Collections Strategist – 524847

Department/Organization
219101 – University Libraries

Rank
Assistant/Associate Professor

Position Summary
The University of Alabama Libraries seeks an experienced, analytical, and detail-oriented individual with an enhanced understanding of library collections to fill the position of Collections Strategist. Reporting to the Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications, this position leads the strategic evaluation of the University Libraries collections lifecycle, leverages knowledge of local and global publishing trends to enable dialogue around best practices in the licensing and acquisition of materials, identifies opportunities for continuous improvement in strategic planning initiatives, and creates reports and business analytics using disparate and aggregated data to inform decisions in a variety of contexts.

Detailed Position Information
The University of Alabama Libraries seeks an experienced, analytical, and detail-oriented individual with an enhanced understanding of library collections to fill the position of Collections Strategist. Reporting to the Head of Electronic Resources and Scholarly Communications, this position leads the strategic evaluation of the University Libraries collections lifecycle, leverages knowledge of local and global publishing trends to enable dialogue around best practices in the licensing and acquisition of materials, identifies opportunities for continuous improvement in strategic planning initiatives, and creates reports and business analytics using disparate and aggregated data to inform decisions in a variety of contexts. This position will offer assistance for project management using tools such as Jira and Asana, and regularly monitor workflow progress while working collaboratively with faculty and staff within the department. The Collections Strategist will analyze multiple aspects of University Libraries existing collections, fostering a shared vision toward collections growth and expansion, increased efficiencies and effectiveness of workflow processes, and exceptional stewardship of resources. This position will actively compare, and contrast University Libraries print and online collections against regional and national peers, monitor emerging trends among R1 institutions, make recommendations related to new content purchasing and delivery models, and advise University Libraries Leadership as needed to ensure collections funding is used most effectively in support of undergraduate and graduate teaching, learning, and research. This position will support data visualization, and analysis and reporting using standard programming languages and tools to include Excel, Tableau, Power BI, R, OpenRefine, Python, SPSS, and NVivo. The person in this position will be encouraged to pursue grant writing opportunities and submission of projects relevant to the mission of University Libraries and the University of Alabama.

As a tenure-track faculty librarian in the Resource Acquisition and Discovery unit, this position contributes to the overall management of the area, helping to ensure the completion of area objectives in an efficient manner in support of university and library strategic goals. The successful candidate must have a willingness for continual learning, development, and application of additional expertise through work-related experiences and professional development opportunities. The successful candidate must possess the ability to deal with change, ambiguity, and complex problems that are typical of an academic setting.

Position responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Collating data from multiple systems, including the ILS, the discovery system, DSpace, ArchivesSpace, and ContentDM and providing business analytics outputs for decision-making.
• Developing scheduled and ad hoc data-informed reports illustrating unit progress and and predictive modeling.
• Identifying opportunities for strategic acquisitions.
• Evaluating existing collections and expenditures for further breadth and depth of growth.
• Supporting University Libraries planning and assessment initiatives.
• Staying abreast of local, regional, national, and global trends in subscription and licensing models.
• Collaborating with colleagues to improve unit workflow and organizational processes.
• Responsibilities change as the University Libraries continues to evolve.

SALARY/BENEFITS: 12 month tenure track faculty appointment at the Assistant or Associate Professor rank. Salary is $80,000.00 – $100,000.00, commensurate with qualifications, experience, and advanced degrees. Strong benefits, including professional development support, tuition fee waiver, and matching retirement contributions.

Minimum Qualifications
• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program.
• Experience in an academic or research library or equivalent.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to create and utilize data-informed collection analysis.
• Knowledge of academic library functions.
• Demonstrated experience compiling and reporting academic library statistics.
• An understanding of the principles and current trends in research libraries, collections, and publishing models.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with creating and analyzing detailed spreadsheets and preparing data visualizations of complex data sets.
• Ability to meet the requirements for tenure and promotion.
• Commitment to conduct research and scholarship consistent with the requirements of a tenure track appointment; commitment to engage in continuing professional development and service.
• Attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.
• Ability to successfully initiate, track, and manage projects.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and quickly adjust to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability, interest, and willingness to assume additional and/or new responsibilities, along with the ability to set and model high performance standards.
• Enthusiasm for an innovative and evolving work environment.

Preferred Qualifications
• Demonstrated experience with collection analysis. • Demonstrated experience with collection development, acquisitions, and vendor relations. • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively within a research library environment. • Demonstrated experience with technical services systems and reporting. • Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as their appropriate analytical counterparts. • Knowledge of project management applications such as Jira, Asana, etc. • Knowledge of tools to support data visualization, analysis, and cleanup, such as Excel, R, OpenRefine, Python, SPSS, NVivo, and/or ArcGIS. • Experience with data visualization platforms such as Tableau, Power BI, etc. • Current record of scholarship in peer reviewed journals and through conference presentations. • Experience submitting grant proposals.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Applications are accepted online only at https://careers.ua.edu. Click Faculty Jobs, then University Libraries. Please include your application, Curriculum Vitae, and names, addresses, phone numbers, and e- mail addresses of three references, including one current supervisor. Consideration of applications will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. Applications received by October 30, 2024, are assured of receiving full consideration. For questions regarding the search, contact Michael Arthur, Senior Associate Dean, at [email protected].

About the Division/College/School
The University of Alabama Libraries, a system of four separate discipline-related libraries, is proud to support the research enterprise at the University of Alabama via a comprehensive and integrated network of resources, services, and technologies designed to meet the academic and research needs of students, faculty, and staff. We take pride in serving as a hub for innovation, knowledge creation and dissemination, research assistance, and collaborative learning.

Members of the University of Alabama family visited our physical and virtual spaces over 10 million times in 2022. Our print collections span over 6 million volumes, and we offer access to 2.5 million E-Books, 220,000 AV titles, and 98,000 E-Journals via our 685 databases.

University Libraries provides strong mentorship for faculty and staff, with ongoing collaborative opportunities, and administrative support for innovative services and ideas. We provide excellent support for needed technology and conference travel, and we are invested in academic freedom with teaching and research.

Our staff routinely update and maintain cutting edge programs of service in support of our stakeholders. Our faculty librarians have developed a robust instruction program, including a series of research data services and workshops, that consistently performs at the top of the SEC. We are heavily invested in performing the same high value research that our stakeholders produce, and that assists us in our data-driven strategic planning for the future. Our librarians have produced 75 peer reviewed journal articles in Tier 1 journals in the last 2 years.

If working with a talented group of professionals who value service, innovation, and high achievement, earning a nationally competitive starting salary, in a thriving college town, with a low cost of living, close to Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast sounds interesting to you, start your application process with us to learn more!

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. “EEO is the Law” https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/employers/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf