Occidental College
Human Resources
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Telephone: 323/259-2613

Questions:
hr@oxy.edu

Reporting to the College Librarian., the Librarian for the First-Year Experience will lead and deliver the Library’s resource and research guidance services for the first-year Cultural Studies Program (CSP), as well as other programs for first-year students in collaboration with the Director of the Center for Digital Learning and Research (CDLR), faculty, and relevant campus offices.  Will work with the Library, CDLR, and academic departments to deliver a coordinated, progressive, and cohesive program of research instruction for students at all levels through in-person sessions and online materials and services.  Participates in providing individual research consultation and other instructional services to the campus community and in training staff who perform instruction and outreach.  Selects resources and manages collection development in specified subject areas.

*Please include a cover application letter, resume, and the names of three references.  Review of applications will begin on May 18, 2009.   

Essential functions include:

1.  Plans, manages, and delivers programs for first-year students.  Working closely with faculty and the Director of CDLR, responsible for education efforts focusing on information literacy and research methods for the CSP.  Coordinates, as necessary, requests for other library instruction and related activities.

2.  In conjunction with the Director of CDLR, develops and communicates guidelines for instruction.  Coordinates the compilation of statistics and evaluation and reporting of instructional program outcomes.

3.  Participates in the ongoing professional development of librarians involved with instruction and outreach.  Participates in information resource training for other library and campus staff, including student assistants.

4.  Collaborates with campus colleagues to develop materials in appropriate and relevant formats which facilitate information access and instruction.  Creates and maintains research help pages and works with others to expand the capacity of the Library web site to offer guidance.

5.  Along with other staff, provides information services in-person and online to the campus community.  Coordinates research consultation program.

6.  Serves as collection development liaison and provides advanced instruction in assigned subject areas.  In cooperation with faculty, develops select areas of the library's collection by identifying and selecting new materials, and by evaluating existing materials for possible withdrawal from the collection. 

Job Qualifications:

ALA-accredited master's of library science degree or its equivalent in academic training and work experience required; academic training in a quantitative social science or physical or natural science as evidenced by a bachelor's or advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.  Two years of reference and library instruction experience or their equivalent in other forms of teaching in higher education highly preferred.

Demonstrated success with program development; demonstrated commitment to and creativity with user services; familiarity with collection development practices and reference resources; proficiency in the use of information technologies required.  Demonstrated ability to work well and communicate effectively with colleagues and with faculty, students, and other Library constituencies required.  Excellent teaching and classroom presentation skills, including the preparation of instructional materials, required.  Knowledge of and commitment to the goals and methods of liberal arts education required.  Experience with developing online materials and guidance as well as knowledge of trends in online resource-access methods/interfaces required.

This is an early career position for someone who wants to deepen the role of an established program; participate in the creation of a coherent and pervasive research instruction program; work with a new department (CDRL), whose charge is to think about new modes of teaching and scholarship; and improve information discovery/access systems based on a knowledge of learning preferences among students and their information-seeking behaviors.  Occidental College's Library is building a set of relationships across campus that will center it in the College's academic program and in all-campus efforts to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving information environment.  This opportunity offers a librarian with strong academic training, a commitment to learning, and an entrepreneurial bent to develop leadership potential among colleagues in the Library, ITS, CDLR, and faculty.