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Scholarly Communications Officer and Program Lead

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Position description

Scholarly Communications Officer and Program Lead
Library of the University of California, Davis

Scholarly Communications Program Overview

The Scholarly Communications Program leads library and campus action on the wide range of issues related to the rapidly changing system of creating, evaluating, disseminating, and preserving the outputs of research and scholarship. Working with a wide range of collaborators from across the library, campus, University of California system, and (inter)national scholarly communications community, the program works to facilitate the transformation of scholarly publishing to provide barrier-free access to high-quality, authoritative information resources. Program partners outside of UC Davis include UC units, such as the UC Office of Scholarly Communications, and outside organizations. Additional program deliverables include applied research studies and educational initiatives, such as for-credit courses, symposia, and workshops, related to transformative scholarly communications and re­imagined use of scholarly works.

Position Overview

The Library of the University of California, Davis, seeks a proactive, innovative, and collaborative Scholarly Communications Officer to serve as program lead, who understands the challenges facing the traditional system of scholarly publication and associated systems of academic credit and quality assessment. The incumbent teaches and conducts research in the arena of scholarly communications, and guides the Scholarly Communications Program within a complex research university environment. The program realizes the high profile of this library priority by partnering with stakeholders across the library, UC Davis, UC, and relevant (inter)national organizations to understand and influence changes to the system of scholarly communications. The Scholarly Communications Office advocates for barrier-free access to and use of scholarship, and supports UC Davis faculty, staff, and students in addressing the challenges of and leveraging opportunities within the dynamic landscape of scholarly communication.

Under the general guidance of the Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning, the Scholarly Communications Officer serves as a primary spokesperson, presenting the Library's strategies and recommendations regarding all aspects of scholarly publishing, barrier-free access to knowledge, changing scholarly credit mechanisms, and new modes of knowledge creation. The Scholarly Communications Officer creates the vision, and directs and manages program operations and personnel by setting the program’s goals, policies, best practices, and assessment metrics for program success and sustainability. In addition, the Scholarly Communications Officer partners with campus units and other library programs, such as Archives and Institutional Assets and Data Management, to develop solutions for collecting, disseminating, and preserving new forms of scholarly communication. The officer also creates educational and outreach materials about intellectual property issues and provides consultative services regarding scholarly works permissions.

In addition, the Scholarly Communications Officer serves as a source of library and campus expertise on copyright and intellectual property matters that bear on the scholarly communications system and the barrier-free dissemination of knowledge. The officer liaises with university counsel, the Office of Research, and relevant intercampus groups and faculty committees to find solutions and drive actions and policies that support cutting-edge scholarly communications practices.

UC Davis and University 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 37,000 students, the full-time equivalent of 4,100 faculty and other academics and researchers, and 17,400 staff. The University has an annual research budget of over $785 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 UC Davis Library is among the top 100 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 recently migrated to a new resource management system, Ex Libris’s Alma, and uses Primo as its discovery system. The library has been actively involved in Linked Data activities and is planning the transition of its bibliographic data and library operations from MARC to Linked Data. The library is a PCC member and participates in CONSER, NACO, and SACO programs.

Major Responsibilities
Academic Administrators are appointees who administer programs that provide service closely related to the teaching and research mission of the University. The duties of an Academic Administrator are largely administrative, although teaching and research responsibilities may be assigned. The Academic Administrator oversees complex units with a substantial amount of independence and works closely or jointly with faculty.

Administrative/Management of Programs (75%)
● Develop strategic directions for the Scholarly Communications Program that align with library and campus strategic plans
● Lead and implement key initiatives associated with the Scholarly Communications Program and assess program progress
● Manage Scholarly Communications Program daily operations, including budget creation and monitoring, and directing any program staff
● Identify training and professional development paths for program staff in consultation with applicable supervisors and faculty mentors
● Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with appropriate personnel in library units (e.g., Research Support Services, Archives and Institutional Assets), in campus units (e.g., Office of the Campus Counsel, Office of Research, Graduate Studies), UC units (e.g., UC Office of the General Counsel, UC Office of Scholarly Communications), and national organizations (e.g., SPARC).
● Manage and coordinate the content elements for the library's Scholarly Communications Program website.
● Consult with faculty, researchers, graduate students, and post­doctoral students/fellows on publishing choices, publishing agreements, benefits of open access publishing, retention of rights, and overall management of intellectual property
● Develop an education program and curriculum for faculty, researchers, and students regarding scholarly communications issues in a digital academic environment, including open access, data management, copyright, fair use, and author rights
● Provide advice on using resources, including open resources, in teaching classes on campus and online
● Lead initiatives related to scholarly communication and publishing, including organizing relevant events at UC Davis, such as Open Access Week
● Serve as the library's primary consultant regarding campus intellectual property and copyright issues, fair use and permissions
● Inform the UC Davis community of the significance of national scholarly communications trends and contribute to campus efforts to ensure that scholars, students, and libraries in the digital environment retain the full benefits of the current and evolving intellectual property system

