Research Librarian for Performing Arts (Music, Dance, and Drama)

The University of California, Irvine Libraries seek a creative, knowledgeable, and user-oriented Research Librarian for Performing Arts to plan and deliver innovative reference and instruction services, and to develop and manage excellent electronic and print collections in Music, Dance, and Drama.

The Research Librarian for Performing Arts will provide liaison and outreach to faculty and students in the Departments of Music, Dance, and Drama in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. The School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Drama, Dance, Music and Studio Art, as well as a minor in Digital Arts and a graduate degree in Arts, Computation, and Engineering. More information about the School and its programs can be found at: http://www.arts.uci.edu/.

The successful candidate for this position will be based in the Collection Development Department and jointly supervised by the Head, Collection Development Department and the Head, Langson Library Reference Department.

Collection Development Department

The Collection Development Department is responsible for the library wide development and management of general collections in the Langson Library, Science Library, and Grunigen Medical Library under the administration and coordination of the Head of Collection Development. This department takes the lead role in developing and planning the overarching and ongoing collections policies, procedures, and projects that ensure that the scholarly resources available meet the campus teaching, research, and patient care needs.

The department consists of the Department Head and 5+ Research Librarians, who are responsible for supporting the collection, liaison, and service needs of UCI academic programs. In addition, there are 15+ other Research Librarians located in departments throughout the Libraries, who are responsible for both collections and services in their specialized disciplines. Each Research Librarian is a member of one of three discipline-based pods (teams) as well as of the library-wide Bibliographers Group.

The Libraries

The UCI Libraries are committed to innovation and excellence and are in a major period of growth and change. The Libraries consist of the Langson Library, the Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library. The Langson Library primarily serves the Schools of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, Social Ecology, Business, the Department of Education, and Interdisciplinary Studies. The Science Library primarily serves the College of Health Sciences (including the School of Medicine) and the Schools of Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Information and Computer Sciences. The Grunigen Medical Library serves the clinical needs of the Health Sciences at the UCI Medical Center, located in Orange, 12 miles from the main campus.

The UCI Libraries have a staff of 273 FTE and an organizational structure that includes the use of teams in conjunction with departments. The library collection consists of over 2.7 million volumes, over 48,000 current serial titles, and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection. The UCI Libraries are a member of the: Association of Research Libraries (ARL), California Digital Library (CDL), Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), Center for Research Libraries (CRL), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. UCI has had an extraordinarily rapid rise to distinction in its first forty yearsrise to distinction in its first forty years, including membership in the Association of American Universities, three Nobel prizes since 1995, and ranking in many surveys among the nation’s best public universities.

Student enrollment is planned to reach 32,000 by 2014 accompanied by a proportional growth in faculty and staff. Nearly 60% of UCI students identify themselves as Asian American, African-American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. The University offers 40 doctoral programs in addition to the M.D. UCI’s academic programs are ranked nationally among the top universities; several doctoral programs are ranked in the top ten.

Librarians at the University of California Irvine are academic appointees and receive potential career status at the time of their initial appointment. Librarians periodically receive administrative and peer review for merit increases based on the following criteria: 1) professional competence and quality of service within the Library; 2) professional activity outside the Library; 3) university and public service; and 4) research and other creative activity.

In the area of collection development, the Research Librarian for Performing Arts will be responsible for the selection, assessment, and management of collections and resources in music, dance, and drama. The incumbent will serve as liaison to the faculty and students in these subject areas to insure that their information needs are being met as well as to promote the Libraries’ services and resources. The incumbent will be responsible for monitoring budgets and making collections decisions that support the teaching and research needs on campus. The incumbent will provide subject-based instruction and develop and update subject web pages in support of research in music, dance, and drama. The incumbent will also work collaboratively with the Libraries’ Multimedia Resources Center to identify and provide the multimedia resources and services that support the research and teaching needs of the performing arts students and faculty.

In the area of reference, the Research Librarian for Performing Arts will provide specialized and general reference service at the Langson Library Reference Desk, supporting information needs in the arts and humanities as well as business, social sciences, and education. The incumbent will provide approximately ten hours of reference service weekly, including responding to in-person, telephone, and electronic inquiries. The incumbent will also provide specialized research consultations in music, dance, and drama and maintain sufficient knowledge to provide effective general reference assistance. Occasional weekend and evening shifts are required.

In the area of instruction, the Research Librarian for Performing Arts will provide and promote specialized instruction services to students and faculty in music, dance, and drama. The incumbent also participates in the Libraries’ information literacy initiatives and general education programs to assist campus and community users in improving their critical thinking, information-seeking, and research skills.

Required:

• Graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution or an equivalent combination of relevant advanced degree and library experience.
• Educational background in music, dance, or drama or experience providing reference, instruction and/or collection development in the performing arts.
• Ability to assist and instruct users and students in specialized resources.
• Strong interest in working with students and faculty.
• Commitment to user-centered library services.
• Strong interest in library information technology, instructional technology, electronic resources, multimedia resources and services, especially in the subject areas of music, dance, and drama.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and in a dynamically changing environment.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies.
• Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion.

Preferred:

• Experience assessing, evaluating, and negotiating digital resources in the performing arts.
• Skill in developing, organizing, and maintaining web-based information resources.

Consideration will be given to applicants with a wide range of years of experience, including qualified early career librarians.

Applications received by November 19, 2007 will receive first consideration, but applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Preferred appointment level is $40,008 - $66,756 (Assistant Librarian I –Librarian I).

Librarians are entitled to two days per month of annual leave, thirteen paid holidays, and one day per month sick leave. The University has an excellent retirement system and offers a variety of group health, life, and disability insurance plans. Benefits, which may also include an attractive mortgage program, are equal to approximately 40% of salary.

Electronic applications are preferred. Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should send their application materials including: cover letter; complete résumé; and the names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of three references, with a statement of each reference's professional relationship to the applicant, to:

e-mail: hr@lib.uci.edu

Library Human Resources
UC Irvine, P.O. Box 19557
Irvine, CA 92623-9557

confidential fax (949) 824-3270

Upon application, candidates should be in possession of proof of their legal right to employment in the U.S. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, verification of legal right to work will be required between the time of final selection and hiring, and is absolutely essential in ultimately being hired.

This position description is listed on the UCI Libraries Web site at http://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/jobs/libvac.html, with links to additional Web sites featuring campus and community information.

The University of California, Irvine is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity.