Monday, April 18, 2011

University of Notre Dame: East Asian Studies Librarian

We seek a knowledgeable, creative, and dynamic individual to be the first East Asian Studies Librarian in the Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame.

Responsibilities:
Faculty engaged in East Asian studies, students enrolled in East Asian courses, and university initiatives focused on East Asia have increased rapidly during the past several years. The East Asian Studies Subject Librarian will have responsibility for building basic reference collections in the area as well as crafting special collections in nontraditional areas of East Asian Studies that are focused on local faculty and student interests. The Subject Librarian will also be responsible for acquiring Western language resources as appropriate.

Communication with faculty and graduate students on a regular basis is critical to the success of this position. East Asian collections and resources need to be acquired in support of the broader campus initiatives rather than as stand-alone collections. The increased interest in visual arts, opportunities for participation in interdisciplinary studies and a university-wide emphasis on internationalization, all provide an impetus for development of East Asian resources for the future. The Library supports wide participation of Subject Librarians in strategic university initiatives.

The East Asian Studies Librarian will provide subject specific library instruction and advanced reference services at the undergraduate, graduate and faculty levels as appropriate, and serve as the Libraries’ liaison to the relevant faculty and departments. The Librarian will publicize the Libraries’ collections and services in various ways, such as creating rare book and other collection exhibits.

The East Asian Studies Librarian will work to establish functional and cost-effective methods of acquiring and making available East Asian language materials in a variety of formats. This process may include shelf ready acquisitions when possible, using the OCLC Selection and Cataloging Partners programs as well as working with local student or temporary employees.

Funding is provided through endowments and through the cooperation of faculty who have been allocated funds to develop materials collections to support their individual research agendas. Thus strategic decisions of when to invest in specific resources is a shared responsibility in all subject areas.

As a member of the Collection Development Department, the incumbent will participate in Department activities and programs and will report to the Head, Collection Development Department.

As a member of the Library Faculty, the incumbent participates in faculty and professional activities in the University Libraries, within the University, and in library or professional organizations. Each Library faculty member engages in professional development including scholarship and service to the profession with a commitment to continuing growth and development as well as contributing to the profession’s growth through scholarship in librarianship, information science, or other relevant fields. Each Library faculty member helps to shape future library services by participating in library-wide planning teams, through individual collaboration throughout the Libraries, and by leading or participating in development projects.

Qualifications:
Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program, and/or Ph.D. in an appropriate subject or equivalent; 3 years professional experience; strong collection development background, strong oral and written communication skills, ability to approach the position creatively and to develop a non-traditional approach to collection development. Ability and desire to work within a collegially cooperative environment and to contribute to the Libraries’ priorities, strategies and accomplishments are critical qualities for the success of this appointment. Ability to work well with faculty from disparate disciplines with an emphasis on East Asian Studies. Must be able to read and speak Chinese fluently. Capabilities in Japanese and Korean languages and the ability to communicate in those languages is highly desirable. Experience using CJK bibliographic utilities for searching; knowledge of Pinyin conversion and Chinese transcription is important as is knowledge of the relevant publishing industries and trends in scholarly communication.

The successful candidate must be well versed in applications of technology to provide specific services in the area of East Asian Studies.
Ability to work with relevant teams to develop grant applications and to seek creative funding opportunities in cooperation with University and Library agendas is an important element of the position.

Salary and Benefits:
Minimum beginning salary $44,000. Appointment salary and rank are competitive, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Librarians are non-tenured track members of the Library Faculty. The University offers an excellent benefits and annual vacation package.

Environment: The University of Notre Dame is a highly selective national Catholic teaching and research university in northern Indiana about ninety miles from Chicago. Approximately 8,200 undergraduates and 3,100 graduate students pursue a broad range
of studies. The University Libraries <http://www.library.nd.edu> hold about 3 million volumes and provide access to more than 23,000 serials. The Libraries have 140 staff and 55 librarians. The Libraries is a member of the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI), ARL, NERL and other consortia. The University of Notre Dame is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer strongly committed to diversity. We value qualified candidates who can bring a variety of backgrounds to our community.
 

Further details & applications: More information can be found about this position at the Libraries’ website: http://www.library.nd.edu/about/employment/

To apply, please include a letter, curriculum vitae and the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of three references. Electronic submission of applications is required. Send all application documents to: mstenber@nd.edu

The review of applications will begin on May 16, 2011 and will continue until a candidate is chosen.