The Grinnell College Libraries seek a user-oriented Systems Librarian
committed to critical experimentation with new technologies in support
of undergraduate learning, starting summer or fall 2011. Appointment
as Assistant or Associate Professor possible. Grinnell College is a
highly selective undergraduate liberal arts college. The College’s
curriculum is founded on a strong advising system and close
student-faculty interaction, with few college-wide requirements beyond
the completion of a major. The College places a high priority on
information literacy and the Libraries are integrally involved with
student education through teaching, consultation, and development of
the collections and tools necessary for conducting inquiry. As a
member of the Libraries’ Technology Team and the College’s Academic
Technology Development Team, the Systems Librarian will share
leadership and responsibility for planning, developing, integrating,
implementing, and maintaining the digital systems and services through
which the Libraries support users in finding and using information.
The Systems Librarian’s primary focus will include (but will not be
limited to) the Libraries’ integrated management system (currently
Innovative Interfaces), interlibrary services system, and digital
repository systems. Together with the Library Systems Support
Specialist (whom the Systems Librarian supervises) the Systems
Librarian also serves as the primary technology liaison with the
Libraries’ cataloging, acquisition, circulation, reserve, and
interlibrary/document delivery services, to ensure excellent service
to users and operational efficiency in these operations. In
consultation with Information Technology Services, the Archivist of
the College, the Catalog Librarian, and others, the Systems Librarian
will also take primary technology responsibility for the Libraries’
digital content initiatives through research and policy-development on
standards, repositories, and storage and preservation strategies.

The Grinnell College Libraries work closely with the College’s
Information Technology Services, Curricular Technology, and Web
Services departments. A cross-departmental Academic Technology
Development Team helps coordinate our work and ensure an integrated
user experience, and the Systems Librarian is a key member of that
team. The Libraries and the College use a mixture of proprietary and
open-source systems, including the III Millennium ILS, SubjectsPlus,
Drupal (for the College Web site), MDID (the James Madison Digital
Image Database), and DSpace (remotely hosted by Longsight.com).

The Grinnell College Libraries are organized into four functional
clusters, each co-managed by a team of librarians and senior staff.
Reporting to the Librarian of the College, the Systems Librarian will
share co-management responsibility for the Technology Cluster and will
serve on the Libraries’ Management Council. All librarians at Grinnell
College also participate in the Libraries’ reference and instruction
program, with regularly scheduled hours at the reference desk and some
instructional responsibilities. Grinnell College librarians hold
faculty status and rank with renewable multi-year contracts; they are
evaluated on job performance (including teaching), scholarship, and
service. For more information about the Grinnell College Libraries,
see our website at http://www.grinnell.edu/library. Salary range
$52,000 or higher, depending on qualifications and experience.

Required qualifications (pre-MLS experience is acceptable):

MLS from an ALA-accredited institution
Work experience in an academic library
Experience with and interest in reference service or information
literacy instruction
Work experience in systems administration OR library technical services
Working knowledge of an ILS (Millennium preferred but not required)
Familiarity with the MARC cataloging format
Working knowledge of the technologies used to store, manipulate, and
query structured data

Preferred qualifications:

Working knowledge of one or more non-MARC metadata standards (e.g.,
Dublin Core, VRA)
Working knowledge of UNIX, and some experience managing UNIX-based servers
Some familiarity with one or more image-based or text-based digital
repositories (MDID, ContentDM, DSpace, Fedora)
Supervisory experience

In letters of application, candidates should discuss their interest in
developing as a teacher and scholar in an undergraduate, liberal-arts
college that emphasizes close student-faculty interaction. They also
should discuss what they can contribute to efforts to cultivate and
wide diversity of people and perspectives, a core value of Grinnell
College. To be assured of full consideration, all application
materials should be received by December 10, 2010. Please submit
applications online by visiting our application website at
https://jobs.grinnell.edu. Candidates will need to upload a letter of
application, curriculum vita, and provide email addresses for three
references, including current supervisor. Official transcripts will be
required of candidates selected for an on-campus interview. Questions
about this search should be directed to the search chair, Richard
Fyffe, Librarian of the College, at [log in to unmask] or
641-269-3351.
Grinnell College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer
committed to attracting and retaining highly qualified individuals who
collectively reflect the diversity of the nation. No applicant shall
be discriminated against on the basis of race, national or ethnic
origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and
expression, marital status, religion, creed, or disability. For
further information about Grinnell College, see our website at
http://www.grinnell.edu.