Job Title

Systems Librarian (Collection Development and Management), Tenure-Track Faculty

Department

Library Collection Development & Management

University Expectation

MTSU seeks candidates committed to innovative teaching, robust research/creative activity, and meaningful service. We also seek to attract culturally and academically diverse faculty who value working with diverse students.

Salary

Salary and rank commensurate with education and experience

Job Summary/Basic Function

The James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University invites applicants for a 12-month, full-time, tenure-track faculty position (#401070) at the rank of assistant or associate professor as the Systems Librarian in the Collection Development and Management Department. The position is contingent upon funding.

Under the direction of the Chair of Collection Development and Management (CDM), the Systems Librarian serves as the unit leader, supervising staff while guiding the advancement and innovation of the unit’s priorities. The librarian leads a unit responsible for the library’s ongoing technical infrastructure administration. Through leadership, innovation, support, project management, excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, the Systems Librarian will use various open-source and proprietary technologies to provide the best possible experience for users seeking, accessing, and maintaining the information in our library systems.

As a faculty member, the librarian is expected to conduct research and scholarship, participate in faculty governance and committee work, and continue professional development consistent with university standards for promotion and tenure.  

 Key Responsibilities of the Position  

• Lead the unit responsible for managing the library’s systems, which includes the day-to-day operation and support of the following: the library’s LSP (FOLIO); the servers and configurations for Nagios,  EZproxy, VuFind, Matomo, DSpace, Open Journal Systems (OJS), Open Monograph Press (OMP);  ILLiad configuration and upgrades; and Veeam, the systems’ data backup solution.  
• Supervise, manage, and conduct regular evaluations of administrative staff. Facilitate training and professional development to advance staff skills supporting the unit’s activities.  
• Advise the CDM Chair in articulating a user-centered, holistic vision to meet current and emerging information needs, technology, and new collection/content building and delivery models. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders and vendors to develop, coordinate, and implement policies and practices within the LSP (FOLIO). 
• Plan, implement, and evaluate operations; establish policies and procedures; manage resources; ensure clear communication with stakeholders; and set unit priorities.
• Participate in devising long-term strategic plans for the ongoing development of information technology, keeping pace with current standards and emerging trends within the academic library profession.   
• Develop or modify API scripts as needed for data retrieval and system integrations. Create and maintain local documentation on library systems management.  
• Collaborate with library faculty and staff on developing and delivering user-centered and technology-supported collections, projects, and services. 
• Assist in collecting statistics, analytics, and usage data. Provide summaries of historical and current data reporting on library operations and activities.  

Required Education

A Master's in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program is required. An MLS close to completion will be considered. ABD will be considered if close to completion. For contract renewal, an MLS degree must be earned no later than March 31, 2024.

OR

A Master's in Information Systems and at least one year of experience working with library systems/technology is required either in a library setting or in a library vendor setting.

OR

A Master's in Computer Science and at least one year of experience working with library systems/technology is required either in a library setting or in a library vendor setting.

Required Related Experience

In addition to the required experience for applicants with a Master's in Information Systems or Computer Science, all applicants must have a combination of one (1) year of experience in at least two of the items listed below. This experience may be derived from academic coursework or full and part-time positions.
• Library Management Systems or Library Services Platforms
• One or more programming languages (e.g., PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl, Java, Bash, etc.)
• Metadata standards or MARC records
• Open-source software or systems
• Web Services and APIs
• Version control systems such as Git

Other Desirables

• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Experience planning and managing multiple projects and priorities
• Management of full-time staff and operations
• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript frameworks
• Experience with XML/XSLT and JSON
• Experience with SQL and MySQL
• Experience with Linux

Documents Needed to Apply

To successfully apply, applicants must include the following documents as separate attachments at the time of online application submittal: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a research statement or creative activities (as appropriate to the discipline).

Special Instruction to Applicants 

If you need help applying, please contact Mitzi Dunkley, Faculty Recruitment Specialist, at (615) 898-5128.

If you have position-specific questions, please contact Denise Quintel at Denise.Quintel@mtsu.edu.

Application Review Date: 06/10/2023