"Data & Access Assistant"

Job Description

We are seeking a full-time paraprofessional to join the Resource Acquisitions & Management team at Boston College Libraries in the newly defined role of Data and Access Assistant. Under the supervision of the Renewing Resources Librarian the Assistant will collect and format data on library collections in order to support ongoing management of the Libraries collection development and collections maintenance, utilizing reporting tools provided by library content vendors and the Ex Libris Alma Analytics module to generate and collate reports on print and online collections usage.

The Assistant will also troubleshoot all issues affecting end user and staff access to online resources, including online journals, databases, streaming video, e-books, and datasets. The Assistant will report access problems to external vendors and publishers and coordinate communications with them and internal library staff in order to resolve access issues as quickly and expediently as possible. The Assistant will also investigate and resolve widespread online collections access issues and engage in proactive updates to Alma at the direction of the Renewing Resources Librarian in an effort to prevent disruption in access for library patrons.

Responsibilities:

• Prepares usage reports of scholarly collection resources such as journals, journal packages, and databases in line with RAM department's calendarized work to inform renewal decisions and help determine return on investment made by librarians in the Collections department.
• Prepares other collection reports to help librarians identify areas of collection overlap for print and online collections as well as data to inform deselection projects in subject areas, titles, and formats to support stewardship of Libraries' budget, personnel, and physical resources; examples of such reports may include: overlap analysis, interlibrary loan requests to drive collection development, and linear feet calculations for collection shifting projects.
• Prepares required usage reports for annual reporting to Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and Association of Research Libraries (ARL), using vendor-supplied usage reports as well as Alma Analytics reporting where appropriate.
• Responds promptly to issues affecting access to online resources as reported by library patrons or internal library staff utilizing the online ticketing system (LibAnswers).
• Communicates regularly to manager regarding problem reporting and resolution as well as with library content vendors, aggregators, consortia, discovery services, and internal library staff for the prompt resolution of access issues.
• Reviews updates to Alma Knowledge Base (Community Zone), checking for deleted and updated collections, and, with guidance from supervisor, making recommended updates to Alma holdings, links, and indexing where appropriate to prevent loss of patron access to licensed content.

This is an IN PERSON position. Please submit both a cover letter and resume

Hiring Range: $24.12/hr to $30.14/hr. Pay rate commensurate with relevant experience.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent, bachelor's degree preferred.
• 2 years of academic library or academic library vendor experience.
• Experience with managing electronic resources.
• Understanding of library content and workflow vendors for a variety of online and print resources, including streaming film, e-books, journals and journal packages, and databases.
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues in technical and public services areas as necessary for the resolution of issues of collection access.
• Experience communicating with vendors and understanding appropriate follow-up timelines as well as ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Experience with problem solving and ambiguity as well as collaboration with colleagues in service of issue resolution.
• Familiarity with building and running reports in Ex Libris Alma Analytics module as well as requesting and interpreting vendor-generated usage and inventory reporting.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Excel/Google sheets and spreadsheet management, including but not limited to creation of pivot tables and other intermediate Excel/Google Sheets skills.
• Skill in collecting, preparing and presenting data.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay
• Additional benefits can be found on https://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at https://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination.