Assistant Instructor / Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian

coordinating and implementing the annual Children’s Literature Festival. The OER Librarian is responsible for the development and promotion of library activities and services that support the teaching, learning, and research needs of the campus community (i.e., students, faculty, and staff), including, but not limited to, the teaching of information literacy/research skills in a variety of contexts, developing professional relationships, and collaborating effectively with campus partners.

Examples of Duties

Open Educational Resources Librarian:

• Develop and execute OER initiatives to advance OER and affordable resource awareness and use across campus, including the support and assessment of OER services.
• Collaborate effectively with campus stakeholders to advance OER and affordable course content.
• Develop and implement strategies to raise faculty and student awareness of OER and promote faculty adoption and use of OER for classes.
• Support the Assistant University Librarian in coordinating subject liaison librarians' outreach and promotion to faculty for OER and affordable resources.
• Create and maintain web and print content to promote the visibility of OER initiatives.
• Identify library resources that could be used as affordable learning materials and advise library administrators on the effective design of library services to support the adoption of these materials in UCM courses.
• Create learning tools to connect students and faculty with the information they need.
• Develop, present, and promote library workshops.
• Provide reference assistance in various formats to the university community and the general public.
• Teach credit-bearing courses as available and qualifications allow.
• Provide library instruction and perform collection development as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Engagement:

• Maintain professional development through ongoing education, including understanding trends in academic libraries; participating in conferences, workshops, etc.; and active engagement in regional and national professional organizations.
• Contribute to the profession through continued learning, services, presentations, or professional communications.
• Participate in library committees, task forces, working groups, self-governance bodies, and other roles as expected.
• Participate in library activities, events, and initiatives.
• Active engagement in UCM activities supporting students, faculty, scholarship, and university-wide governance (e.g. faculty senate committee or administrative committee participation)

Special Collections Librarian:

• Support the Assistant University Librarian in managing JCKL’s Special Collections, including the Philip A. Sadler Research Collection of Literature for Children and Young Adults.
• Support the Assistant University Librarian in enhancing the publicity of collections with physical displays, guided tours, special showings, and social media.
• Analyze current special collections as candidate material for digitization projects and work with team members on planning and implementing digitization projects.
• Support the Assistant University Librarian in evaluating and accepting donor and publisher gifts for Special Collections.
• Provide strategic support for the Assistant University Librarian in coordinating the Children’s Literature Festival.

Typical Qualifications

Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program in library or information science or equivalent degree required. Completion of a second advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in the area of subject specialty or related field from an accredited institution of higher education preferred.

Required Experience for the Position:

• Two years’ experience in an academic library or higher education environment that includes direct involvement in the development or advancement of OER initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience with and/or knowledge of practices, issues, and assessments in OER, open textbooks, open resources, open licensing, and fair use. Demonstrated experience with public speaking and developing outreach programming.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of best practices, current issues, and trends in special collections related to academic libraries.
• Proven ability to deliver exceptional patron service, outreach, and engagement in an academic environment.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of one-year full-time equivalent academic library experience, including some combined experience in special collections.
• Minimum of one-year full-time equivalent academic library experience providing research services, instruction (online and in person), and developing online instructional tools (e.g., LibGuides, etc.).
• Experience in library outreach work, or equivalent work in the other sectors.
• Experience with building collaborative relationships and networks with faculty.
• Experience successfully pursuing funding opportunities, including grant writing to support educational/community initiatives.
• Knowledge and understanding of best practices, current issues, and trends in children’s and young adult literature.
• Knowledge of and/or experience with open education pedagogy and instructional tools.
• Experience with large event coordination and management.

Supplemental Information

Special Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge:

• Must be able to prioritize, manage, and meet multiple deadlines, thrive in a complex work environment, and display solid problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Must be able to work in a culture that is committed to furthering access, opportunity, and community.
• Effective written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills as required.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work cooperatively and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, other faculty and staff, and students.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment as required.
• Must have high attention to detail and be able to organize workflows, coordinate activities, and balance simultaneous projects without loss of efficiency in a multi-tasked environment.
• Ability to handle multiple ongoing duties concurrently as required.

Physical & Environmental Factors:

• Ability to work in an office-like setting.

Special Working Conditions:

• Must be able to meet the variable scheduling requirements of the Festival and the Library.
• Must maintain the ability to work as needed to complete assigned duties, activities, and projects.

Special Instructions:

• Full-time staff & 12-month faculty benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks paid vacation per year; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.
• 9-month faculty benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.
• Part-time benefits-eligible positions: Benefits include generous education assistance for the employee.
• Temporary, adjunct, student employment, or graduate assistant positions: Benefits are not included.

Completed UCM online application for employment required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

A review will begin immediately and continue until filled unless indicated otherwise.

NOTE: A background check is required for the selected candidate of all staff, faculty, adjunct, and temporary positions and any job offer is contingent on the results of this check. Student employees and graduate assistants do not require a background check to be conducted prior to employment.

The University of Central Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.