Geospatial Information Librarian

Position overview

Position title: Geospatial Information Librarian Salary range: $72,224 - $164,959 Anticipated start: Summer/Fall 2026

Application Window

Open date: March 20, 2026

Next review date: Monday, Jun 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Jun 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

Position Overview

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) seeks a forward-thinking Geospatial Information Librarian to advance geospatial literacy and research in multiple disciplines. This position offers an opportunity to support both established and emerging uses of geospatial data and technology at a dynamic campus situated near the headquarters of Esri, the geographic information systems (GIS) industry leader.

Working as a member of the highly collaborative Research Services Department, the Geospatial Information Librarian will develop and implement strategies to support campus users of geospatial data, tools, and methods. They will play a critical role in supporting advancements in research and in educating patrons on the use of GIS. The Geospatial Information Librarian will also be engaged in outreach to students, faculty, staff, and community members across multiple disciplines to elevate geospatial literacy at UCR in the frameworks of academic excellence and workforce development.

Located an hour's drive to the east of Los Angeles, an hour west of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, an hour east of ocean beaches, ninety minutes north of San Diego, and an hour south of mountain ski resorts, UCR is located in an area of dramatic landscapes and rich cultural traditions. The University is a dynamic, aggressively developing land grant research institution dedicated to preparing its diverse student body to be successful competitors in the world marketplace of ideas.

Over the past few years, UCR has accumulated numerous accolades for its achievements. In 2022, it received the following rankings:
* No. 1 public university in the U.S. for social mobility four years in a row - U.S. News & World Report
* No. 1 for Hispanic enrollment among selective universities - Urban Institute
* No. 2 in the country for financial aid - Business Insider
* No. 2 in Entomology research in the world - Center for World University Rankings
* No. 3 in Hispanic STEM graduates in the nation - National Science Foundation
* No. 4 for Pell Grant student performance - Washington Monthly
* No. 9 among public universities for sustainability - Princeton Review
* No. 11 most diverse medical school - U.S. News
* Top 12 public university - Forbes "America's Best Value Colleges"
* No. 14 public university - CNBC "Colleges That Pay Off the Most"
* No. 20 public university - Princeton Review Best Schools for Making a Public Impact
* No. 31 in the world in plant and animal sciences - U.S. News & World Report
In addition, it has attracted faculty with some of the highest academic honors, including:
* 2 Nobel Prize Winners
* 2 Guggenheim Awards
* 4 UC University Professorships
* 11 Fulbright Scholars
* 28 National Academies Members

The UCR Library is a critical partner in preparing UCR's students to be globally competitive while simultaneously preparing them to be transformative leaders in the Inland Empire and beyond. The mission of the UCR Library is no less than to bring the world's information resources to the UCR community and to ensure that UCR students, faculty, and staff have the skills to fully exploit those resources to change the world for the better.

The UCR Library is a team of intensely collaborative, forward-thinking colleagues dedicated to providing exemplary services to our students, faculty, and community members in a rapidly evolving information environment. The successful candidate will be technologically-sophisticated; committed to problem-solving in local, regional, national, and international arenas; able to develop innovative solutions to complex problems; and a dynamic and effective leader.

The UCR Library is comprised of two facilities housing more than 4,900,000 volumes, 1,740,000 electronic books, 120,000 print and electronic journals, and 2,300,000 microforms. The Library provides services to more than 27,000 students and nearly 2,000 faculty and other academics in an institutional environment planning for and experiencing extensive growth. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic staff of 100, including 36 FTE librarians and 65 FTE staff personnel as well as students, in building a research library of excellence within a dynamic and diverse university ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The UCR Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Among the unique collections of the UCR Library is the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Water Resources Collections & Archives, the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian, the Paul Chou Collection of Chinese history and culture, the George Brown Papers, the Tomas Rivera Papers, and the Inland Empire Memories Initiative. Information about the UCR Library is available at UCR Library.

The UCR Library is an integral part of the University of California library system. With collections totaling 40.8 million volumes, including 4.3 million digitized contents contributed to HathiTrust, UC's more than 100 libraries are surpassed in size on the American continent only by the Library of Congress collection. In addition, UC's California Digital Library (CDL) provides the core of the University's digital collections. CDL also assists UC to share resources and holdings more effectively, and provides leadership in applying technology to the development of library collections and services. Organizationally situated within the UC Office of the President, the CDL operates in close collaboration with all UC campuses and their libraries.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Director of Research Services, the Geospatial Information Librarian is responsible for providing support to faculty, students, and staff in the use of geospatial data, tools and methods.

