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Instruction and Outreach Librarian - Bancroft Library

Position overview

Position title: Associate Librarian-Librarian, Career Status or Potential Career Status
Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum and maximum pay, which is determined by rank and salary point at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position:
https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/represented-july-2025-scales/t26-b.pdf
A reasonable estimate for this position is $80,349 to $107,708.
Percent time: 100%
Position duration: This is a full-time potential career appointment.

Application Window

Open date: February 28, 2026

Next review date: Saturday, Mar 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Friday, Jul 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Bancroft Library seeks an inclusive, innovative, user-centered, and collaborative individual to join the Public Services team as the Instruction and Outreach Librarian. Reporting to the Head of Public Services, the Instruction and Outreach Librarian will design and lead instruction and outreach activities that engage constituent communities and promote the use of The Bancroft Library’s collections. Serving as a work lead for the instruction team, which includes the Instruction Specialist, this role is responsible for collaborating cross functional teams within and outside The Bancroft (including curators, archivists, librarians, faculty, graduate students, and the general public), and coordinating the workflow for all teaching and learning activity. This role is also responsible for developing pedagogical approaches that move beyond lecture-based show-and-tell and engage users by developing critical archival literacy through inquiry-based learning, building a community of practice with archivists, educators, and community members. Through coordinating workflows and developing meaningful pedagogies, the Instruction and Outreach Librarian will promote inclusive practices and exhibit a commitment to accessibility in the development and delivery of services and programs. As a member of the Public Services team, this position is also responsible for assisting with reading room operations and answering reference questions.

The Environment
The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at one of the nation's premier public universities. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 33,070 undergraduate students, 12,812 graduate students, and 1,525 faculty. The Library comprises 20 campus libraries, including the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, The Bancroft Library, The C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and numerous
subject specialty libraries. With a collection of more than 12 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with the collections and build their research skills. Discover more about our collections and services at the UC Berkeley Library website.

The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of rare materials in the West. Its holdings include more than 800,000 volumes, 210 million manuscript items, 9 million photographs and other pictorial materials, 86,000 microforms, 9.4 million digital files, and 25,000 maps, as well as numerous other categories of unique material. The two largest collections are the Bancroft Collection of Western and Latin Americana and the Rare Books Collection. The archival and rare book materials of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life are also part of the Bancroft holdings. The Bancroft Library is home to three research groups: the Oral History Center (formerly the Regional Oral History Office), the Mark Twain Papers, and the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri. The Bancroft Library is an active center of teaching and research. Supporting the programs of about 30 campus departments annually, it mounts a regular series of public exhibitions, roundtable lectures, and open houses.

For additional information, please visit the Bancroft Library website.

Responsibilities

  • Leads the work of the team involved in designing instruction and outreach, which includes the Instruction Specialist, members of the curatorial team, and librarians and archivists, introducing the campus community and public to The Bancroft Library’s vast holdings, critical archival literacy, and research skills.
  • Explores and implements new pedagogical approaches in experiential teaching and learning to engage users in research and critical interpretation using special collections materials.
  • Works with colleagues across the UC Berkeley Libraries, faculty across disciplines, and communities outside the University to build partnerships, share best practices, and create new resources around instruction and primary source literacy.
  • Coordinates the workflow for all teaching and learning activities at The Bancroft Library, employing new tools and redefining workflows for increased communication and efficiency.
  • Facilitates outreach programming for a broad community of users, working closely with Bancroft colleagues, including selecting and paging material, designing sessions or events, and set-up/take-down for special visits, tours, pop-up exhibitions, fellowship programs, and the filming of Bancroft’s holdings, spaces, and services.
  • Creates, develops, and maintains instructional tools, aids, guides, webpages, and tutorials.
  • Collects statistics and conducts assessment documenting instruction and outreach activities, striving to establish a programmatic culture of continual improvement and adaptation.
  • Supports reading room activity by working shifts on registration, reference, or circulation desks in the reading room and answering reference questions both in-person and virtual.
  • Serves on department, Library, and/or University-wide committees, task forces, and/or working groups.
  • Contributes to the national and international reputation of The Bancroft Library and the UC Berkeley Library through professional research, service, and collaboration with appropriate colleagues and organizations.
  • Maintains up-to-date, professional knowledge of current trends and best practices in higher education, academic libraries, special collections, and information and educational technology, to encourage innovation and ensure the excellence of Bancroft Public Services.

UC Berkeley librarians are expected to participate in library-wide planning and governance, and work effectively in a shared decision-making environment. Advancement is partially based upon professional contributions beyond the primary assignment; the successful candidate will show evidence or promise of such contributions to the Library, campus, UC System, and profession.

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging respect and empathy, and nurturing a culture where all employees thrive. The Library seeks candidates who recognize and appreciate one another’s contributions, expertise, and accomplishments, and will strive to provide equitable access to a diverse set of collections and services. For more information, please see the UC Berkeley Library Statement of Values.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, the University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit. Librarians are entitled to appropriate professional development leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits.

UC Berkeley Library Website: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/

Bancroft Library Website: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft

UC Berkeley Library Statement of Values: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/library-values

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

Advanced degree or enrolled in an advanced degree program

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
  • Advanced Degree
  • Two years of experience in library instruction and developing curriculum using primary sources at a special collections library/archive
  • Two years of experience working with students in an academic setting
Preferred qualifications
  • Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited institution or equivalent international degree
  • Highly effective written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to address and manage competing priorities and expectations of different stakeholders within and outside of the library (faculty, staff, library users, and community members).
  • Demonstrated knowledge of research and teaching trends, methods, and best practices in archives and special collections and a strong commitment to equitable access and user-centered services for all constituencies.
  • Experience leading teams, working on cross-functional teams, training and mentoring staff and student workers.
  • Effective at meeting deadlines, adjusting priorities, and working on multiple projects simultaneously with keen attention to detail and affinity for project tracking and recordkeeping.
  • Ability to be organized, productive, and effective in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, with the capacity to engage with others to identify challenges/opportunities and work collaboratively on solutions.
  • Knowledge of best practices for handling fragile collection materials and the ability to identify potential preservation concerns.
  • Experience with Aeon collection management system, ArchivesSpace, and/or Springshare tools including LibAnswers and LibGuides.
  • Working knowledge of North American, Latin American, British, and European literature and cultural history.
  • Experience gathering, analyzing, and sharing statistical evidence concerning special collections programs and operations.
  • Ability to work in languages other than English (Spanish preferred).
  • Experience balancing the needs of archival security, confidentiality, intellectual property, and access rights.
  • Demonstrated commitment to the Library's values.

Application Requirements

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

  • Cover Letter

Reference requirements
  • 3-5 required (contact information only)

References will only be contacted for individuals under serious consideration.

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05303

Help contact: richard.brown@berkeley.edu

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California’s Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

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.

Unless stated otherwise, unambiguously, in the position description, this position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

Job location

Berkeley, CA