Research Librarian

Yale Cancer Center; New Haven (CT); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Yale Cancer Center is seeking a Research Librarian to lead Beinecke Library’s reference program in New Haven. This role includes managing in-person and remote reference services, training staff, and enhancing user experience for the library's special collections.

The ideal candidate should have a Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school and excellent communication skills, contributing significantly to the research support at Yale.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school required.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience working collaboratively in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide research support to academic departments, schools, and research centers.
• Create online guides and research support tools.
• Develop library collections in various formats.
• Participate in library planning and professional organizations.

Skills

Reference services in special collections

Interpreting bibliographic records

Verbal and written communication

Problem-solving skills

Education

Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school

Tools

Aeon special collections circulation system

Job description

Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community, eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative, or a newcomer, interested in exploring all that Yale has to offer, your talents and contributions are welcome. Discover your opportunities at Yale!

Overview

Reporting to the Director of Access Services and Operations, the Research Librarian leads Beinecke Library’s reference program. Leads the design and management of an onsite and remote reference program for the Beinecke Library that provides research assistance via in‑person, email, phone, and Zoom, to track and respond to 8,000 to 10,000 inquiries annually. Trains, engages, and coordinates reference program participants from across Beinecke Library and Yale Library special collections. Serves as a leader in Yale Library special collections’ efforts to provide an excellent user experience. Collects statistics and generates reports that help assess the impact of Beinecke and Yale Library special collections on the work of the Yale Library and supports community‑wide strategic assessment. Collaborates with colleagues across Yale Library to continually evaluate and improve reference services. Hires and supervises students as needed. Serves as Yale Library special collections community‑wide resource on provision of reference and related user services. Contributes to the development of research support tools.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability providing reference services in a special‑collections repository.
• Demonstrated ability interpreting bibliographic records and archival finding aids; searching catalogs, databases, and other discovery tools; and explaining the use of these tools to researchers.
• Active and substantive participation in regional, national and international professional activities relating to the use of modern documentary resources.
• Proven ability to manage, lead, and direct staff in accomplishing both individual and collective goals. Ability to train staff at all levels.
• Ability to prioritize effectively among competing demands with a focus on providing excellent patron experience. Ability to solve problems collaboratively and creatively. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including explaining complex processes in a way that is easy for both novice and experienced researchers to understand.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

• Experience providing or leading the provision of reference services in an academic special collections repository.
• Graduate coursework requiring research and writing based on primary sources.
• Experience with special collections circulation and tracking systems (e.g., Aeon).
• Experience with special collections assessment, reporting, and impact analysis.

Principal Responsibilities

• Provides research support to students and faculty in academic departments, schools and research centers through consultations, instruction sessions, and in‑person and virtual reference services. Supports research and raises awareness of information resources through outreach efforts such as department‑based office hours, blogs, RSS feeds, mailing list messages and workshops.
• Creates and maintains online guides and other research support tools. Collaborates with librarians, GIS specialists, archivists and other providers of information resources to support research and teaching.
• Develops library collections in all formats. Works closely with the Director of Collection Development, collection, acquisitions and cataloging librarians and staff on acquiring and receiving resources in all formats (print, databases, datasets, images, a/v, etc.) and preparing them for availability to users.
• Participates in departmental library research support and collections program planning.
• Participates in library system‑wide planning, committees, and work groups, and engages in campus, regional and national professional organizations and collaborative activities. Monitors developments and best practices elsewhere to help ensure the excellence of Yale’s collections and research support services.
• May be required to assist with disaster recovery efforts.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Master’s degree from an ALA‑accredited library school. In selected instances, a post‑graduate degree in a related discipline may be required or substituted for a master’s degree in library science.
• Demonstrated excellent oral, written and interpersonal communications and analytical ability.
• Demonstrated record of designing projects and bringing them to a conclusion in a timely fashion.
• Experience working collegially and cooperatively within and across organizations.
• Experience working collaboratively and independently with varied groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing, team environment.

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