Humanities Librarian

Position Purpose

The Humanities Librarian serves as a research partner, an information literacy consultant, and a frequent point of contact to a diverse group of faculty and students on informational needs in the assigned subject areas and on opportunities related to digital scholarship. This individual shares a broad range of liaison activities with the other professionals in the unit, including general and specialized research services, individual research consultations, information literacy instruction, and collection development and management.  Candidates with demonstrated success in working with marginalized and underrepresented populations are encouraged to apply.  The successful candidate will be experienced in equity, inclusion and anti-racism practices in this area.

Key Accountabilities

• Works with colleagues in the department, faculty members, and other academic support staff to plan, deliver and support a technologically dynamic, collaborative, accessible, and inclusive learning environment across the humanities.
• Actively tracks emerging trends in pedagogy and technology and develops critical perspectives and anti-racist practices that can be employed in the classroom and beyond. 
• Works as a subject liaison with faculty and staff to build collections, both print and online, to best meet the curricular and programmatic needs of the College. Manages library collections in a broad range of humanist disciplines, including in languages and literatures.  Keeps current in trends of Open Access and new publishing options.
• Provides general research assistance during regular, evening, and weekend hours as well as specialized, in-depth research consultation to faculty and advanced students in assigned subject areas.
• Participates in design, development and maintenance of the Library web site and social media channels, to promote discovery, use, and integration of the library collection and services.
• Manages library digital scholarship initiatives, seeking assistance through funding, if necessary. Collaborates with the relevant ILS staff to plan, coordinate, and implement effective digital support services. Offers consultations to faculty members, in support of digital pedagogy. 
• Develops professionally based on the changing needs of the users, the college, and other factors; shares this learning with other library staff members and departments.
• Serves on Library, ILS, College-wide, and CBB committees and tasks forces as assigned.
• Performs other position-related duties as assigned.

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong understanding of the information-seeking habits of humanists and undergraduates in a humanities curriculum.
• Working knowledge of one foreign language is preferred.
• Track record of participation in or development of innovative information literacy programs, particularly those that use technology to enhance student learning and/or apply anti-racist pedagogies.
• Commitment to user-oriented public service and evidence of creative approaches to service problems.
• Familiarity with current research and publishing trends in higher education.
• Knowledge of a range of digital scholarship tools, technologies, and platforms.
• Project management experience.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated success in fostering teamwork, collaboration, and creativity.
• Personal commitment to excellence and the mission of a top-tier small liberal arts college.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusivity and to serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse and inclusive community with diplomacy and tact.

Education

• Master’s degree in library science, information science, or comparable combination of education and work experience.

 Experience

•  Minimum two years in an academic or research library.

Additional Requirements

• Successfully complete a background check.

Benefits

Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, paid holidays, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more) and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug- and smoke-free workplace. 
 

About Bates

Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.

Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.

Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.

Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.

The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.

Application Instructions

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references. This position requires the successful completion of a pre-employment background screening. Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. (References will not be contacted without your permission.)

Application Process This institution is using Interfolio's Faculty Search to conduct this search. Applicants to this position receive a free Dossier account and can send all application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, free of charge. Apply Now Powered by Opens in new window Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff.  Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations.  All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.

Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu.