Assistant Professor - Artificial Intelligence in LIS

Description

The School of Information at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for an Assistant Professor - Artificial Intelligence (AI) in LIS, beginning in August 2025, for our Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) and Bachelor of Information Science and Data Analytics (BSISDA) programs. The position will focus on AI and library & information science - a critical area of need and a high priority area for San José State University. Duties will include assisting with the design, development, and release of a new interdisciplinary minor in AI for undergraduates, as well as a new 4+1 accelerated program (a 4 year undergraduate program combining 1 year of graduate work to emerge with both a bachelors and a masters degree), and helping lead the iSchool in the AI LIS teaching and research areas.

San José State University’s School of Information (SJSU - School of Information - Information Science School) prepares individuals for careers as information professionals, offering a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees programs, doctoral partnership programs, certification and credentials programs. Graduates work in diverse areas of the information profession, such as user experience design, digital asset management, information architecture, electronic records management, information governance, digital preservation, and librarianship. Our school has awarded graduate degrees to information professionals for more than 55 years. Based in Silicon Valley, our vibrant community continues to inspire innovation in the library and information science field worldwide.

The School of Information, housed within the College of Information, Data, and Society and San José State University values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

An earned doctorate by the start of appointment.
A record of scholarly and professional achievement. 
Evidence of potential for teaching effectiveness. 
100% online teaching experience is strongly preferred.
Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

Teaching capabilities in the following areas: LIS contexts for AI deployments.
Challenges and critical success factors of AI technologies in library practice.
Management of AI systems, programs, and evaluation in libraries.
Best practices in the use of AI in library practice.
Performance measures that contribute to the effective design of library and information services that deploy artificial intelligence or intelligent agents.
Connections between AI and informatics or data analytics. 
Equity-focused and humanistic study of AI.

Key Responsibilities

Participate in the design, development, and release of a new interdisciplinary minor in AI for undergraduates, as well as a new 4+1 accelerated program (a 4 year undergraduate program combining 1 year of graduate work to emerge with both a bachelors and a masters degree).
Conduct research in at least one of the following areas: Social studies of AI in library contexts.
Library systems and the impact of AI on the information professions.
Challenges and critical success factors of AI technologies in library practice.
Strategic long term management and daily challenges involved in leading and supporting AI-focused library initiatives.
Professional application of AI in specific LIS organizational contexts (eg. data services, scholar support, records description and management, classification, ect.).
AI-centered policy-making, governance, and oversight.
Bias in AI and analytics.
AI and LIS education.
Informatics or analytics-focused AI.