Working/Functional Title
Librarian I/II Continuing
Position Summary
Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries seeks a creative, service-oriented professional to join the Digital Scholarship Lab as the Digital Scholarship Librarian. The ideal candidate values collaboration, inclusivity, and community engagement in digital scholarship efforts and will bring expertise and a learning mindset that will shape a growing, dynamic digital scholarship program at the MSU Libraries.
The Digital Scholarship Librarian is a member of the team of professionals who support the programs, services, and operations of the MSU Libraries Digital Scholarship Lab. This position coordinates and sustains programs that encourage the transformative use of digital tools and methodologies in teaching, learning, and research. Through consultations, workshops, and course-embedded instruction, this position guides the development of pedagogy and projects that leverage digital scholarship technologies and practices. This position is an active member of a rich, well-developed community of digital scholarship and digital humanities practitioners across the MSU campus. The position reports to the Head of Digital Scholarship Services.
The MSU Libraries Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL), established in 2017 as a campus partnership with the College of Arts and Letters, enables a wide range of digital scholarship practices and data services at Michigan State University. It offers cutting-edge technology, including a 360 immersive visualization room, a VR room, a high-powered computer lab, advanced digitization capabilities, and research incubator space for collaborative digital and data-intensive projects. Working closely with the Hollander Makerspace, the DSL fosters innovative teaching, learning, and research. It has attracted faculty and students from all university colleges, hosting various learning opportunities and supports a wide range of digital projects. As a vital infrastructure for digital scholarship, the DSL engages scholars locally, nationally, and regionally, with plans for continued growth and adaptation of a digital scholarship program to meet emerging needs.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Engaging with digital scholarship projects through consultation services on digital platforms, digital exhibits, text mining, project management, digital pedagogy, generative AI in research, and other forms of engaged scholarship that leverage digital tools.
- Providing expert guidance for faculty and students seeking to use web-publishing platforms, such as Omeka, Mukurtu, and Wordpress, as well as minimal computing publishing strategies that enable open and engaged scholarship.
- Partnering with faculty and subject liaisons to design course-embedded digital scholarship projects and activities.
- Leading, designing, and collaborating on trainings and workshops that respond to established or emerging digital scholarship platforms, tools, and methods.
- Co-facilitating programs that originate from DSL’s partnership with the College of Arts and Letters, including the Project Incubator and the Graduate Art Fellowship.
- Contributing to the evolving vision and development of the MSU Libraries digital scholarship program and coordinating assigned digital scholarship services.
- Cultivating collegial, mutually beneficial relationships within the Libraries and across the university around digital scholarship practices.
- Serving as a liaison to the Digital Humanities at MSU (DH@MSU) community, participating in regular meetings with colleagues in the College of Arts and Letters and assisting with the provision and maintenance of MSU Domains and associated technologies.
- Maintaining current knowledge of developments and trends in digital scholarship.
- Becoming proficient in immersive technologies hosted by the lab, such as the 360 room, XR/VR/AR/MR, 3D scanning, and digitization.
- Representing the Digital Scholarship Lab on groups and committees at MSU and within the Libraries that support the life cycle of digital projects.
MSU Librarians may have a quarter-time secondary assignment (position dependent) based on the needs of the library and candidate interests. Some weekend and evening hours may be required.
We welcome candidates who meet the minimum requirements to apply and will support their professional development to grow in this position.
Librarians are appointed as regular faculty in the continuing appointment system. Faculty are expected to independently apply judgment; have excellent oral and communication skills; and demonstrate attention to detail; flexibility; collegiality; the capacity for collaboration; and values varied perspectives and actively fosters a culture of respect in performance of their duties. As faculty, they develop a self-directed program of professional development and scholarly activities related to their position; and serve on library and university committees as elected or assigned.
The librarian will work to advance the initiatives in the MSU Strategic Plan and in the MSU Libraries Strategic Plan. In support of these initiatives, the Libraries serve as a center of activity and engagement on campus, with librarians empowered to support both student development and transformative research activities.
The MSU Libraries Strategic Plan guides our current and future work. The candidate will collaborate with campus partners to enhance our inclusive environment. More information on MSU and the MSU Libraries’ dedication to access, opportunity, and excellence is available at: http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/about/index.html.
Michigan State University Libraries serve more than 4,900 faculty, 40,000 undergraduates, and 11,000 graduate and professional students on a park-like campus of over 5,000 acres. Michigan State University provides generous fringe benefits including health care, dental care, professional development funding, 22 paid vacation days, 9 University holidays, 2 personal observance days, paid sick days, tuition discounts, and relocation reimbursement.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Degree
Masters -Libraries & Information Science
Minimum Requirements
- Knowledge of digital scholarship tools, methodologies, and technologies and their application in higher education.
- Demonstrated commitment to public service, inclusivity, and community engagement.
- Experience with learning and teaching new technologies associated with digital scholarship or web development/publishing activities.
- Ability to collaborate and work effectively with faculty, researchers, students, and staff.
- Ability to prioritize various projects to meet internal and external deadlines and the needs of the unit.
- Values varied perspectives and experience and actively fosters a collaborative and respectful culture.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience administering and support of web-publishing platforms such as, Omeka, Mukurtu, Wordpress, minimal computing websites, and web hosting, such as Reclaim.
- Familiarity with text-mining technologies and approaches.
- Experimentation with the application of Artificial Intelligence in digital scholarship projects or workflows
- Experience with project management, web design, and/or leading digital scholarship projects.
- Experience with digital pedagogy and/or designing training and workshops on emerging technologies.
Required Application Materials
Interested applicants should provide a letter of application, CV/resume, and names, addresses and email addresses of three references (2 must be present/past supervisors) to http://careers.msu.edu.
Special Instructions
Minimum $65,000. Salary is negotiable. MSU provides generous fringe benefits including health care, dental care, professional development funding, 22 paid vacation days, 9 University holidays, 2 personal observance days, paid sick days, tuition discounts, and relocation reimbursement.
As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches.
Professional Misconduct Review
A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage.
The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the history, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether it is compatible with the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.
For questions, please contact Jacquelyn Hansen, aholajac@msu.edu, at MSU Libraries' Human Resources Department.
Website
lib.msu.edu
MSU Statement
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
