Reference & Educational Programs Librarian

General Summary:

Texas Tech University School of Law Library invites applications for Reference & Educational Programs Librarian. The Law Library’s primary mission is to provide a preeminent user experience to fully support the curricular and research endeavors of the Law School Community. The Reference & Educational Programs Librarian reports to the Associate Dean & Law Library Director and is responsible for all aspects of reference and educational programs, including maintaining on-call reference services and the law library’s various instructional opportunities. This position works collaboratively with 5 professional librarians and 7 staff members to bring superior services to the Law School Community. The Reference & Educational Programs Librarian demonstrates initiative, leadership, vision, and the ability to adapt to dynamic change as academic law libraries continue to evolve. The Reference & Educational Programs Librarian is supported as a tenure-track faculty position, with rank to be determined commensurate with experience.

The Reference & Educational Programs Librarian requires a strong commitment to teaching legal research skills essential to the practice of law, a deep understanding of the Law School’s curriculum, faculty research interests, library operations, legal information resources, and research methodologies in all formats. Experience working with diverse student populations and first-generation students is highly desirable. Service expectations include reference and educational program building, as well as commitment to relevant extracurricular activities. Service to the School of Law and University is expected.  Pursuit of external grants in support of research when appropriate and available in the faculty member’s field, is encouraged. 

Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas, is a state-supported National Research University and is a Hispanic Serving Institution with an enrollment that exceeds 38,000 students. The Law School has approximately 430 students and 37 full-time faculty members. The Law School is an integral part of the University and offers 10 dual-degree programs with other Texas Tech schools and colleges. The Lubbock metropolitan area is home to almost 300,000 people, enjoys affordable housing, abundant sunshine, friendly people, and offers easy access to other parts of the country. For more information, visit our website at www.law.ttu.edu.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Associate Dean and Law Library Director to provide vision, leadership, and planning for the Law Library’s reference and educational programs.
• Coordinate all daily operations of educational programs, including design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of programs.
• Liaise with 1L Legal Practice faculty to develop mandatory legal research workshops to provide a consistent research curriculum for all 1L students, including creating course materials for use by all teaching librarians and scheduling workshops.
• Administer the voluntary Excellence in Legal Research Program geared toward advanced legal research instruction, including curriculum assessment and design, tracking student participation, and program outreach.
• Assist law library faculty with course creation and instructional best practices, as needed.
• Coordinate all daily operations of reference, including design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of reference services.
• Design and coordinate the Law Library’s portion of 1L Orientation and Extended Orientation.
• Provide reference services as part of a rotating reference desk team.
• Participate in collection development and selection.
• Serve on Law Library, Law School, and other committees (or teams) as appointed.
• Engage in professional research, teaching, and service, as required by law library tenure guidelines.
• Design and teach a for-credit legal research course, teach in the 1L Legal Practice program, and in the Law Library’s Excellence in Legal Research program.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• JD and MLS (or equivalent) degrees from ABA and ALA accredited schools.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills. Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with colleagues and to collaborate and work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to innovate and remain flexible and comfortable with change.
• Evidence of self-motivation, initiative and intellectual curiosity, a strong user-service philosophy, and the commitment to continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to combine the pursuit of excellence with a spirit of kindness and collaboration.
• Experience in teaching and delivering legal reference service.
• Experience working with diverse student populations and first-generation students.

Application Instructions

Please submit your cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references electronically to the attention of the chair of the Personnel Committee, Associate Dean Jamie Baker, at the Texas Tech Jobs website https://careers.texastech.edu, or at https://www.workattexastech.com Please reference Requisition Number 25809BR. You may contact Associate Dean Baker directly at jamie.baker@ttu.edu with any questions. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Salary and Benefits: Appointment salary based on qualifications and experience. Benefits include professional development assistance, retirement plan, insurance, and paid time off.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, Texas Tech University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We actively encourage applications from all those who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community at Texas Tech University. The university welcomes applications from minoritized candidates, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and dual-career couples.