Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications - 524846 - The University of Alabama
Alabama, AL
About the Job
Department/Organization
219101 - University Libraries
Rank
Assistant/Associate Professor
Position Summary
The University of Alabama Libraries seeks an innovative, energetic, and collaborative librarian to fill the position of Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications. The Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications will report to the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services and will actively contribute to management across the various functional areas within the unit.
Detailed Position Information
The University of Alabama Libraries seeks an innovative, energetic, and collaborative librarian to fill the position of Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications. The Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications will report to the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services and will actively contribute to management across the various functional areas within the unit.
This faculty position will oversee the direction, development, delivery, and assessment of the collections at University Libraries and proactively incorporate new and emerging techniques and technologies into the e-resource management and scholarly communications workflow. This person will oversee the day-to-day workflow of the Scholarly Communications Librarian, the Electronic Resources Librarian, the Collections Strategist, and multiple professional staff. The position will provide leadership and support for faculty and staff in the electronic resources and scholarly communications unit, responsible for optimal and accurate access to subscription electronic resources and development and management of the institutional repository. The position is responsible for procuring library materials in all formats and order types and will oversee outreach and awareness of the scholarly communications lifecycle. This position will explore, evaluate, implement, and assess emerging purchasing and delivery models for various digital content types, including a number of current demand-driven and evidence-based purchasing plans.
The Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications will oversee the day-to-day workflow for the procurement of library materials in all formats and order types, including databases, electronic journals, e-books, streaming video, and the acquisitions of Special Collections materials. This position will manage and develop workflows to maximize access and discovery of e-resources while exploring new models or tools available for increased efficiencies. The person in this position will monitor trends in e-resource management and scholarly communications, participate and provide assistance when negotiating with vendors, and review and manage product licenses for e-content packages and subscriptions.
The Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications oversees and promotes the growth and development of scholarly communications programs and services, such as outreach for open access, copyright, fair use, open education, and scholarly publishing. This position evaluates scholarly communications administrative systems and workflows, such as DSpace and Open Journal Systems, and develops strategies to enhance and optimize the impact of scholarly communications work. This position will oversee the enriched integration of the scholarly communications perspective into the campus environment and support faculty research and publication throughout the research lifecycle.
In collaboration with faculty, staff, and students, this position participates fully in planning, assessing, and determining strategic directions, as well as maintaining accurate records of expenditures and financial reporting for the University Libraries collection budget. This person will work closely with the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services, the Head of Metadata and Archival Processing, the Systems and Technical Processes Librarian, and subject liaisons to apply best practices to shape and improve discovery and access to resources for library users. The person in this position will be encouraged to pursue grant writing opportunities and submission of projects relevant to the mission of University Libraries and The University of Alabama.
The Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications will promote a culture of continual learning and professional development for faculty and staff with a commitment to continuous quality improvement. This position collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders internally and externally. The candidate is expected to maintain and build relationships in the University Libraries and with colleges and universities in the region, state, and nationally.
Responsibilities:
• Manage the lifecycle of electronic resources from trial to subscription or purchase. Maintain accurate records for purchase decisions, licensing, and renewals.
• Oversees receipt, inventory, processing, and access related to government documents.
• Review and manage product licenses for e-content packages and subscriptions in conjunction with the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services and University Libraries leadership, as well as purchasing/legal entities on campus.
• Assist the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services with the management of all activities related to the purchase of library materials in all formats.
• Actively participate in invoice processing and auditing of Special Collections purchases working closely with the Senior Associate Dean, and the Head of Special Collections.
• Manage weekly reconciliations between Voyager and Banner by working closely with the University Libraries business office.
• Work extensively with campus, regional, and national partners on purchasing and licensing resources including, Contract Management, Accounts Payable, and the Office of Procurement Services.
• Design and prepare expenditure reports and predictive modeling; maintain accurate acquisitions records; oversee ordering and invoice payments for library materials, and monitor renewals for electronic resources.
• Advise and collaborate with ILL and Access Services on issues regarding access and use of digital resources.
• Work effectively with the current ILS (Voyager), discovery layer (EDS), usage consolidation system (EBSCO Usage Consolidation), and other resources in the EBSCO suite of tools, as well as the SpringShare A-Z Databases list.
• Support and lead the electronic resources and scholarly communications staff and faculty in the migration to the FOLIO Library Service Platform.
• Assist with the development of policies and procedures related to monographic and serials acquisitions, budgeting, fund management, and vendor assessment.
• Oversee the activation and management of new and existing e-resources within the knowledgebase of the library’s holdings and links management system.
• Oversee all aspects of troubleshooting e-resource access problems and develop proactive methods to preempt e-resource access problems before they are reported.
• Oversee the daily operations of the institutional repository.
• Monitor trends in e-resource management, analyze tools and workflows, explore new models and recommend changes to existing tools and workflows as appropriate.
