Collection Strategist Librarian (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Area Studies)

Library of the University of California, Davis

Overview of Position

The Library of the University of California, Davis, has an opening for a Collection Strategist librarian. This position will be recruited at the rank of Assistant Librarian or Associate Librarian.
The Library of the University of California, Davis, seeks a dynamic and innovative Collection Strategist librarian to provide leadership for collections within the areas of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The Collection Strategies Department leads the University Library in creating and sustaining an environment of evidence-based collections acquisition, management, and review. Collection Strategist Librarians are collaborative and user-focused and work closely with personnel in other Library departments, and with campus faculty, staff, and students in a highly interdisciplinary research community renowned for its academic excellence and global impact. The strategist will operate within a department designed to support the high-quality research collections and academic services on which the entire university community depends. In addition to this advertised role, the Collection Strategies Department consists of the Head of Collection Strategies, and two Collection Strategist Librarians. When this position is filled, it is anticipated that collection development responsibilities for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences areas would be reallocated among the successful candidate and one of our current Collection Strategies librarians.

UC Davis and UC Davis Library

The University of California, Davis, is a global community of individuals united to better humanity and our natural world while seeking solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. Located near Sacramento, California’s capital, UC Davis has more than 39,000 students, the full-time equivalent of 4,100 faculty and other academics and researchers, and 17,400 other personnel. The university has an annual sponsored research budget of over $960 million, includes a major academic health system, and over two dozen specialized research centers. Recognized as one of the top 10 public universities in the US and the number one university in the world for agricultural research and veterinary medicine, UC Davis offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges - Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools - Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Nursing. The university is ranked among the top institutions in the country in contributing to the public good (e.g., recruiting and graduating low-income students), LGBTQ-inclusivity, and serving first-generation and Hispanic students. In addition to the main campus in Davis and the medical center in Sacramento, UC Davis has research facilities in Bodega Bay and Tahoe and faculty in every county of the state through its agricultural extension program.

UC Davis is a top-tier public university, ranked 5th nationally by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, 9th in the QS USA University rankings, and 10th nationally by US News and World Report among U.S. public universities overall and for research funding. It is also ranked #1 in the diversity and internationalization category in the QS USA University rankings. The US News and World Report rankings also highlight UC Davis as 16th among “top performers on social mobility,” which is determined by the outcomes of Pell Grant recipients and other stats. Check out more ranking information on our 'About Us" webpage.

The UC Davis Library is ranked among the top academic research libraries in North America and belongs to the Association of Research Libraries and other organizations that position it to collaborate with other top organizations. The Library is building a team of intensely collaborative, forward-thinking colleagues dedicated to providing excellent services to our students, researchers, faculty, and community members in a rapidly evolving information environment.

Our Commitment to Inclusive Excellence

As one of the country’s leading R1 institutions, UC Davis seeks candidates with an exceptional record of research and/or teaching, and inclusive excellence. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers preventing full participation of members from historically underrepresented and marginalized student communities in higher education, such as (but not limited to) women, underrepresented minorities, individuals self-identifying as LGBTQIA+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, economically disadvantaged groups, first-generation, undocumented students, or students with any intersections in between.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the University of California, Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Please review the full Job Posting to learn about the initiatives that keep UC Davis an inclusive and safe campus for our incredibly diverse students, staff, academic appointees, and faculty.

Position Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the Head of the Collection Strategies Department, the strategist works within a highly interdependent library organization to build and maintain vital collections. The strategist coordinates with the Collection Strategies Department and other library units to:

• oversee funding allocations and manage monographic approval plans;
  
• contribute to budget planning, including informing and substantiating the strategic allocation of the Library’s collections budget;
• gather, assess, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data;
• conduct regular content use reviews; and
• coordinate gifts-in-kind activities.

The strategist uses available data and tools to guide evidence-based collection development processes and management decisions including:

• the selection and management of content in all formats (print, digital, media, data, and other emergent formats);
• developing content acquisition, format choice, location, and assessment strategies;
• monitoring local, UC system-wide, and vendor-provided reports to identify collection-related trends and patterns;
• designing interpretive reports to best present and communicate how the Library judiciously develops its collections in an environment of change in scholarly communication and publishing.

In consultation with other Library and university departments and service units, the strategist designs models that promote and sustain content acquisitions, access, archiving, and preservation.

A key element to the success of the strategists’ work is incorporating University of California-wide and national collections initiatives, shared print programs (such as WEST), and specialized data repositories into the Library’s collections framework. The strategist coordinates with the department’s UC system-wide planning and consortial resource selection and evaluation, as well as national efforts to acquire shared content; and participates and represents the Library in UC system-wide initiatives or on national level projects.

The strategist participates in professional development activities as appropriate to meet both personal needs as well as departmental goals and objectives, and as an academic appointee engages actively in pertinent ongoing research, scholarship, or creative activity and/or teaching and other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Salary and Benefits

Rank and salary: Assistant Librarian, Salary Point 3, $73,602 to Associate Librarian, Salary Point 8, $93,545. (Appointment rank and salary based on qualifications and experience.)

The incumbent will be a member of the LX Collective Bargaining Unit represented by the University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT).”

Benefits: The University of California is one of the largest employers in California, and offers outstanding health and retirement benefits to its employees and their families. Librarians are academic appointees and earn 24 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave per year. In addition, there are 13 university holidays.
http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

Application Information

Candidates applying by January 12, 2025, will receive first consideration. The position will remain open until filled. See https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/careers/ for this posting and information about working at the UC Davis Library.

Please include a letter of interest addressing qualifications and experience related to the position, a Curriculum Vitae, and names and contact information for at least four references. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a major component of this position as well as one of the Library’s strategic goals. Please make sure you discuss your commitment to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues throughout library activities in your letter.

This position is a critical position and subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background investigation including criminal history and identity checks.

The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
UC Davis is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus effective January 1, 2014.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

For the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their "Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.