Information Technology Technical Associate

Description

The University Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago serves an urban and highly diverse campus of more than 25,000 students and 11,000 faculty and staff members, as well as the Chicago metropolitan area and the State of Illinois. The Library supports, enhances, and collaborates in the education, research, and service activities of the University by ensuring that faculty, students, and other users have access to a broad and diversified range of scholarly resources, both through its own rich collection of materials and through collaborations with other institutions; providing expertise; engaging in original research; instructing students; and collaborating with faculty outside the library.

The UIC Library Information Technology division provides support for a wide range of services, including over 50 unique digital collections, many focusing on the history and culture of Chicago. Current and forthcoming projects address large-scale digital asset management and preservation, discovery of geographic information and support for e-science. The UIC Library is also a crucial partner in the development of the Chicago Collections Consortium portal, which will link the archival and digital collections of over a dozen Chicago area universities and cultural institutions.

Design information, research and storage systems to support the Library’s goal of providing quality resources and expertise to students, faculty and staff.  Act as project manager in designing or modifying information systems.  Reports to the Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology.

Duties:
Job Responsibilities (Essential Duties)

1.      Works with Assistant University Librarian for IT in prioritizing projects that will be completed.
2.      Meets and negotiates with stakeholders (faculty, students, staff) to understand their needs and build information systems that improve access to Library resources.
3.      Leads teams in the design of new systems and projects to modify existing systems.
4.      Designs, develops, tests, integrates, supports, and documents user-facing applications and back-end systems.
5.      Designs and develops complex databases for the storage of research data and reports.
6.      Integrates Library information into other campus information systems.
7.      Maintains knowledge of emerging technologies to support the Library’s evolving virtual services.
8.      Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements

1.     Any combination totaling two years from the following categories:
                  
                a)   progressively more responsible work experience in IT-related profession   
                b)  college course work in Information Technology (IT), IT Management, or a closely related discipline, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
                       ·       60 semester hours or Associate’s Degree equals one year
                       ·       90 - 120 semester hours or Bachelor’s Degree equals two years.

2.    Demonstrated knowledge of web application development and data modeling, including skills in Web application frameworks (Django, Ruby on Rails), JavaScript, XML/XSLT, creating and administering relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle), and using database query tools.

3.    Demonstrated knowledge of software development using Python or Java

Preferred Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (computer science, information science, or closely related field).
• Advanced degree in computer or information science, or ALA- accredited MLS is preferred.
• A minimum of 4 years experience in software development using Python or Java and in developing applications that interact with MySQL, PostgreSQL, or Oracle databases using JavaScript, and XML/XSLT.
• A minimum of 2 years experience designing and administering relational databases built in MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or Oracle and maintaining systems to manage and transform data in multiple formats.
• Experience working with LAMP or variant environments.
• Experience with HTML5/CSS3.
• Experience with DSpace, Solr, and/or Fedora.
• Knowledge of information technology accessibility issues and techniques.
• Knowledge of Semantic Web and Linked Data concepts and technologies.
• Experience or coursework in user testing/user evaluation.
• Knowledge of library practices and data formats (MARC, EAD, Dublin Core, METS, MODS, etc.).
• Experience working in the context of a software development methodology.
• Experience standard software development tools and techniques (e.g., git, testing frameworks).
• Demonstrated experience in project management or team leading.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in a team environment and the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to support to a user-centered service in a research-intensive, fast-paced, culturally diverse higher education environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.