Research Librarian

Research Librarian

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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 8-10,000 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 and support 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.

Principal Responsibilities

1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. Participates in departmental library research support and collections program planning. 5. 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. 6. May be required to assist with disaster recovery efforts. 7. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrated ability providing reference services in a special collections repository. 2. 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. 3. Active and substantive participation in regional, national and international professional activities relating to the use of modern documentary resources. 4. 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 in explaining complex processes in a way that is easy for both novice and experienced researchers to understand.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

1. Experience providing or leading the provision of reference services in an academic special collections repository. 2. Graduate coursework requiring research and writing based on primary sources. 3. Experience with special collections circulation and tracking systems (e.g., Aeon). 4. Experience with special collections assessment, reporting, and impact analysis.

Required Education and Experience

1. 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. 2. Demonstrated excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communications and analytical ability. 3. Demonstrated record of designing projects and bringing them to a conclusion in a timely fashion. 4. Experience working collegially and cooperatively within and across organizations. 5. Experience working collaboratively and independently with varied groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing, team environment. Yale University assigns ranks to librarian positions based on a combination of professional experience and accomplishments (see range assigned to this description as noted in the posting position title). Librarian ranking information can be found at: