Associate Professor - Research Data Librarian

The University Libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) seeks to grow its support for research data services through the hire of an experienced, collaborative, agile-minded, and resourceful Research Data Librarian. In collaboration with a cross-organizational team—which includes a data services librarian, a digital archivist, systems librarian, liaison librarians, members of the Libraries’ Scholarly Communication team, and partners across UNL—the Research Data Librarian will participate in developing a robust research data program in the University Libraries. The desired research data program will extend beyond individual roles and responsibilities to offer a holistic, comprehensive research data agenda designed to meet the ambitions and goals of researchers, the university, and funders, and in pursuit of transformative knowledge and learning.

The Research Data Librarian joins the UNL Libraries at a time of change and renewal. For the first time, the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries (UNCL) will share a library platform, and new leadership in the Libraries and at the University are opening new avenues for collaboration. Initially reporting to the Interim Associate Dean with responsibility for the Libraries’ research services, the Research Data Librarian will serve as the organizational lead for UNCL’s and the UNL Libraries’ research data programs, working collaboratively with the cross-organizational team in decision-making and implementation.

The Research Data Librarian will have advanced knowledge of research data lifecycles and of the range of data services increasingly supported in research libraries, including data acquisition, curation and management, analysis and presentation, sharing, stewardship, and preservation. In addition, the Research Data Librarian will have specialization in one or more facets of research data services, in order to provide leadership and expert support. The Research Data Librarian cultivates data literacy, supports responsible data practices, and collaborates to offer scalable and sustainable research data services.

The University Libraries creates and fosters inclusive environments for teaching, learning, scholarship, creative expression, and civic engagement. The ability to find, access, evaluate, utilize, and create reliable information resources is central to higher education, the public good, and achieving equity and justice. Libraries faculty are empowered to provide an array of library services, collections, and spaces to meet the diverse needs of students, faculty, and researchers. The Libraries is committed to providing financial and other support for faculty professional development and travel. The Research Data Librarian will undertake their work with attention to how social and structural biases are captured, encoded, and otherwise represented in data, as well as to how systemic biases and inequities are manifested throughout data pipelines, including in processing, analysis, evaluation and appraisal, distribution, and preservation.

Responsibilities:
•Provides organizational leadership for UNCL’s and the UNL Libraries’ research data programs
•Collaboratively proposes, designs, develops, and participates in programmatic partnerships, services, and activities that meet researcher and institutional responsibilities regarding research data
•Works with the Office of Research and Economic Development, the Holland Computing Center, university information technology units, and other research and technology units in support of research data needs; conducts outreach to position the library as a collaborator in research data
•Represents the University of Nebraska and the UNL Libraries in multi-institutional collaborations, such as leading a planned proposal to join the Data Curation Network, and participating in data activities in the Association of Research Libraries and the Big Ten Academic Alliance
•Identifies and creatively responds to emerging researcher data needs
•Promotes the value of responsible data practices and supports researchers in adopting and implementing such practices
•Maintains awareness of the national and international research data landscape, including policies, repositories, and tools, as well as of trends and best practices in academic librarianship, research data, and data services by reading in scholarly and professional literature, participating in professional development opportunities, and applying knowledge to current practice
•Actively engages in anti-racist work to advance inclusive excellence and redress systemic inequities
•Contributes to the knowledgebase of the profession through research, publication, and professional engagement in line with a tenured faculty appointment
•Participates in library, university, and professional service activities

Minimum Required Qualifications:
•Master’s degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited institution (or international equivalent), or terminal degree in another discipline and relevant experience
•4+ years’ experience in providing extensive research data services or support in an academic, industry, or equivalent environment
•Demonstrated advanced experience in one or more of the following areas, as they relate to research data: discovery, curation, management, analysis, preservation, presentation/visualization, computational workflows, algorithmic curation, geospatial data, imaging data
•Demonstrated commitment to and support for a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion
•Knowledge of research processes and the role of data within contemporary research and scholarship
•Record of publications and/or presentations equivalent to that of faculty at the Associate Professor level

Preferred Qualifications:
•Academic background or relevant experience in the sciences or social sciences
•Familiarity or experience with information policy implications for data-intensive research (copyright, privacy, etc.)
•Demonstrated teaching, instruction, or presentation skills and facility working with a diverse range of audiences
•Experience supporting researchers

Librarians in the University Libraries have faculty status; the successful candidate will have the qualifications to be appointed at the rank of Associate Professor (tenured/tenure-leading). The minimum salary for this position is $75,000.

To apply for this position, go to https://employment.unl.edu, requisition F_200123. Complete the information form and attach your cover letter and curriculum vitae. In your cover letter, please be sure to directly address all minimum required qualifications. We are open to a broad range of ways and contexts in which candidates might demonstrate how they meet these qualifications. For example, while candidates might document their demonstrated commitment, experience, and knowledge through work activities—including in positions outside of libraries—they might also speak to coursework, community service, participation in cultural or other organizations, and involvement with student groups, among other possibilities. Cover letters must also include a description from the applicant that speaks to how their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion could be integrated into this position.

Relocation assistance is available. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with a preference for applications received by June 11, 2021. Lincoln, Nebraska, is a city of nearly 300,000 people and the state capital, where residents enjoy a low cost of living, high-quality public schools, and more parkland per capita than most U.S. cities. See https://www.unl.edu/lincoln/.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse populations we serve. The university fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

As an EO/AA employer, qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See http://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.