Community Resources Librarian - Olin College of Engineering

Company Description

Olin College of Engineering seeks employees who are passionate about working collaboratively within and outside of the Olin community to support the College’s mission and vision for the future. At Olin, we are educating the next generation of engineering innovators and shifting the definition of engineering. Not only do our students ask, “Who are we designing this for, and what are their values?” They also ask questions about the impact of their work on society.

 As Olin evolves under the leadership of our president, Dr. Gilda Barabino, we seek to become a more diverse and aware community, a place where everyone is a learner and where everyone is an educator. Olin will become a place where experimentation—including making and learning from mistakes—will be embraced across the institution, not just in the classroom. Collaboration is key to Olin’s curriculum and culture, and we will work intentionally to reinforce the values and culture to which we aspire. We are a community that thrives on being together; we value trust. The College supports teams to collaboratively decide how they can best do their work, and display a commitment to the community, all while providing individuals with overall work-life flexibility.

Olin College is situated on 75 acres in Needham, Massachusetts. We are approximately ten miles from Boston, one mile from the MBTA Commuter Rail train station, and approximately four miles from the Woodland Station for the MBTA Green Line. We have plenty of free parking on campus. You can find more details on our Visiting Campus page.

• Take a Virtual Campus Tour: From the moment you step on campus at Olin, you feel a buzz of energy and activity—and once you experience it, you want to be a part of it.

Olin College is committed to supporting an innovative, integrated learning and working environment. As a small campus, the in-person experience and cross-team collaboration is what helps build a strong, dynamic community for our students, faculty and staff. Typically, most roles at Olin College are intended to be in-person and on-campus. Certain paid positions may be eligible for flexible working arrangements, at the College’s sole discretion. Any approved remote work arrangement for pay must be performed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where Olin is registered to do business. Individual flexible and remote work options can be discussed during the interview process. 

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY:

About The Library:

The Olin College Library serves nearly 400 undergraduate engineering students, all of whom live on-campus, and an enthusiastic faculty and staff. We uphold and advance learning, scholarship, individual wellbeing, and community strength.

The Library is staffed by 3 librarians: the Director of the Library, the Community Engagement Librarian, and the Community Resources Librarian (CRL). We also employ a small, engaged group of student workers. The Library works closely with faculty and is situated in the department of Student Affairs (StAR), reporting to the Dean of Student Affairs.

Primary Responsibilities:

The CRL’s primary area of responsibility is electronic resources of all kinds, front-and-back-end. They maintain, assess, and seek to improve e-resources. The CRL ensures e-resources are accessible, discoverable, and user-friendly. 

The CRL ensures resources are accessible and usable. They identify areas of need and propose/execute thoughtful and practical solutions. They collect, manage, and analyze data of all types to evaluate and improve services. Other duties may include: current-and-potential product assessment, digital archive maintenance, and vendor communications. Their work is informed by their niche knowledges of: the Olin community, the Olin curriculum, LIS news and scholarship, instructional design methods, and user experience principles.

Shared Responsibilities, Expectations and Opportunities:

All staff contribute to daily and routine Library tasks, balancing them with their primary duties. A typical workday will include a mix of primary work and any combination of circulation, reference, collection development, Library space management (including Library of Things and makerspaces), and/or assisting with Library programming. 

Library staff must possess initiative, tolerance for ambiguity and change, comfort with asking for help, and a willingness to jump in wherever needed. Staff are collaborative, communicative, and non-competitive with each other. We engage directly and daily with students, staff, and faculty; our users are also our frequent collaborators and partners. 

Library staff often have opportunities to participate in Olin or Library projects that are relevant to our mission and to the staff member’s interests (art or fabrication projects, ethics discussion groups, etc.). Staff are welcome to discuss such opportunities with the Director at any time. Nevertheless, the primary responsibilities of this position will remain top priority and will not change.

Library staff are expected to have an understanding of- and commitment to- fundamental LIS and education principles. These include privacy, access, information literacy, intellectual freedom, and universal design.

