University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title
Assistant University Librarian for Research Data and Digital Scholarship

Job Profile Title
Associate Director, University Library A

Job Description Summary

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries seeks an energetic and accomplished professional to join library leadership as the Assistant University Librarian (AUL) for Research Data and Digital Scholarship.  Directing an ambitious program in support of data and digital methods, the AUL will help plan and implement a unified vision and strategy for technology-driven services dedicated to research and learning in the 21st century.  

Reporting to the Associate Vice Provost of Technology and Digital Initiatives, the AUL’s remit will encompass Penn’s fourteen Libraries and its campus partnerships. The AUL will lead the Libraries in applying digital methods to the creation of knowledge; in realizing collaborative opportunities that advance digital scholarship; and in forging future services that support research data and the use of digital technologies to further a transformation in learning.

This position will inaugurate and direct the Libraries’ new Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship.  Professionals in the digital humanities now distributed through the Libraries will find an integrated home in the new Center.  It will be the intellectual locus for textual and data analysis, virtual and augmented realities, data curation, data visualization, geographic information systems (GIS), software creation and management, web platform design, and digital start-ups across disciplines.

Job Description

As the Center’s head, the AUL will supervise approximately twelve staff with responsibilities across the spectrum of digital scholarship and research data projects. This cross-disciplinary team has earned a strong reputation for high quality service, technical competence, and advanced academic training.  The AUL will ensure the team’s success, and identify opportunities for relevant and strategic alliances that capitalize on its talents and culminate in new services.  The latter include the formation of new types of collections, the design of new and evermore effective research workflows, new media of scholarly communication, and new channels for the dissemination of research and creative production.  Through deep engagement with Penn’s many research communities, the Center will advance the integration of knowledge, promote inclusiveness and diversity among students and faculty, and magnify Penn’s impact on society.  

The AUL will be the service owner for technical platforms and infrastructure that support the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship.  They will work closely with Library Technology Services to ensure that infrastructure’s scalability and sustainability.  The AUL will manage systems for disseminating, discovering and preserving scholarly outputs, particularly emerging forms of scholarship. To ensure the ongoing success of the Libraries’ digital programs and research support, the AUL will work closely with the Libraries’ Advancement Office to raise awareness of and funding for the Center.

Candidates for this newly created position must have a strong desire to collaborate closely with all library departments and faculty in the development of digital projects, services and infrastructure that benefit research and scholarship and support the Libraries’ and University’s strategic goals.

Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with the AVP for Technology and Digital Initiatives, responsible for the overall vision, planning, development, implementation, advancement, and assessment of research data and digital scholarship services and associated projects of the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship.
• In addition to intensive outreach activities, the AUL will manage key internal relationships with IT, Collections and affiliated library services to ensure effective coordination or planning, resource allocation and service continuity.
• Coordinates and works collaboratively with University departments to design and provide services and productive environments for faculty, students, and researchers whose work makes sophisticated use of data, digital tools and methods of the digital humanities.
• Recruits, develops, supervises, mentors, and supports Center’s staff; ensures effective integration of the Center’s team with collaborating staff.
• Provides effective project management for Center initiatives.
• Develops policies and participates in overall Library IT and service governance for effective orchestration of and long range planning for infrastructure, staffing, and related resources.   
• Works with the AUL for Impact and Assessment to ensure the Center’s services satisfy library strategic priorities and align successfully with University priorities for academic excellence, and that the Center’s successes are effectively-documented and communicated throughout the library organization, campus and beyond.
• Works with the Libraries’ Advancement team to communicate the vision, strategy, and needs of the Center to raise funds that advance the Penn Libraries’ mission.
• Maintains current awareness in the field and actively engages in local, national, and international initiatives and other professional activities promoting the development of research data, digital scholarship and digital humanities services and technologies.

Qualifications

• ALA accredited MLS/MLIS or equivalent advance degree plus 7- 10 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience collaborating to enable innovative research methods.
• Experience leading and inspiring teams to effectively collaborate in the development of innovative research methods and projects.
• Previous supervisory experience.
• Exceptional technology skills, including demonstrated experience with programming languages, frameworks, and advanced applications used in research and digital scholarship; ability to evaluate and apply new technologies; demonstrated expertise in existing and emergent information management standards and technologies.
• Knowledge of current research data and digital scholarship trends and methods including quantitative, qualitative, or geospatial methods, and a proven commitment to facilitating new modes of research in diverse disciplines.
• A record of progressively greater responsibility in planning, managing, and delivering complex digital projects in an academic setting and in complex cross-organizational initiatives; demonstrated experience with project management including the supervision of developers.
• Experience providing consultation as well as teaching or leading workshops on digital scholarship tools and research data management to faculty and students.
• Demonstrated ability to build and engage an active intellectual community, including working collaboratively and building partnerships across disciplines.
• Ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with a wide variety of stakeholders, including faculty, students, and staff; excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
University Library

Pay Range
$88,861.00 - $168,837.00

Affirmative Action Statement

Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements

Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.