Geospatial Information Librarian

Position Overview

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) seeks a forward-thinking Geospatial Information Librarian to advance geospatial literacy and research in multiple disciplines. This position offers an opportunity to support both established and emerging uses of geospatial data and technology at a dynamic campus situated near the headquarters of Esri, the geographic information systems (GIS) industry leader.

Working as a member of the highly collaborative Research Services Department, the Geospatial Information Librarian will develop and implement strategies to support campus users of geospatial data, tools, and methods. They will play a critical role in supporting advancements in research and in educating patrons on the use of GIS. The Geospatial Information Librarian will also be engaged in outreach to students, faculty, staff, and community members across multiple disciplines to elevate geospatial literacy at UCR in the frameworks of academic excellence and workforce development.

Located an hour's drive to the east of Los Angeles, an hour west of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, an hour east of ocean beaches, ninety minutes north of San Diego, and an hour south of mountain ski resorts, UCR is located in an area of dramatic landscapes and rich cultural traditions. The University is a dynamic, aggressively developing land grant research institution dedicated to preparing its diverse student body to be successful competitors in the world marketplace of ideas.

The UCR Library is a critical partner in preparing UCR's students to be globally competitive while simultaneously preparing them to be transformative leaders in the Inland Empire and beyond. The mission of the UCR Library is no less than to bring the world's information resources to the UCR community and to ensure that UCR students, faculty, and staff have the skills to fully exploit those resources to change the world for the better.

The UCR Library is a team of intensely collaborative, forward-thinking colleagues dedicated to providing exemplary services to our students, faculty, and community members in a rapidly evolving information environment. The successful candidate will be technologically-sophisticated; committed to problem-solving in local, regional, national, and international arenas; able to develop innovative solutions to complex problems; and a dynamic and effective leader.

The UCR Library is comprised of two facilities housing more than 4,900,000 volumes, 1,740,000 electronic books, 120,000 print and electronic journals, and 2,300,000 microforms. The Library provides services to more than 27,000 students and nearly 2,000 faculty and other academics in an institutional environment planning for and experiencing extensive growth. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic staff of 100, including 36 FTE librarians and 65 FTE staff personnel as well as students, in building a research library of excellence within a dynamic and diverse university ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The UCR Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Among the unique collections of the UCR Library is the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Water Resources Collections & Archives, the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian, the Paul Chou Collection of Chinese history and culture, the George Brown Papers, the Tomas Rivera Papers, and the Inland Empire Memories Initiative. Information about the UCR Library is available at UCR Library.

The UCR Library is an integral part of the University of California library system. With collections totaling 40.8 million volumes, including 4.3 million digitized contents contributed to HathiTrust, UC's more than 100 libraries are surpassed in size on the American continent only by the Library of Congress collection. In addition, UC's California Digital Library (CDL) provides the core of the University's digital collections. CDL also assists UC to share resources and holdings more effectively, and provides leadership in applying technology to the development of library collections and services. Organizationally situated within the UC Office of the President, the CDL operates in close collaboration with all UC campuses and their libraries.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Director of Research Services, the Geospatial Information Librarian is responsible for providing support to faculty, students, and staff in the use of geospatial data, tools and methods.
• Provides assistance regarding the use of geospatial data and technology in research and academic inquiry;
• Offers workshops and course-related instruction on geospatial tools and methods;
• Organizes innovative symposia related to GIS and its intersection with other technologies or disciplines, such as artificial intelligence (AI);
• Creates collaborative alliances across the campus and in the community to promote support for using geospatial methods in instruction, research, and workforce development;
• Collaborates with Research and Teaching and Learning Services department colleagues having expertise in data science, digital scholarship, AI research, innovative media and maker services to better support geospatial elements of research and instruction;
• Maintains knowledge of best practices and developments in GIS, including data collection methods, accessibility, geospatial ethics, and the use of AI;
• Develops and updates geospatial resource guides;
• Answers reference questions related to GIS and collaborates with library colleagues on GIS related reference services. [added]
• Promotes the library's geospatial services and resources;
• Contributes and collaborates in the ongoing development and care of assigned map-related collections
• Collaborates with Library colleagues to develop and implement strategies to support the acquisition, management, curation and preservation of GIS data;
• Participates in general library-wide activities, committees, special projects and programs; represents the UCR Library in various University of California committees and ad-hoc groups related to geospatial information.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining unit; The University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit.

Appointment at rank of Assistant Librarian to Librarian - Potential Career depending upon qualifications and experience. Advancement through the librarian ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every two to three years.

See Table 26B Represented Librarian Series for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $72,224 - $126,379. Excellent retirement system, health, and vacation benefits.