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Middle Eastern & Near Eastern Studies Librarian/Research Specialist - Library

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Position description

Middle Eastern and Near Eastern Studies Librarian/Research Specialist
Hiring Range: Associate Librarian to Librarian
$58,400 - $84,930 per annum, based upon qualifications
This is a full-time appointment available starting May 2017

The University of California, Berkeley seeks a collaborative and service-oriented librarian and/or research specialist to support world-class research and teaching through the Library’s engagement with faculty and students and development of the Library’s interdisciplinary and multilingual research collections to advance understanding of the Middle East, Near East, North Africa, and religious studies with a focus on Islam.

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 25,500 undergraduate students, 10,300 graduate students, and 1,500 faculty. With a collection of more than 11 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 those collections and build their related research skills.

The Library’s Arts & Humanities Division supports core research collections and services located in Doe Library/Gardner MAIN Stacks and four additional library locations in Doe Library -- the Art History/Classics Library, Graduate Services, Morrison Library, and South/Southeast Asia Library – as well as The Hargrove Music Library located across campus. With a staff of 14 librarians, 16 library staff, and over 50 student library employees– these libraries are primary service points and provide research-level print and digital collections to support the research and teaching programs related to visual and performing arts, humanities, and international and area studies in a multicultural, global context. Visit http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ for more information about the UC Berkeley Library.

Berkeley’s Near/Middle Eastern programs and study centers focus on languages, literature, religion, history, and other subjects in humanities and social sciences from 3000 BCE through current day. These campus programs offer undergraduate courses and graduate degrees, providing training on Assyriology, Egyptology, and Islamic Studies and drawing upon connections with other disciplines such as history of art, archaeology, and comparative literature. Materials in the Library’s collections cover the Middle East and North Africa, including 22 Arab States, Iran, Turkey, and Cyprus supporting courses and research needs of faculty, students, and scholars.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of the Arts & Humanities Division, the Middle Eastern & Near Eastern Studies Librarian/Research Specialist supports research, teaching, and multidisciplinary scholarship by shaping the Library’s rich research collection; developing research tools to facilitate user access to resources in various formats and languages; providing specialized orientations, instructional sessions, and research consultations for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students; and contributing to reference services for the humanities and social sciences. The incumbent cultivates and sustains connections with faculty, students and staff of key academic departments, programs, and centers, including serving as a resource for emerging technologies, scholarly communication, and research methods to meet the evolving needs of these fields.

Collection development/management includes responsibility for selection, acquisition, access, assessment, and disposition of wide-ranging resources in all formats that are appropriate to the research and teaching needs of the UC Berkeley campus. Through collaboration with colleagues and library leadership, the incumbent fully manages collections budgets, including endowments and collaborative purchases, and guides the development of the core collections and special collections related to Middle Eastern, Near Eastern, and

North African Studies. The librarian/research specialist will assume primary responsibility for other subject areas that complement the campus’ research and teaching needs as well.

In order to effectively enhance support for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, the incumbent partners with other campus colleagues specializing in social sciences, humanities, area studies, international documents, and digitization, as well as with other UC Libraries, the California Digital Library, and the Center for Research Libraries. The librarian/research specialist broadens access to our unique and important collections through participation in digital projects, contributions to collaborative collection initiatives, and representation in forums such as the Middle East Librarians Association.

UC Berkeley librarians and academic staff 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.

Qualifications

Minimum Basic Qualification at time of application:
 Master’s degree in library and information science and/or a related field (such as Middle Eastern studies, Near Eastern studies, literature, history, religion, philosophy or rhetoric)

Additional Required Qualifications by start date of position:
 Proficiency in written and spoken Arabic, and reading knowledge of Turkish and/or Persian
 Demonstrated understanding of the information needs of researchers studying topics in humanities and area studies fields, including ways research methods and scholarship are evolving
 Demonstrated ability to provide highly responsive public service and to work effectively with
diverse staff and campus user communities
 Experience providing reference and/or instructional services related to humanities, social sciences, and/or area studies in an academic or research library environment
 Experience participating in collection development in an academic or research library, including
familiarity with core print and e-resources relevant to studies of the Middle East, Near East, and North Africa
 Knowledge of initiatives and trends related to research in international and area studies fields and to the evolving scholarly communication landscape, including knowledge of the publishing industry in the regions relevant to studies of the Middle East, Near East, and North Africa
 Demonstrated analytical, organizational, problem solving, interpersonal, and communication skills in English

Additional Preferred Qualifications:
 Master’s degree from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited program or equivalent degree
 Proficiency in additional languages of the Middle East, Near East, and/or Europe
 Knowledge of and interest in religious studies, with a focus on Islam
 Demonstrated success developing innovative services to enhance research and/or teaching
 Demonstrated contributions to collaborative projects at the local, regional, national, and/or international level
 Knowledge of cataloging and access issues for non-English language materials
 Experience with grant writing and fundraising

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting and encouraging a multicultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive and imaginative contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, 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 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.

This recruitment will remain open until filled.

Submit applications online at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF01246

Applications must include a cover letter detailing a statement of qualifications, curriculum vitae noting degrees and relevant work experience, and the names and contact information of three references who are knowledgeable about the applicant's qualifications for this position. References will only be contacted for individuals under serious consideration.

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 or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct
.

Send inquiries to: Susan E. Wong
Director, Library Human Resources
Phone: 510-642-3778
Email: librec@library.berkeley.edu

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - C.V. noting degrees and relevant work experience

  • Cover Letter - Cover letter detailing a statement of qualifiacations

Reference requirements
  • 3 required (contact information only)

Job location

Berkeley, CA