Latin American & Caribbean Collection (LACC) Digital Initiatives Librarian (78988)

JOB SUMMARY

The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian is a year-round (12 month) tenure track library faculty position that provides leadership in planning, developing, and managing distinctive digital and post-custodial collections and services for the Latin American and Caribbean Collection. The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will conduct outreach to engage the campus and broader communities with digital initiatives and will develop strategies to increase the visibility and usability of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx digital content in support of the University’s research and education mission. The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will initiate, develop, and lead strategic digital initiatives that enhance global access to historical materials, including current international initiatives to digitize Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Caribbean materials. The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will identify funding sources and develop proposals for digital projects, programs, and ongoing operations. The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will represent the George A. Smathers Libraries in partnerships, consortia, and professional organizations relating to Latin American and Caribbean digital collections.

The library encourages staff participation in reaching management decisions and consequently the LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will serve on various committees and teams. To support all colleagues, students and faculty, and foster excellence in a diverse and collaborative society, the LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will bring culturally rich lived experiences to work with individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientation, and perspectives. The LACC Digital Initiatives Librarian will pursue professional development opportunities, including research, publication, and professional service activities to meet library-wide criteria for tenure and promotion .

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Sets strategic goals and identifies priorities for digital and post-custodial collection development and digital services relating to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latinx diaspora
• Leads the creation, maintenance, and stewardship of digitized and born-digital resources in UF Digital Collections (UFDC) and the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) relating to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latinx diaspora
• Leads and collaborates with colleagues in the Smathers Libraries on strategies, applications, and innovations relating to digital and post-custodial collection development, digital exhibits, and digital scholarship relating to Latin America and the Caribbean
• Collaborates with other LACC collection managers to identify unique, rare, or distinctive Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx diaspora cultural heritage materials for digitization or ingestion in UFDC and dLOC
• Fosters and leads the development of effective partnerships and collaborations in digital and post-custodial initiatives and digital scholarship, and serves as the primary liaison for national and international partners, communicating effectively in English and Spanish
• Participates in fundraising activities, including identifying grant opportunities, maintaining donor relations, writing grant proposals, and successfully managing grant and gift projects
• Collaborates with personnel in the department and the Smathers Libraries responsible for collection development and curation, digital scholarship, metadata creation, digital library development, and data curation

• Liaises with faculty and students at the Center for Latin American Studies and with other UF units to support existing and emerging research and teaching needs

• Actively engages in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and creates a welcoming environment for all
• Participates in the ongoing evaluation and development of UFDC and dLOC to enhance the effectiveness of preservation, discovery, and access for digital resources related to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latinx diaspora
• Provides instruction, consultative services, and training for digital collections and LACC
• Leads and participates in outreach, promotion, and advocacy activities for the LACC, UFDC, and dLOC
• Performs scholarly research and provides service at the institutional and professional levels as related to assignment and in accordance with tenure and promotion criteria

QUALIFICATIONS

Research indicates that applicants from underrepresented groups are hesitant to apply for positions if they do not meet all the required and preferred qualifications.[1] We want to emphasize that the preferred qualifications are not required and that we are committed to helping our future colleague develop the preferred skills. Additionally, applicants are encouraged to communicate how their work and other experiences satisfy the required qualifications in ways that may not be obvious.

Required:

• Master’s degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited (or foreign equivalent) program, or other advanced degree in a relevant field plus two years of experience working in a library, archival, or cultural heritage environment
• Appointment at the Associate University Librarian rank requires eight years of relevant, post graduate degree experience
• Demonstrated professional level proficiency in written and spoken Spanish and English
• Subject expertise in Latin American and/or Caribbean studies
• Record of including individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientation, and perspectives in research, teaching, service, and other work
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with faculty, students, administrators, and the general public
• Initiative, flexibility, and the ability to adapt and work creatively in a complex, rapidly changing academic environment
• Strong potential to meet the requirements for tenure and promotion outlined in the departmental by-laws

Preferred:

• Working knowledge of Portuguese and/or French languages
• Excellent planning, analytical and organizational skills
• Experience in grant writing, budget management, donor relations, and/or development
• Experience implementing and managing digital library and/or digital scholarship technologies
• Experience with outreach, reference, and/or instruction in an academic environment
• Experience with cataloging and metadata creation for print or archival materials
• Experience with post-custodial methods in the management of archival materials
• Experience with digital humanities/scholarship projects

[1] Schmaling, K. B., Blume, A. W., & Baker, D. L. (2017). Characteristics of Faculty Position Advertisements Associated with Applicant Diversity. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 17(8), 10–17. Collier, D., & Zhang, C. (2016). Can We Reduce Bias in the Recruiting Process and Diversify Pools of Candidates by Using Different Types of Words in Job Descriptions? Mohr, T. S. (2014). Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified. Harvard Business Review, 25.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, submit

• a cover letter detailing your interest in, and qualifications for this position
• your current resume or CV
• a list of three references including their contact information (telephone number and email address)
• a written statement regarding two or three priorities for the digital development of the LACC. Please provide your statement in both English and Spanish. Each one should be approximately 250 words

Apply by September 17, 2021 (applications will be reviewed as received). Submit all application materials through the Jobs at UF online application system at Requisition <<# and link added by LHRO>>. Failure to submit the required documents may result in the application not being considered. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please contact Bonnie Smith , George A. Smathers Libraries Human Resources Office.

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/ .

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.

The University of Florida is An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

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