections to support teaching, learning, studying, and clinical care. Special services and collections within Pius Library include the Academic Technology Commons, an innovative and flexible space, with the latest technologies and one service point where patrons can access both Information Technology and Library services, and the Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library, a research collection for medieval and Renaissance manuscript studies that houses more than 37,000 microfilmed manuscripts from the Vatican Library. For information about Pius XII Memorial Library, see https://www.slu.edu/library.

Applicants must include: 1) a cover letter; 2) a resume/curriculum vitae.  You can upload these items on the third page "My experience" of the application.

Initial application review will begin on Friday, August 8th and will continue until the position is filled.

Must be eligible to work in the United States for Saint Louis University without sponsorship.

Function

Nonmedical Primary Appointment 12 mo.

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Saint Louis University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for the position applied for without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, gender identity, or other non-merit factors. If accommodations are needed for completing the application and/or with the interviewing process, please contact Human Resources at 314-977-5847.