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  4. Assessment Librarian

Assessment Librarian

The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Assessment Librarian. This newly created position works in a collaborative library environment to plan, enhance, promote, and sustain a culture of assessment. The successful candidate will join a culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber.

Located in culturally diverse, historic, and dynamic Richmond, Virginia, convenient to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the recreation destinations of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Commonwealth University is one of Virginia's largest universities and among the nation's leading research institutions. VCU Libraries, one of Virginia’s outstanding research library systems, advances the University’s teaching, research, service, and patient care mission with comprehensive digital and print collections and nationally recognized innovation in its facilities, advanced media and technology resources for its community. In February 2018, the Association of College and Research Libraries recognized VCU Libraries with the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.

Diversity and Inclusion

VCU’s commitment to diversity is one of the institution’s unique strengths. Our student body is one of the most diverse in Virginia in terms of race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and one of the four themes of our Quest 2025 Strategic Plan is “Diversity driving excellence.” The United States Department of Education has designated VCU as a Minority Serving Institution. VCU is committed to building an increasingly diverse faculty and leadership team, and is actively engaged in partnerships with diverse communities in the Richmond metro area. VCU Libraries is purposeful in our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion and expects that the Assessment Librarian will be a leader in fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all members of the VCU community. The successful candidate will receive support for research, service, and professional development and will have ample opportunity to pursue diversity and inclusion related opportunities in those areas.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Collections, Metadata & Discovery, and Budget, the Assessment Librarian assumes a leadership role in planning, implementing, and sustaining an assessment program for VCU Libraries. Through collaboration across VCU Libraries divisions, and working closely with the VCU Libraries Assessment Committee, the Assessment Librarian will develop and set assessment priorities that will support library and university goals, demonstrate impact on library users, and strengthen organizational performance. They will develop strategies to measure the effectiveness and impact of existing services and programs, as well as new strategic initiatives, and foster an environment that values and encourages continuous improvement. The work of the Assessment Librarian will contribute to the Libraries’ efforts to show value and impact by using evidence-based decisions to determine the most useful library programs, operations, and spaces.

Through close collaboration with VCU Libraries colleagues, the successful candidate will:

  • Articulate an assessment philosophy/framework for the libraries that aligns with the VCUL strategic framework and VCU’s Quest 2028 goals.
  • Determine library-wide assessment priorities and create a sustainable assessment plan for VCUL.
  • Chair the VCU Libraries Assessment Committee, coordinating and guiding their activities.
  • Design and/or administer VCUL-wide assessments, leveraging quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches as appropriate.
  • Provide consultation, training, and support to library employees in the design and execution of localized assessment projects.
  • Manage and submit annual library assessment survey instruments as appropriate including Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) and other assessments as needed.
  • Analyze and interpret collected data, and translate insights into written reports, visualizations, and dashboards to inform organizational decision-making.
  • Increase institutional knowledge of best practices for assessment, including ethical considerations related to assessment.
  • Collaborate with Libraries’ initiatives including but not limited to those related to outreach, collections, development, grants, and strategic action plan goals.
  • Work with the Libraries’ Communication and Public Relations team to successfully show the libraries’ impact to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Actively advance diversity, anti-racism, equity, and inclusion by engaging with all VCUL employees and the VCUL user community to ensure that a full range of voices and perspectives are sought, considered, protected, and respected in the assessment process.
  • Represent the Libraries on assessment initiatives at the university, local, state, and national levels.

The Assessment Librarian is expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty within the VCU Libraries are evaluated and promoted on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and service.

Qualifications

Required:

  • ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline.
  • Knowledge of current assessment issues, trends, tools, and methodologies for academic libraries and archives.
  • Experience designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques such as surveys, focus groups, interviews, and observational techniques.
  • Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.

Preferred:

  • Experience developing and implementing assessment strategies in higher education or other complex organizations.
  • Demonstrated ability to collect, organize, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Demonstrated experience utilizing data visualization software such as Tableau to explore and communicate assessment data.
  • Familiarity with programmatic evaluation approaches used in grant-sponsored projects.
  • Ability to present complex information in formats most appropriate for easy comprehension.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities under pressure.
  • Ability to conceptualize, articulate, and implement short and long range goals.
  • Initiative, flexibility and the ability to adapt to a complex, rapidly changing academic environment.
  • Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Candidates need not meet the preferred qualifications to be fully considered. We value many individual and unique skills that would strengthen the VCU Libraries and our teams.

Salary

Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $70,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. 12-month faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans. Relocation assistance is available. Librarians are provided a generous professional development allowance. For more information, please see the Faculty Benefits page.

Interviews

Initial interviews will be conducted virtually. We anticipate inviting finalists to campus.

Learn about the position in an online information session

We are hosting information sessions for interested applicants in advance of the April 10, 2023 review date. Please consider joining one of these sessions to learn more about the position, meet the supervisor Tammy Sugarman and get answers to your questions about the position.

Join one of our info sessions via Zoom

  • Friday, March 24, 2023 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
  • Tuesday, March 28, 2023 | 11:00 am - Noon EDT

The attendee list for each Zoom session will be hidden and those asking questions may do so anonymously. Live captioning will be provided. To attend a session, please complete the confidential form to receive a Zoom link.

Questions? Please contact Tammy Sugarman at tssugarman@vcu.edu.

Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Libraries

As one of only 71 public universities with academic medical centers to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity,” Virginia Commonwealth University ranks among Virginia’s largest research universities, enrolling over 29,000 students. Located in the heart of Richmond, VCU offers 44 doctoral, 68 masters, 3 professional, and 71 baccalaureate degree programs. Thirty-four of VCU's graduate and professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation, with 26 programs ranking in the top 50 and sculpture and nurse anesthesia ranked number one. Over 2,400 faculty comprise the University's teaching force. Research strengths at the University include health and life sciences, education, engineering, social work, behavioral sciences, public affairs, advertising and design, and the fine arts. Sponsored research funding totals over $363 million, placing VCU among the top 100 research institutions in the United States.

Libraries at Virginia Commonwealth University, including the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus and the Health Sciences Library on the MCV Campus, employ more than 60 professionals and 64 staff with annual expenditures exceeding $22 million. VCU also operates academic programs in Doha, Qatar, supported by a library there, and in various locations throughout the U.S. and the world. The VCU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, Center for Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, National Digital Stewardship Alliance, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), a statewide networking consortium for shared access to electronic and print resources, as well as a Resource Library in the Network of the National Library of Medicine, among others. The VCU Libraries uses the following packages for its system architecture: Alma, Primo, Islandora, Digital Commons, ArchivesSpace, ILLiad, and Omeka.

The Monroe Park Campus of VCU is located in Richmond's Fan District, a large, residential neighborhood of townhouses, shops, and cafes. The campus is home to most of the University’s undergraduate and many of its graduate programs, including the School of the Arts, the Colleges of Humanities and Sciences, and Engineering and the Schools of Business, Education, and Social Work. The School of Social Work also offers the Masters of Social Work at the Northern Virginia Campus in Alexandria, Virginia. In addition, VCU’s Qatar campus in the Middle East offers degree programs through the School of the Arts.

For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at https://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin April 3, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, go to https://hr.vcu.edu/careers-at-vcu/, complete the application and submit a cover letter, CV/resume, and the names, email addresses, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references. Applicants are requested to submit a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion providing your career aspirations and contributions toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an urban research institution with a richly diverse university community and commitment to multicultural opportunities. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability.

Apply at VCUJobs