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Sociology, Demography & Quantitative Research Librarian - Social Sciences Division - Library

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Position description

Hiring range: Associate Librarian
$65,942 - $81,606 per annum, based on qualifications
This is a full time appointment available starting January 2019

The University of California, Berkeley seeks a collaborative and user-centered librarian to join a team of specialists supporting world-class research and teaching in the social sciences through active engagement with collection development, data and information literacy initiatives, course- based instruction, individual research assistance, and outreach to students, faculty and the broader academic community. This position serves as subject librarian for Sociology and Demography, and takes a leadership role in providing support for quantitative research methods throughout the social sciences.

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 30,000 undergraduate students, over 11,000 graduate students, and 1,500 faculty. 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 those collections and build their related research skills. The Library’s mission and strategic plan can be viewed at http://stories.lib.berkeley.edu/strategicplan/.

The Library’s Social Sciences Division consists of four subject libraries – Anthropology, Business, Environmental Design, and Social Research – and the collections and services located in Doe Library/Gardner MAIN Stacks. Collectively, the staff – 12 librarians, 12 library staff, and over 50 student library employees – support the research, teaching, and study needs of students and faculty in twelve social science departments within the College of Letters & Science, six professional schools, three International and Area Studies programs, and an array of Organized Research Units.

Sociology is one of the largest and most diverse undergraduate majors at Berkeley, with a strong focus on research and a deep engagement with critical theory. Demography, one of the quintessential quantitative social sciences, is highly interdisciplinary with particularly strong connections to Sociology, Public Policy, Economics, Public Health and Data Sciences.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of the Social Sciences Division, the Sociology, Demography & Quantitative Research Librarian serves as a liaison to two academic departments. Liaisons at Berkeley are expected to establish strong relationships with the faculty and students of their departments, and to actively participate in the Library’s reference, outreach, and instructional services. This includes providing in-person reference, virtual reference, individual research consultations, promotion of library resources and services, in-person classes, and the development of online subject guides and instructional material.

The librarian will be responsible for collection development, management and assessment for Sociology and Demography. This includes collaborating with other librarians on campus and within the UC System on interdisciplinary and/or system-wide collection decisions, and working with librarians nationally and internationally on issues related to improved access for legacy print and digital collections.

The librarian will also play a key role in supporting quantitative research methods across the social sciences, partnering with library staff and campus partners – such as the GIS/Map Librarian, Data Services Librarian, Government Information Librarian, Social Sciences D-Lab and Research Data Management Program – to assist faculty, students, and staff. The librarian will work particularly closely with the Anthropology & Qualitative Research Librarian to support qualitative and mixed methods research in Sociology.

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 required at the time of application:

● Master’s degree from an ALA accredited institution or equivalent international degree.

Additional Required Qualifications required by start date of position:

● Experience providing reference and/or instructional services in an academic or research library.
● Experience with or coursework in collection development in an academic or research library.
● Experience using statistical sources in the social sciences such as the American Community Survey (ACS), Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), and the Current Population Survey (CPS).

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

● Demonstrated ability to support quantitative academic research using statistical software such as SPSS, R, SAS or Stata and/or programming languages such as R or Python.
● Demonstrated experience with data visualization and/or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) principles and tools.
● Significant undergraduate or graduate coursework in Sociology, Demography, or similar field.
● Demonstrated oral communication skills.
● Knowledge of the role of the library in supporting social scientists across the research lifecycle.
● Experience working with faculty to provide quality library service.
● Evidence of familiarity with social science research methods with an emphasis on quantitative research methods.
● Demonstrated written communication skills.

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/JPF01853

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 noting degrees and relevant work experience

  • Cover letter detailing a statement of qualifications

Reference requirements
  • 3 required (contact information only)

Job location

Berkeley, CA