* Provides assistance regarding the use of geospatial data and technology in research and academic inquiry;
* Offers workshops and course-related instruction on geospatial tools and methods;
* Organizes innovative symposia related to GIS and its intersection with other technologies or disciplines, such as artificial intelligence (AI);
* Creates collaborative alliances across the campus and in the community to promote support for using geospatial methods in instruction, research, and workforce development;
* Collaborates with Research and Teaching and Learning Services department colleagues having expertise in data science, digital scholarship, AI research, innovative media and maker services to better support geospatial elements of research and instruction;
* Maintains knowledge of best practices and developments in GIS, including data collection methods, accessibility, geospatial ethics, and the use of AI;
* Develops and updates geospatial resource guides;
* Answers reference questions related to GIS and collaborates with library colleagues on GIS related reference services. [added]
* Promotes the library's geospatial services and resources;
* Contributes and collaborates in the ongoing development and care of assigned map-related collections
* Collaborates with Library colleagues to develop and implement strategies to support the acquisition, management, curation and preservation of GIS data;
* Participates in general library-wide activities, committees, special projects and programs; represents the UCR Library in various University of California committees and ad-hoc groups related to geospatial information.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining unit; The University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit.

Appointment at rank of Assistant Librarian to Librarian - Potential Career depending upon qualifications and experience. Advancement through the librarian ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every two to three years.

See Table 26B Represented Librarian Series for the salary range for this position Table 26B Represented Librarian Series. A reasonable estimate for this position is $72,224 - $126,379. Excellent retirement system, health, and vacation benefits.

Department :

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

* Master's or doctoral degree from an ALA-accredited Library & Information Science program, OR accredited graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D) in a field strongly integrated with geospatial information, OR an equivalent combination of education and experience;
* Demonstrated experience working with, and a working knowledge of, how geospatial data are created, processed, organized, and used;
* Demonstrated experience using GIS and mapping software such as ArcGIS and QGIS;
* Demonstrated interest in learning new skills and adapting to new technologies;
* Ability to effectively teach the use of GIS to students and faculty in an academic environment;
* Willingness to collaborate with industry partners such as Esri, and to foster connections with other local users and developers of geospatial technology;
* Fosters a respectful, cooperative, professional and courteous work environment;
* Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and projects, working cooperatively with others or independently;
* Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing;
* Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work successfully with a broad range of people from culturally diverse backgrounds including colleagues, students, faculty, and staff from a variety of disciplines.

Preferred qualifications

* Existing knowledge of, or intent to gain knowledge in, current and emerging trends, issues, workflows, and best practices associated with applications of AI in geospatial technology;
* Experience related to the use of AI in GIS (ArcGIS or other proprietary or open source GIS, or GIS-related applications);
* Existing knowledge of, or interest in providing support for, the workflows for using imagery or data collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) in geospatial mapping;
* Knowledge of critical issues regarding the GIS research data lifecycle and scholarly communication;
* Familiarity with basic data cleaning and analysis in Python, R, SPSS, Stata, or another statistical programming environment;
* Demonstrated project management skills;
* Willingness to collaboratively reimagine and restructure the position's service model in response to evolving campus needs or internal library organization.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

• Cover Letter

• Statement of Research (Optional)

• Statement of Teaching (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Please provide contact information for a minimum of three references.

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About UC Riverside

The University of California, Riverside is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. UCR is a member institution of the American Association of Universities (AAU) and the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). A commitment to the UCR mission ( is a preferred qualification.

We seek to hire scholars who will both advance our research directions and effectively educate our undergraduate and graduate students, while also engaging with University and Professional service activities. Research and teaching statements that are included with application materials are opportunities for candidates to share knowledge, experience, and goals that support the mission of UCR. For more information on UC's criteria for successful faculty, refer to the Academic Personnel Manual (APM) 210 - Criteria for Appointment, Promotion, and Appraisal (

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories under state or federal law. It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, State, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer. A Misconduct Disclosure Survey will be compl

Required

Preferred

Job Industries

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