Open Scholarship and Data Resident Librarian

Description

Washington and Lee University Library welcomes applications from collaborative, user-focused, and inclusive early career librarians to join the Digital Information, Management, and Education Team (DIME) as the new Open Scholarship and Data Resident Librarian.

The library launched a new residency program within the ACRL Diversity Alliance framework in 2023 with the hire of two residents on the Research Services Team. The residency is a three-year appointment with the option to continue as a traditional Assistant Professor upon completion of the program. Goals of the residency are to develop the residents’ skills and knowledge in a small liberal arts college library setting and to “diversify and thereby enrich the profession” (ACRL Diversity Alliance: https://acrl.libguides.com/da).   

Reporting to the Head of DIME, the Open Scholarship and Data Resident Librarian is responsible for facilitating digital scholarship at W&L and supporting data discovery and management with an emphasis on scholarly communication, open educational resources, and open data. This position supports faculty, students, and staff in creating open scholarship and data discovery and visualization through outreach, instruction, and consultation.

The Digital Information Management and Education (DIME) team leads digital scholarship initiatives within the University Library. In support of the curriculum and community, DIME creates and manages digital collections and digital preservation processes, provides expertise on digital research and publishing methods, and explores new forms of scholarship made possible through digital tools. Through inclusive digital pedagogy and sustainable infrastructure, the goal is to empower students, faculty, staff, and community members to use digital information thoughtfully and fluently.

The successful candidate will have a strong and demonstrated understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Open Scholarship and Data Resident Librarian will be a non-tenure track faculty member at the Assistant Professor rank. The appointment begins on or after July 1, 2025.

About the University and the Library

Washington and Lee University promotes a dynamic and inclusive environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to that environment and exhibit potential for excellence in librarianship and for vigorous scholarship. In keeping with the University Strategic Plan, we welcome applications from candidates belonging to communities traditionally underrepresented in academia. 

 W&L is a highly selective, independent, co-educational, liberal arts college of approximately 1850 undergraduate and 400 law students and located in Lexington, VA, three hours southwest of Washington, DC. W&L is consistently ranked among the top 12 national liberal arts colleges. Established in 1749, it is the ninth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation. 

 The University Library serves the undergraduate teaching, learning, and research programs, housing approximately 1.3M physical and digital items in roughly 100,000 square feet of public space. The University Library is the home of W&L's Digital Culture and Information (DCI) minor program. Library faculty serve as initial and minor program advisors for undergraduates, may teach courses in DCI and other disciplines, and participate in faculty governance, service, and scholarship opportunities. 

Essential Functions

Promotes and facilitates open scholarship and other scholarly communication topics.

Educates campus community on open access scholarship through a range of outreach initiatives and with campus partners (such as the Harte Center).
Supports Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives on campus and participates in state organizations on OER.
Collects faculty, staff, and student scholarship for inclusion in the Digital Archive.
Serves as a resource for questions about copyright and intellectual property, with an emphasis on scholarly publication and dissemination.
Provides expert consultation to faculty, staff, and students on open publishing methods.
Provides consultative support and instruction for students and faculty across the disciplines for discovery, access, creation, and preservation of datasets and data visualization.

Provides instruction and research support in data discovery and management across all disciplines.
Supports data visualization projects for both students and faculty in partnership with the Digital Humanities Librarian.
Assists researchers with the review of data management plans and development of grant proposals in collaboration with the Digital Humanities Librarian.
Supports DIME team members in administering technology solutions for the University Library as needed.
Serves as a faculty member of the College.

Participates in teaching activities of the library, which may include advising students and teaching credit bearing courses in the DCI minor, among other opportunities.
Engages in pertinent ongoing service, research, scholarship, and/or creative activity as defined by the library’s Faculty Development Document.
Participates in professional development activities as appropriate to meet personal and departmental goals and objectives.
Performs other duties as assigned by the University Librarian or the Head of DIME.

Salary and Benefits

Minimum salary: $65,000 per year. Salary is commensurate with experience. 

The residency is a three-year, 12-month, non-tenure track, ranked faculty appointment with the option to move to a traditional Assistant Professor position upon completion. The library provides relocation assistance for new hires and professional development funding for all library faculty and staff. 

Washington and Lee offers an extensive range of health care and life insurance benefits, retirement options, educational assistance programs, and other programs and services to our staff and faculty. For more information, visit: https://my.wlu.edu/human-resources/benefits-and-paid-time-off.  

Requirements

• ALA-accredited MLS or equivalent relevant terminal degree. Holding a terminal degree in a relevant field is a requirement of faculty status.
• Experience in an academic library setting, which may include pre-degree work.
• Experience learning new technologies associated with digital library and data visualization work, which may include pre-degree work.
• Record of innovation and creativity with digital scholarship and/or scholarly communication in an academic environment, including knowledge of current and emerging trends, issues and best practices. This may include student and/or professional projects.
• Experience supporting and providing instruction for data research and initiatives to campus stakeholders, which may include pre-degree work.
• Demonstrated commitment to applying principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to academic libraries.