Area Studies Librarian — Middle East & Islamic Studies

H Net; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ohio State University Libraries invite applications for the Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian, a tenure-track faculty position. The role leads research support, instruction, and collection development for Middle East and Islamic Studies, collaborating across International and Area Studies, MESC, and other units.

As a scholarly connector, the librarian develops partnerships, supports digital scholarship, and contributes to program development, outreach, and professional service.

Qualifications

• ALA-accredited master's degree or comparable graduate degree or relevant terminal degree.
• Strong academic grounding in Middle East and Islamic Studies.
• Experience supporting or conducting advanced research.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct or support interdisciplinary research.
• Strong proficiency in Arabic, including reading and input in Arabic script.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working in collaborative, team-based environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide research consultations and course-integrated instruction across all levels.
• Serve as scholarly partner to faculty, graduate students, and visiting scholars; support undergraduate learning and research.
• Lead efforts to enhance discoverability, accessibility, and interpretive use of collections.
• Advance user-centered approaches to multilingual, global information environments.
• Engage with digital scholarship, data-informed, and AI-assisted research practices.
• Collaborate across library units to improve access and usability of resources.
• Stay current with scholarship and developments in relevant fields.
• Oversee collection development in Middle East and Islamic Studies and align with curricular needs.
• Identify opportunities to connect local and external resources; promote distinctive materials.
• Collaborate to integrate special and general collections into teaching and research.
• Develop and support programmatic initiatives; strengthen Area Studies visibility.
• Support digital platforms and scholarly communication; maintain research guides.
• Contribute to outreach, fundraising, and partnerships.

Skills

Arabic proficiency

Interdisciplinary research

Research support

Communication skills

Collaboration

Teamwork

Education

ALA-accredited master's degree or comparable graduate degree or relevant terminal degree

PhD in Middle East and Islamic Studies or closely related field

Tools

Bibliographic databases

Job description

The Ohio State University Libraries invite applications for the Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian, a tenure-track faculty position. The role leads research support, instruction, and collection development for Middle East and Islamic Studies, collaborating across International and Area Studies, MESC, and other units.

As a scholarly connector, the librarian develops partnerships, supports digital scholarship, and contributes to program development, outreach, and professional service.