This is an in-person/on-campus position based in Needham, MA, with possible flexible work options. Any approved remote work arrangement must be performed in the state of Massachusetts where Olin is registered to do business.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Electronic Resource Management

• Manage, maintain, and update Library-subscribed and managed e-resource products to ensure discoverability and accessibility. These include: subscription databases, Minuteman consortium catalog (Sierra), EBSCO (including EDS) products, and Springshare products.
• Work with the Director to update library website content as needed.
• Work closely with library colleagues and vendors to ensure that all types of collections are readily discoverable and accessible, online and in the library, in a timely manner.
• Troubleshoot and resolve e-issues, working with colleagues and vendors as needed.
• Work with the Director to establish effective working relationships with technical contacts at vendors, publishers, and interface providers.
• With the Director, coordinate and assess electronic subscriptions and renewal offers. 
• Proactively research and analyze new products and make recommendations.
• Continuously develop in-depth understandings of the College (curriculum, mission, and culture), literary and publishing fields (academic & popular works, open-access, open educational resources, etc.), user experience design and research, and general trends in acquisitions, discovery, and electronic resources.
• Co-manage statistics and other reports to capture data related to collections, acquisitions, and internal/external reporting throughout the fiscal year.

Academic Support

• Participate in the College’s academic program in formal and informal ways. Opportunities include: Library-specific programming, student advising, supervision of student independent studies, and participation in course instruction (with approval of the Dean of Faculty for formal teaching).
• Provide resource and research instruction, aligned with the academic program, in formal and informal ways. This may include answering help tickets, leading instruction sessions, and creating instructional documents.
• Co-manage the course reserves process, including faculty communication, physical and digital acquisitions, cataloging, and maintaining reserves lists.
• Co-manage, operate, and support the use of the Library of Things collection and makerspace equipment.
• Build relationships and work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students across Academic Life and throughout the Olin community, to ensure the development and delivery of library resources and services and promote their incorporation into the fabric of academic and student life. This work includes a focus on promoting information, critical thinking, creativity, and research skills and enabling students to be active participants in an experimental, innovative undergraduate engineering community.
• External Work: pursue/initiate conversations and projects with consortium libraries (Babson College, Wellesley College, and Minuteman), as well as other communities of practice. Seek to understand their resources and services, streamline relationships, and ensure the highest quality service to the Olin community. 
• Proactively seek professional development, conference, and networking opportunities.

Other duties may include: 

• Collection development
• Interlibrary loan
• Acquisitions
• Programming
• User support
• Stewardship of physical space and items
• Student worker management and mentoring
• Community outreach and participation
• External outreach and partnerships
• Other duties as assigned
   

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Requirements

• Master of Library Science (MLS/MLIS)
• 2 years library work experience, ideally in electronic resource management or similar fields. Extensive, documented coursework may be considered in lieu of work experience.
• Experience with managing: e-resources, websites and UX, and/or datasets. 
• Experience with basic web development tools and coding. At minimum: HTML and CSS.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to values of equity, access, and belonging

Desired skill sets and interests

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in Science or Engineering fields
• Interest/knowledge of fabrication and makerspace equipment, including: machine sewing, podcasting and recording equipment, filmmaking and photography equipment, and screen and/or sublimation printing.
• Experience with EBSCO EDS, academic journal packages and research databases. 
• Experience with e-resource statistics and COUNTER Code of Practice.
• Interest/experience with graphic design and web design.
   

Benefits

Olin College prides itself on offering to faculty and staff comprehensive benefits that provide both choice and value. These benefits are an important part of total compensation.  

Full-time employees scheduled to work at least of 30 hours per week may be eligible for the following benefits: 

Core Benefits

• Medical (three different options) 
• Dental 
• Vision
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance (company paid)
• Paid Family Medical Leave
• Long Term Disability (company paid)
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with company match
• Liberal sick and vacation time and paid holidays
• Free parking

Additional Benefits 

• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Tuition Assistance Program   
• Business Travel Insurance
• Supplemental 403(b) Retirement Plan 
• Travel Assistance Services (company paid)
• Health Care Management Program
• Pet Insurance

Please note that benefits are subject to change at any time.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

At Olin College we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about a role and have relevant experience, but your work history doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we'd nevertheless encourage you to apply.

Olin College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We especially welcome applications from candidates belonging to groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities. Employees of the College who have a disability are welcome to request reasonable accommodations by contacting Human Resources at HR@olin.edu.