"Social Sciences Librarian, Z. Smith Reynolds Library (R0008547)"

Job Details

Description

The Z. Smith Reynolds Library seeks a Social Sciences Librarian to provide social science reference, consultation, and instruction services for the undergraduate departments of Politics and International Affairs, Psychology, and Sociology, as well as services to social science disciplines in the Graduate School and the School of Professional Studies. This position will provide instruction both for college courses (traditional one-shot library instruction) and for-credit subject-specific information literacy courses. This position will also serve as our Federal Depository Coordinator for a primarily electronic government documents collection with a small historical print collection.

This is a full-time, ranked Librarian position with faculty status, reporting to the Head of Research and Liaison Services in the Research, Instruction, and Outreach department. ZSR Library faculty are governed by the policies of the Librarians’ Assembly and are evaluated annually on Librarianship (70%), Scholarship and Professional Achievement (20%), and Service (10%).

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serves as primary liaison to the departments of Politics and International Affairs, Psychology, and Sociology and to social science programs in our School of Professional Studies (Public Administration and International Affairs). This includes instruction, one-on-one research help, and collection development.
• Develops strong and sustainable relationships in liaison areas through actively communicating with faculty, staff, and students regarding library services, resources, and initiatives.
• Ensures the library’s collections adequately support the curricular and research needs of students, faculty, and staff in their liaison areas and in the social sciences more broadly.
• Collaborates with faculty to develop library instructional materials and sessions for assigned programs and liaison areas.
• Participates in the teaching of credit-bearing information literacy courses related to Social Science disciplines. Average teaching load is expected to be one 1.5 credit-course per year.
• Serves as the library's Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Depository Coordinator for a primarily electronic government information collection with a small print historical collection, as well as serving as the library contact for the North Carolina government information program.

Refer to the position description for the complete list of responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school or an equivalent master’s degree.
• Bachelor’s degree in a social science discipline or experience supporting the social sciences in an academic library.
• Four or more years of experience as an academic librarian supporting social science or interdisciplinary programs in an academic library.
• Thorough knowledge of best practices in Social Science librarianship.
• Demonstrated engagement in the profession, which could include professional organizations, publications, presentations, or other professional work.
• Demonstrated potential to meet promotion requirements for a ranked, non-tenure track library faculty appointment.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred qualifications are not required. ZSR is committed to helping future colleagues increase their academic knowledge and develop their skills.

• Advanced degree in a social science discipline.
• Experience with the Federal Depository Library Program.

Salary and Rank

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. As a mid-career position, we anticipate this position will be appointed at the Associate Librarian rank, with a minimum starting salary of $65,000 annually, plus a comprehensive benefits package, professional development support, and relocation allowance. Further information about contract lengths by rank are available in the ZSR Librarians' Assembly Governing Document.

About ZSR Library and Wake Forest University

The Z. Smith Reynolds Library, with a collection of over 1.9 million volumes, materials expenditures of over $6 million, and an operating budget of over $14 million, serves over 5,500 undergraduates and more than 2,800 graduate and professional students. Wake Forest University is a private liberal arts institution consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities. Wake Forest combines the resources of a research university with the intimacy of a smaller college, offering small classes, strong faculty-student engagement, and Division I athletics. The University is deeply committed to public service and engagement, as reflected in its motto, “Pro Humanitate”.

To provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations for all final faculty candidates being considered for employment. Wake Forest seeks to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and staff to enhance the excellence of the University and to offer students a wide variety of perspectives and ways of learning.

Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.

Accommodations for Applicants

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.

Interested applicants should submit the following materials through Interfolio:

• A cover letter addressing required and preferred qualifications (typically no more than two pages),
• Curriculum vitae,
• Contact information for three professional references.

Questions may be directed to Kathy Shields, search committee chair, at shielddk@wfu.edu. For full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm, March 15, 2026, when review will begin. Review will continue until the position is filled.