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The Library of the University of California, Santa Barbara, seeks an innovative, forward-looking, service-oriented, and collaborative professional for an exciting opportunity to serve as Middle East Studies Librarian and Area Studies Collection Strategist.

Reporting to the Director of Collection Strategies, the Middle East Studies Librarian and Area Studies Collection Strategist will be one of a team of seven Librarians/Collection Strategists and an Analytics Coordinator. As part of the Collection Strategies Department, the incumbent will have the opportunity to lead the reshaping of the Library’s strategic approach to Area Studies collection development and management in order to cultivate a culture of assessment for a broad concept of research content that includes general research collections and support for open access.

The incumbent will contribute to the strategic planning and allocation of Library resources for the acquisition and management of rich and diverse collections in Middle East and Area Studies. The incumbent will provide research and teaching support to UCSB faculty and students in Middle East Studies. The librarian will work collaboratively and closely with Area Studies subject librarians and other liaisons and with faculty and students in a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative research community renowned for its academic excellence and global impact.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
The Middle East Studies Librarian and Area Studies Collection Strategist:

Collection development and management

• Is responsible for the development and management of collection materials in Middle East Studies. Manages allocated collection funds to ensure timely and appropriate expenditure. Works closely with vendors and content providers in the Middle East. Participates in UC system-wide collaborative collection development initiatives for materials in Middle East and Area Studies. Establishes and fosters relationships with donors and community members in partnership with the Library’s Development officer.
• Coordinates the collection development and management activities and planning for transdisciplinary and Area Studies collections and content. Actively collaborates with subject librarians for East Asian and Latin American & Iberian/Spanish & Portuguese Studies on developing new strategies and evidence-based methodologies for the acquisition of transdisciplinary and Area Studies content, its management, and assessment across formats (including print, digital, media, data, and other emerging formats) and across delivery platforms.
• Consults with selectors and liaisons on collection development and management decisions for transdisciplinary and Area Studies collection and content.
• Collaborates with staff in the Collection Strategies Department on developing methodologies that promote best practices in making informed collection development and management decisions and conducts regular content use reviews for Area Studies-related content.
• Implements innovative models and approaches to collection and content that effectively steward the Library’s investment in transdisciplinary and Area Studies collections. Contributes to the departmental budget planning and funding allocations for the Library’s collections and content in Area Studies based on quantitative and qualitative assessment strategies informing allocation of the Library’s collections budget.
• Collaborates with library staff in technical services and other library units on developing consistent access, discovery, and stewardship methodologies for Middle East Studies, transdisciplinary, and Area Studies content across their entire information lifecycle.
  
• Facilitates opportunities for faculty and students to share their scholarship and learning via the UCSB Library. Participates in scholarly communication outreach, education, and advocacy, including maintaining an understanding of UC’s open access policies and the systems and resources that support them (e.g., eScholarship, Elements/UC Publication Management System). Evaluates opportunities and makes recommendations for redirecting the Library’s investment in collections to resources with the greatest potential for transforming the system of scholarly communication toward open dissemination of research.

Academic Engagement and Instruction

• Works in a team-based environment with other subject librarians to provide research support and information literacy instruction to the Center for Middle East Studies.
• Engages in proactive outreach and communications with the Center for Middle East Studies to maintain awareness of academic programs and priorities, curricular developments, accreditation cycles, research methodologies, and faculty and graduate student research and teaching. Promotes Library collections, services, and spaces and seeks feedback to increase their effectiveness.
• Provides research consultations in person and virtually to faculty and students in Middle East Studies engaged in traditional and emerging research practices. Works collaboratively with the Library’s Research Data Services Program and DREAM Lab to support evolving needs in conducting data-intensive research and digital scholarship. Supports undergraduate students involved in sustained research projects. Promotes disciplinary resources (collections, databases, primary source material) through the creation of online guides or digital or physical exhibitions. Serves on disciplinary teams with functional experts throughout the Library to collaboratively support faculty and students in the humanities and social sciences. Contributes to the assessment of the Library’s Academic Engagement Program.
• Designs and teaches course-integrated information literacy sessions utilizing the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and other disciplinary standards. Advises faculty on assignment design and learning outcomes related to information literacy. In partnership with Teaching & Learning librarians, works with assigned academic departments and programs to incorporate information literacy learning outcomes into the curriculum. Participates in assessment activities associated with the Library Instruction Program.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY
The Library is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service.

The University of California Libraries have a long history of collaboration on developing transformative licensing agreements and pooling resources for digital resources to ensure that all UC faculty, students, and staff, irrespective of their location, have access to library collections that meet the high research and teaching standards of an eminent research university. In addition to shared digital collections, the UC libraries' shared print collection further optimizes the management of and access to information resources for students and faculty.

The mission of the Collection Strategies Department is to implement strategic approaches that effectively steward the Library’s investment in research collections and scholarly content and to increase the impact and reach of UCSB’s scholarship by actively supporting, innovating, and advancing open and sustainable models for knowledge generation, dissemination, and publishing.

SALARY AND BENEFITS
Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Librarians at the University of California, Santa Barbara are professional academic appointees who accrue vacation at the rate of two days per month and sick leave at the rate of one day per month. The University has excellent retirement plans and a selection of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. Benefits information can be found at http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/.

The incumbent will be a member of the LX Collective Bargaining Unit represented by the American Federation of Teachers.

Appointment or continued employment is contingent on successful completion of a background check.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
The University of California, Santa Barbara, is one of ten campuses that comprise the University of California system and is a member of the Association of American Universities. The University Library at UC Santa Barbara is a member of the Association of Research Libraries.

UC Santa Barbara sponsors robust research activities and interdisciplinary academic programs in Global Studies and Area Studies and coordinates programs and research activities related to International Studies throughout the campus. Housed within the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER) at UC Santa Barbara, the Center for Middle East Studies (CMES) develops and supports programs that enhance public understanding of the Middle East and the interdisciplinary study of the Middle East. CMES affiliates have a wide array of expertise in Middle East history, politics, economics, religions, cultures, and languages. The Department of Religious Studies is home to a Middle East Studies Program, including an undergraduate major and language courses. The Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies and the Department of Global Studies also provide arenas for interdisciplinary research and teaching in Middle East and Area Studies.

Why UC Santa Barbara [https://www.jobs.ucsb.edu/why-uc-santa-barbara]

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20. For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.