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African American Studies Librarian

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL VACANCY

The University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a team-oriented and engaged African American Studies Librarian to join our staff.

Reporting to the Head of the Global & Interdisciplinary Studies Unit, the African American Studies Librarian works with colleagues throughout the Libraries to lead and expand research partnerships with faculty and scholars, contribute to student success, redefine the scope of collections to balance campus needs with strategic priorities and resources of the University Libraries and UNC Chapel Hill, and develop outreach programs that support African American and African Diaspora Studies. This role integrates a focus on research and teaching support with community engagement and curatorial responsibilities to holistically support African American and African Diaspora Studies. This position will join the Research and Instructional Services department made up of subject liaison librarians, branch managers, and acquisitions specialists who work together within a dynamic and flexible interdisciplinary team structure to support research, teaching, and learning in the humanities, fine arts, sciences, and social sciences and to partner across the Libraries in support of discovery, data management, and scholarly communication.

The person in this position serves as subject liaison librarian for programs in the humanities and social sciences as assigned, primarily for departments that work in the field of African American and African Diaspora Studies, supporting the teaching, learning, and research practices of scholars by providing specialized research and instructional services, and developing core and specialized research collections. The African American Studies Librarian will participate in the University Libraries’ instruction program to deliver and shape high quality outreach and instructional services to faculty, students, and scholars by integrating new and emerging information literacy principles and technology; and will provide specialized research services and outreach to faculty, students, and scholars.

The librarian will develop and maintain research collections related to African American and African Diaspora Studies; help to curate collections of rare and unique materials related to African American and African Diaspora Studies in the Special Collections; develop and collaborate on programs, exhibits, and events; and will work collaboratively with the Manager of the Stone Center Library for Black Culture and History to create initiatives for student, faculty, and community users of the Stone Center Library.

In addition to working collaboratively with subject liaison librarians in Research & Instructional Services and with librarians and archivists in Special Collections, the African American Studies Librarian also works closely with many campus partners, including the Institute of African American Research and the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

Qualifications

Required

  • Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program, or a related advanced degree
  • Strong academic grounding in African American and/or African Diaspora Studies or a closely related field
  • Ability to work independently and excel in a dynamic, collaborative, team-based environment
  • Knowledge of historical, and cultural issues of importance to scholars of African American and African Diaspora Studies
  • Experience with library instruction, training, or classroom teaching
  • Knowledge of scholarly publishing and research dissemination practices, including trends in digital scholarship
  • Experience with library research resources and tools in relevant subject areas
  • Experience creating welcoming and inclusive learning and research environments
  • Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with diverse user communities, including students, faculty, researchers, colleagues, and community members
  • Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
  • Commitment to professional development and growth

 Preferred

  • Experience providing research services, preferably in an academic setting
  • Experience with assessing the impact of library services and/or collections
  • Experience with building research collections in an academic library
  • Understanding of scholarly communications and open access issues as related to African American and African Diaspora Studies
  • Experience working with rare or unique materials related to African American or African Diaspora Studies
  • Experience with digital scholarship tools and experience partnering with campus constituents on digital scholarship production
  • Evidence of successful participation in collaborative projects
  • Experience in planning and managing exhibitions, lectures, and other public programs
  • Bibliographic knowledge of a non-English language

The University and The Libraries
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the country’s oldest state university. UNC Chapel Hill has an enrollment of approximately 29,000 students, employs more than 3,500 members of the faculty, and offers 69 doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in medicine, social work, information science, and law.

The University Libraries aspires to set the standard for public university research libraries in the digital age. One of the largest research libraries in the U.S. South, The University Libraries is an essential part of the University’s educational and research efforts. It includes 9 libraries on campus, including the Health Sciences Library, Walter Royal Davis Library, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, and the R.B. House Undergraduate Library. The University Libraries hold approximately 9.2 million volumes and extensive collections of manuscripts, audiovisual, microforms, graphics, government documents and rare books. The Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Council on Library and Information Resources, and the Center for Research Libraries. Together with the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University, the members of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) provide services and collections to their students, faculty, and staff in support of the education, research, healing, and service missions of the universities.

The University Libraries serves campus and broader communities that reflect the socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious diversity of the state of North Carolina, and we maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and open educational and workplace climate for all. We strive to create an environment of respect and collaboration where vision and innovation can flourish. Learn more about our Strategic Framework — including our pillars, values, and priorities — by visiting https://library.unc.edu/about/strategic-framework/.

The Region
The Triangle region is one of the most desirable places to live and work in North America and offers its residents a wide array of recreational, cultural, and intellectual activities. The mountains or the seashore are less than a half day’s drive from Chapel Hill.

Salary and Benefits
This is a twelve-month, non-faculty academic librarian appointment. Standard state benefits include annual leave, sick leave, and State or optional retirement. The salary range for the African American Studies Librarian position begins $50,000. The University Libraries intend to hire at a minimum of $68,796, with a salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Deadline for Application
Review of applications will begin upon receipt. The position will close on November 27, 2023.

To Apply
Please visit https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/268116 and complete the online application. Please include a resume of relevant experience, a cover letter highlighting your interest in this position and Carolina’s libraries, and the names, titles, and contact information for three professional references. Additionally, please indicate in your cover letter where you first learned of this position.

 

 

 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.