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Open Educational Resources Librarian

The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Open Educational Resources Librarian. This position works in a collaborative environment in the newly created Digital Libraries and Publishing Department to advance the VCU Libraries Open and Affordable Course Content initiative. 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 effective July 1, 2022. 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 Open Educational Resources 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 Head of Digital Libraries and Publishing, the Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian will collaborate with colleagues in the VCU Libraries and across the university to increase student success by advancing the adoption of open and affordable course content. The OER Librarian will grow the Open and Affordable Course Content (OACC) initiative which has saved VCU students $7.9 million and impacted more than 87,000 students over the past six years. 

Specific responsibilities include:

  • Support VCU faculty in the creation, customization, dissemination, identification, adoption, and assessment of open and affordable course content.
  • Provide education and outreach on OERs and course material affordability. 
  • Document open and affordable course content use at VCU, track and assess the impact, and communicate benefits to the broader university community.
  • Administer and shape the VCU Affordable Course Content Awards program for faculty with an estimated $20,000/year budget. 
  • Train and supervise student employees.
  • Partner with the VCU Bookstore and the VIVA Faculty Textbook Portal to identify overlap between assigned textbooks and library ebooks.
  • Promote VCU faculty participation in VIVA statewide opportunities for funding and support for the adoption and creation of open and affordable course materials.  
  • Partner with colleagues across the VCU Libraries on other scholarly communications initiatives such as open access, open scholarship, author rights, scholarly publishing, research data management, and repositories. 
  • Work with the wider open educational community including membership and consortial groups such as ARL, ASERL, VIVA, SPARC and OEN.

The Open Educational Resources Librarian is supported to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty with 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. If in progress, the graduate degree must be completed by the date of hire.  

  • Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.

  • Commitment to addressing inequities in higher education through the promotion of open and affordable course content initiatives.

Preferred:

  • Familiarity with ethical, legal, and equity dimensions of open education initiatives including copyright and antiracism.
  • Knowledge of current and emerging trends in open and affordable course content. 
  • Experience in higher education to support and assess learning, outreach, and engagement. 
  • Experience leading a successful initiative involving multiple stakeholders from various units across an institution. 
  • Ability to collect, organize, and visualize data in order to determine initiative needs and to communicate impact. 
  • Evidence of creativity, initiative, and flexibility when working independently and in collaborative environments. 
  • Experience and/or vision in providing students meaningful and transformative work experiences.
  • Interest or experience in securing external funding support (e.g. grant, foundation, or philanthropic).

Candidates need not meet preferred qualifications to be fully considered. We value many individual and unique skills that would strengthen the VCU Libraries and our teams. Entry-level candidates who demonstrate a passion for leading a forward-thinking OACC initiative are especially encouraged to apply.

Salary

Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $60,000 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 about benefits, see the Faculty Benefits page.

Interviews

Initial interviews, if held, 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 May 7, 2023 review date.

Please consider joining one of these sessions to learn more about the position, meet the Head of Digital Libraries and Publishing (Karen Bjork), and get answers to your questions about the position.

Join one of our info sessions via Zoom

  • Friday, April 21 | noon - 1:00 pm EDT
  • Tuesday, April 25 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm 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 Karen Bjork at bjorkk@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.  

The Medical College of Virginia Campus, located in historic Court End near state and local government and financial centers, is home to the VCU Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy; VCU College of Health Professions; the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research; and VCU Health. VCU Health includes VCU Medical Center, a Magnet Recognized hospital with 812 inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, a Level 1 trauma center, and over 800 physicians in 200 specialty areas, many of national and international renown, as well as the Children’s Hospital at VCU and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia's first NCI-designated cancer center. In addition to multidisciplinary centers for cancer, cardiology, neurosurgery, and transplantation, VCU Health offers virtually every form of contemporary medical service. 

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 over 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. 

For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at https://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin May 7, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. To apply, go to this link to complete the application and submit a cover letter, CV/resume, and the names, email addresses, addresses, and telephone numbers of three professional references.

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. 

 

 

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