Santa Cruz - University of California - Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian

https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01458

Salary

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. A reasonable estimate for this position is $60,116 - $92,074.

Close Date

January 26, 2023

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The University Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for the position of Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian. The OER Librarian will join a growing team of librarians seeking to understand and respond to changing user needs and objectives within an equity and inclusion framework. Under the direction of the Head of Learning, Research & Engagement, the OER Librarian will spearhead library-wide efforts to lower student course costs by advancing the adoption, adaptation, and creation of OERs by UCSC faculty. This newly-developed position has the option to be an on-campus, hybrid, or full-time remote-work position (with occasional required travel to Santa Cruz).

For this position, we seek a curious and inventive individual to provide leadership and vision for the growth of OER initiatives and services on behalf of the library and in collaboration with campus partners. This vision for the work of this position will be shaped by the local and statewide landscapes and the needs of the campus as identified by the incumbent through their user-focused research and direct engagement with students, faculty, and campus stakeholders. The OER Librarian will be ready to and/or interested in skilling up to engage in the following activities:

• Develop a vision: Identify strategies and pathways for the library to invest in reducing course costs;
• Provide user support: Support the discovery, adoption, adaption, creation, and publishing of open, accessible, and affordable course content; provide training and outreach on OERs and course material affordability; explore/develop strategies for effectively engaging faculty and graduate students with OERs;
• Design initiatives: Develop and pilot initiatives to incentivize and support the use and development of OERs; track and assess the impact of OER initiatives and activities;
• Advance author support: Identify the needs of OER authors/adapters around sharing and publishing open course materials and recommend software or other infrastructure investments for the library; in collaboration with the Scholarly Communication Librarian, provide guidance to authors on copyright, open licensing, and fair use;
• Evaluate overall library support of affordable course material: In coordination with the Collections and Course Reserves departments, understand/identify the course material practices/needs of students and faculty; evaluate library-wide collections, resources, and services in support of affordable course materials.
• We welcome candidates who are seeking to launch a career in OER librarianship and/or established librarians seeking professional growth.

As a member of the library’s Learning, Research & Engagement department, the incumbent will contribute to departmental services and projects and collaborate closely with colleagues across the library. The OER Librarian will be expected to participate on relevant library project teams, UC system-wide committees, and professional organizations; represent the library and campus in system-level discussions related to OER and affordable course costs; participate in campus initiatives related to student course material access; and work closely with library development staff and others to take advantage of external grant opportunities that further library OER goals.

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must meet the basic qualifications listed below (also in the section titled Qualifications):

• An ALA-accredited MLS or MLIS degree OR a Master’s degree in a related discipline such as education or instructional design. Equivalent foreign degrees will be considered.
• Knowledge of open educational resources, practices, and trends as demonstrated by professional experience or coursework;
• Knowledge of the ways that minoritized groups have been marginalized in higher education and strategies for creating accessible, inclusive, and antiracist educational resources and/or learning experiences;
• Experience managing/leading a project, group project, or program.

In addition, applicants with any combination of the following preferred qualifications or experiences are encouraged to apply. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and recognize that the successful candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet all of the preferred qualifications/experiences listed below:

• Experience with OER creation and/or adaption;
• Experience conducting user-focused research and engagement to better understand/identify user needs;
• Experience developing and assessing services to support or enhance research, teaching, or scholarship;
• Experience providing research, teaching, or scholarship support to faculty;
• Knowledge of open access, open licensing, copyright, and fair use;
• Knowledge of accessibility practices for digital resources and websites;
• Experience creating accessible and inclusive educational materials;
• Experience developing workshops and/or training materials;
• Experience leading collaborative projects and programs;
• Ability to learn new tools, skills, and software as needed to support the development of OERs.

UCSC values diversity, equity, and inclusion and is committed to hiring faculty and staff who share these values. UCSC is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) with a high proportion of first-generation students. To be considered, candidates must understand the barriers facing historically oppressed groups in higher education, and, through education, teaching, research, professional activity, and/or creative practice, demonstrate effective strategies that support the success of underrepresented groups in creative, professional, and/or scholarly fields. Activities promoting equity and inclusion at UC Santa Cruz will be recognized as important university service during the librarian review process.