• Provide information, training, and support to inform colleagues and the campus of new features and interface changes related to e-resource discovery and access.
• Promote and improve resource access by updating, customizing, and integrating interfaces for e-resource discovery, including vendor platforms for databases, e-journals, e-books, and other library resources.
• Assist with and support efforts to promote scholarly communications initiatives.
• Oversee project management of current and emerging scholarly communications technologies such as DSpace and Open Journal Systems.
• Monitor usage of all electronic resources, developing and submitting reports on usage trends, providing analysis, and performing predictive modeling for budget projections.
• Commitment to continuous quality improvement and data-driven decision-making.
• Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to increase effectiveness and efficiencies of workflows.
• Supervision of student workers, staff, and faculty.
• Responsibilities of the position may change as University Libraries continue to evolve.
Minimum Qualifications
• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program.
• At least 5 years experience in electronic resources in a research library.
• Supervisory experience, including direct involvement with establishing goals, evaluating employees, developing job descriptions, and analyzing and adjusting workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to do detail-oriented work, including strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as attention to detail.
• Knowledge and experience with financial modules in Voyager or another ILS.
• Knowledge and experience of university procurement processes.
• Knowledge of DSpace and OJS.
• Knowledge and experience with EBSCO Discovery Service or similar discovery service.
• Experience with the EBSCO suite of tools (EBSCOAdmin, EBSCOnet, EBSCO API, EBSCO Collection Manager, EBSCO Usage Consolidation, GOBI, Full Text Finder, etc.).
• Knowledge and experience with FOLIO or other open source library products.
• Knowledge and experience with the COUNTER usage data standard.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate, review, manage, and process licenses for e-content.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, initiate, and implement effective programs, projects, and services to improve efficiency of workflow.
• Demonstrated knowledge of scholarly communications, intellectual property, rights management, and open access.
• Experience with or ability to manage and oversee receipt of government documents materials.
• Proven communication and interpersonal skills evidenced by the ability to work cooperatively and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, faculty, students, and staff.
• Friendly, approachable, demeanor with strong commitment to customer service excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a complex and changing environment; proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively and complete tasks according to an established timeframe, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Strong record of research, publications, and service related to the aspects of the position.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience managing electronic resources and/or acquisitions in a large research library. • Experience working with consortia and consortial agreements and subscriptions. • Experience negotiating large-scale, multi-year licenses with vendors. • Supervisory experience with faculty or staff. • Experience with fund management, vendor relations; knowledge of current issues and trends in collection development, or acquisitions; knowledge of web technologies and metadata standards related to effective e-resource access and discovery. • Experience supporting ILL initiatives with just-in-time delivery of resources. • Experience submitting grant proposals.
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Applications are accepted online only at https://careers.ua.edu. Click Faculty Jobs, then University Libraries. Please include your application, Curriculum Vitae, and names, addresses, phone numbers, and e- mail addresses of three references, including one current supervisor. Consideration of applications will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. Applications received by October 18, 2024, are assured of receiving full consideration. For questions regarding the search, contact Michael Arthur, Senior Associate Dean, at maarthur@ua.edu. SALARY/BENEFITS: 12 month tenure track or tenured faculty appointment at the Assistant or Associate Professor rank. Salary is $100,000.00 - $110,000.00, commensurate with qualifications, experience, and advanced degrees. Strong benefits, including professional development support, tuition fee waiver, and matching retirement contributions.
About the Division/College/School
The University of Alabama Libraries, a system of four separate discipline-related libraries, is proud to support the research enterprise at the University of Alabama via a comprehensive and integrated network of resources, services, and technologies designed to meet the academic and research needs of students, faculty, and staff. We take pride in serving as a hub for innovation, knowledge creation and dissemination, research assistance, and collaborative learning.
Members of the University of Alabama family visited our physical and virtual spaces over 10 million times in 2022. Our print collections span over 6 million volumes, and we offer access to 2.5 million E-Books, 220,000 AV titles, and 98,000 E-Journals via our 685 databases.
University Libraries provides strong mentorship for faculty and staff, with ongoing collaborative opportunities, and administrative support for innovative services and ideas. We provide excellent support for needed technology and conference travel, and we are invested in academic freedom with teaching and research.
Our staff routinely update and maintain cutting edge programs of service in support of our stakeholders. Our faculty librarians have developed a robust instruction program, including a series of research data services and workshops, that consistently performs at the top of the SEC. We are heavily invested in performing the same high value research that our stakeholders produce, and that assists us in our data-driven strategic planning for the future. Our librarians have produced 75 peer reviewed journal articles in Tier 1 journals in the last 2 years.
If working with a talented group of professionals who value service, innovation, and high achievement, earning a nationally competitive starting salary, in a thriving college town, with a low cost of living, close to Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast sounds interesting to you, start your application process with us to learn more!
About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/employers/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf
