Digital Technologies Development Librarian

Description

The Digital Technologies Development Librarian has primary responsibility for the development and maintenance of the software that supports the library’s data services and digital scholarship programs including data management, scholarly publishing, and data visualization. Located in the Library Informatics and Computing (LIC) department, the position is a 12-month, tenure track, faculty appointment with rank as Assistant Professor. Reporting to the head of the LIC department, the Digital Technologies Development Librarian is responsible for building and maintaining MSU’s digital library systems and working with the MSU Research Computing Group to integrate current best practices in data management and preservation. The Digital Technologies Development Librarian will also envision and create the tools that allow our digital library applications to grow and thrive with emphases on discovery, data visualization and data mining. As a member of the Library faculty, the Digital Technologies Development Librarian is expected to meet the University’s research and service requirements for promotion and tenure.

Duties and Responsibilities
● Provide tactical development of digital library systems.
● Design and develop digital initiatives with specific focus on repository development and digital scholarship applications.
● Design and develop digital initiatives that optimize discovery by search engines and on data visualization and data mining applications.
● Collaborate across the library to create new and innovative online experiences for our users.
● Provide project planning, management, and expertise for digital library projects.
● Participate in the library’s liaison program to create data services and digital scholarship opportunities and conduct other forms of liaison work.
● Develop a research agenda that results in publications/presentations to meet promotion and tenure requirements.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
1. A masters degree from an ALA (American Library Association) accredited graduate program.
2. Experience with programming languages and database query languages (e.g., PHP, Python, and SQL).
3. Experience with scripting and stylesheet languages (e.g., JavaScript, CSS, and XSLT).
4. Awareness of issues surrounding scholarly communication, data management, and open access.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills
1. Experience with software development and software maintenance, with preference for DSpace software development and software maintenance experience.
2. Experience working with diverse forms of library and special collections resources, particularly with regard to how to visualize and mine these resources for broad research audiences.
3. Experience with digital initiatives development and maintenance in an academic or research library.
4. Experience with structured data formats (e.g., JSON, XML) and applying these formats in API and data harvesting routines.
5. Familiarity with a Version Control System such as Git or SVN.
6. Experience with Linux/Unix system administration in development and production environments.
7. Demonstrate an interest/aptitude in training and educating peers in the library and around campus about digital scholarship and its associated skills.
8. A degree in a related information technology field, such as Computer Science (CS), Management of Information Systems (MIS), or Information Management.

The Successful Candidate Will
● have a passion for libraries, archives, and open source/open data culture.
● have excellent communication skills, especially when discussing technical work with non-technical people.
● have a strong interest in learning on the job and applying new skills to meet library needs.
● have a strong interest in supporting the land grant mission of MSU and outreach to academic units and citizens of Montana.
● thrive in an environment of risk-taking, experimentation, and change.
● have strong collaborative skills with a complementary ability to work independently when needed.
● show potential in scholarly research and grant activity as well as active engagement in the library profession.