Government and Public Policy Librarian

Cornell University Library (CUL) is seeking applications for a Government & Public Policy Librarian.

Reporting to the Harriet Morel Oxman ’48 Director of Catherwood Library & Social Sciences, the Government & Public Policy Librarian will serve as the library liaison to the Cornell Department of Government and to the Brooks School of Public Policy. You will contribute to planning, providing and assessing a wide array of traditional and innovative, in-person and digital research and instruction services. 

In collaboration with the Social Sciences Collection Development Team, you will select materials for government, public policy and social science collections. You’ll work collaboratively to develop resources and services to support researchers with the discovery of data and government documents, and design and implement strategies to engage scholars with the Library’s collections, services, and spaces.

Librarians at Cornell University hold academic appointments as Research, Teaching, and Extension faculty. The incumbent must meet Cornell University Library requirements for Research, Teaching, and Extension (RTE) faculty promotion and reappointment through engagement in service and scholarship activities.

The successful candidate will bring at least five years’ professional experience supporting research, teaching, and learning in higher education or closely related environments and will be prepared to contribute immediately as a liaison librarian and research partner.

Candidate Profile:

Required qualifications:

• A master’s degree in library and/or information science from an ALA-accredited institution or an advanced degree in a related discipline such as Political Science, Public Policy, or another social science field.
• A minimum of five years of relevant work experience with increasing responsibility.
• A demonstrated ability to build relationships and foster collaboration with students, scholars, and library colleagues, as demonstrated through, for example, teaching or research experience.

• Demonstrated experience searching varied sources for data and documents of interest to researchers—such as searching federal, municipal, and international data portals, secondary scholarly literature, academic data repositories, government document archives.

• Academic background in or demonstrated library experience with a social science discipline.

• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to fostering learning, research and/or outreach in a diverse community.

• Demonstrated examples of professional and university service, scholarship, or professional contributions.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with collection development

• Academic background in or demonstrated library experience with public policy or government

Work Location:

This position is located in Ithaca, New York. The incumbent will typically work on the Ithaca campus a minimum of 4 days per week, with potential for entering into a flexible work arrangement to allow remote work 1 day per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.

The New York convenience of employer guidelines requires New York State individual tax reporting and withholdings for this position. Additional individual state income tax filings may also be required if working temporarily outside New York State.

How to Apply: All candidates must apply online via the Cornell Careers site. For full consideration, please include the following with your application:

• A cover letter.

• A Curriculum Vitae.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until a viable pool of applicants is identified; early submission is strongly encouraged. Although we prefer to receive your application as one, multi-page pdf document, we will accept multiple documents in other formats.

We anticipate filling this position at the academic rank of Associate Librarian. At Cornell, the typical Associate Librarian goes through a formal promotion process requiring at least five years of relevant professional experience as a librarian. Appointment to this rank may also include someone with more years of relevant professional experience who has not yet completed a formal review for promotion to librarian. The anticipated salary range for the Associate Librarian role is $78,000-$110,000.

Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes 22 vacation days, 13 paid holidays, health insurance, life insurance, university retirement contributions, childcare and adoption assistance, and child tuition reimbursement. Funding is available to support professional training and research.

Relocation assistance may be provided.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. 

Cornell University is an innovative institution and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff imparts an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contributes creative ideas to further the University's mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement. Cornell’s main campus in Ithaca, New York sits on 2,300 acres in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. Ithaca offers a wealth of arts, culture, and outdoor activities while maintaining an eclectic college-town feel. The city has been named one of the top 100 places to live, a top 10 recreation city, a best green place to live, and one of the "foodiest" towns in America. Cornell's global presence includes the Weill Cornell medical college's campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, as well as the Cornell Tech campus located on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

Consistent with Cornell’s practice, appointment to academic positions requires candidates to disclose relevant information about their prior employment including whether they have been found to have violated institutional or employer policies related to or governing unlawful discrimination and harassment, academic and research misconduct, or financial misconduct.

University Job Title:

Associate Librarian

Job Family:

Research

Level:

004

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

$78,000.00 - $110,000.00

Remote Option Availability:

Hybrid

Company:

Contact Name:

Bonnie Bailey

Contact Email:

[email protected]

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

Current Employees:

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Online Submission Guidelines:

Most positions at Cornell will require you to apply online and submit both a resume/CV and cover letter.  You can upload documents either by “dragging and dropping” them into the dropbox or by using the “upload” icon on the application page. For more detailed instructions on how to apply to a job at Cornell, visit How We Hire on the HR website.

Employment Assistance:

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [email protected].

If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice (607) 255-2242, or email at [email protected].

Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing [email protected].

Notice to Applicants:

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

EEO Statement:

Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual’s genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

2026-10-20