Professional Competence and Activity (15%)
● Monitor national scholarly communications trends and policy issues
● Engage in research related to scholarly impact, open access, and intellectual property
● Be professionally active in appropriate UC, regional, and national organizations and initiatives

University and Public Services (10%)
● Coordinate with the UC California Digital Library and Office of Scholarly Communications to ensure that UC Davis scholarship is well curated, discoverable, and preserved in the UC eScholarship repository by working closely with personnel in the library's Archives and Institutional Assets and Data Management programs
● Engage in national initiatives that shape scholarly communications
● Serve as the library's representative to the UC Libraries Scholarly Communications Common Knowledge Group and other relevant initiatives and groups

Position Qualifications

Required Minimum Qualifications:

● JD degree OR PhD, in academic field with relevant experience in intellectual property and copyright areas, OR ALA-accredited Master's degree or equivalent with relevant experience in intellectual property and copyright areas, OR an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
● Minimum 3 years of work experience with intellectual property and copyright law and their application in academic environments, scientific or scholarly publishing, or in related settings
● Experience providing guidance on scholarly communication, copyright, and fair use topics
● Experience building and sustaining a dynamic program with a clear, realistic vision and expectations
● Experience building and sustaining a team of individuals possessing a wide range of skills and expertise
● Experience building and sustaining collaborative working relationships with a wide variety of diverse groups
● Experience in managing multiple projects and priorities independently using effective problem-solving and analytic techniques
● Ability to meet the relevant University of California criteria for advancement and promotion

Preferred Qualifications:
● JD degree, with demonstrated experience and expertise in copyright
● Demonstrated knowledge of technical, legal, and information policy issues related to scholarly publishing and new modes of scholarly communications
● Demonstrated knowledge of intellectual property and copyright issues in academic or research settings as they relate to creation, dissemination, and use of digital information resources, especially across an array of disciplines and contexts
● Experience in building awareness and understanding regarding scholarly communication and intellectual property issues through in-person or online educational sessions, creation of informational materials, and organizing events
● Experience writing grant proposals and managing grant-funded projects related to scholarly communication issues
● Experience using current and emerging technologies to communicate with faculty, staff, and students

Salary and Benefits

Salary: Academic Administrator IV $75,927-$104,207 (Appointment rank and salary based on qualifications and experience).

This position is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Benefits: UC is one of the largest employers in California, and offers outstanding health and retirement benefits to its employees and their families. Academic Administrators are academic appointees and earn 24 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave per year. In addition, there are 13 university holidays.

UC Compensation and Benefits: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

Application Information

Applications must be submitted via Recruit https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/apply/JPF02307

Please include a letter of interest addressing how your qualifications and experience relate to the posted qualifications of the position, a Curriculum Vitae, and 5-8 letters of reference.

Applicants are also encouraged to complete the optional Statement of Contributions to Diversity. Please visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for information about why diversity statements are requested and guidelines for writing a diversity statement.

Candidates applying by August 27, 2018, will receive first consideration. The position will remain open until filled.

The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

UC Davis is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus effective January 1, 2014.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter - Please include a letter of interest addressing how your qualifications and experience relate to the posted qualifications of the position.

  • Letters of Reference - Please provide 5-8 extramural letters or letters of reference.

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Diversity contributions documented in the application file will be used to evaluate applicants. Visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/diversity/equity_inclusion/index.html for guidelines about writing a diversity statement and why one is requested.
    (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 5-8 letters of reference required
2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Diversity 2023 Forbes Award: Best Employers for Women

Job location

Davis, CA