Health Sciences Librarian (Special Appointment)

Description

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: Health Sciences Librarian (Special Appointment)

The Queen’s University Library invites applications for a Special Appointment Health Sciences Librarian at the rank of General Librarian, with a preferred starting date of June 1, 2021.

Candidates must have a M.L.S/M.L.I.S or equivalent degree completed at the start date of the appointment. Candidates must provide evidence of an ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and student-centered environment. The successful candidate will also be expected to make contributions through service to the Unit, the University, and/or the broader community. Queens Librarians are members of the Queen’s University Faculty Association and terms and conditions of work are governed by the collective agreement between the Association and the University.  Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

People from across Canada and around the world come to learn, teach and carry out research at Queen’s University. Librarians and their dependents are eligible for an extensive benefits package including prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long term disability insurance, life insurance and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. You will also participate in a pension plan. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their spouses and dependent children. Queen’s values families and is pleased to provide a ‘top up’ to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave. In addition, Queen’s provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen’s-QUFA Collective Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen’s Human Resources.

Additional information about Queen’s University can be found on the Faculty Recruitment and Support website. The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe, in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Kingston’s residents enjoy an outstanding quality of life with a wide range of cultural, recreational, and creative opportunities. Visit Inclusive Queen’s for information on equity, diversity and inclusion resources and initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY 

Entering our libraries – virtual and physical – our students and faculty feel the world at their fingertips, the knowledge of the ages and the potential of the future. Librarians and staff work closely with students and faculty in every discipline and in the spaces where they intersect.  Our best innovations happen through collaboration – across the library, with our faculties and schools, and through our regional, national, and international partnerships. Here the employment experience is diverse and interesting. 

For the position of Health Sciences Librarian, we are seeking a collaborative and service-oriented individual to provide innovative, high quality learning and research services that support the library’s vision to inspire learning, spark creativity, and build a community for teaching, learning, and research.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Head Health Sciences Librarian, and working as part of a team, the Health Sciences Librarian is responsible for promoting, delivering and supporting a full range of information services for all members of the Queen’s University Library community, especially undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and health professionals at several Southeastern Ontario institutions as part of our clinical outreach partnerships. As part of a highly motivated team, the librarian contributes to a robust set of user-centered reference and research services including supporting knowledge synthesis research; liaises with faculty, staff and students in assigned subject areas; participates in online and in-person delivery of curriculum-integrated information literacy programs; participates in the development and maintenance of the Library web pages and other publicity and course materials; supports the Library in aligning our work with the Queen’s University Library Action Plan to Support Anti-Racism, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenous Cultures; and is involved in collection development activities related to health equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigeneity. The librarian consults and collaborates with other staff across the Library system and shares a commitment to professional user services and the achievement of the Library’s goals and objectives.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• An ALA accredited M.L.S./M.L.I.S. degree or equivalent
• Strong service philosophy and commitment to user-centered services
• Demonstrated oral and written communication skills
• Ability to balance priorities and adapt in a changing work environment
• Highly motivated and flexible individual who takes a proactive approach and can work effectively in both a team-based and a self-directed environment
• Ability to build and maintain productive relationships
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and/or experience serving diverse populations of users
• Experience providing reference and research services especially using electronic information resources and applications in relevant disciplines
• Experience working in an academic health sciences or hospital library or equivalent experience
• Some experience with teaching or instruction such as creating online learning objects (modules, videos, guides, etc.) 
• Understanding of research methodologies such as systematic and scoping review methodologies

Preferred:

• Experience in collection maintenance, including electronic resource evaluation, monograph selection, and weeding
• Experience in the provision of instruction in health sciences fields including knowledge assessment practices.
• Experience authoring web content using Drupal, LibGuides, or other content management system

The full position description can be found here.

ENVIRONMENT

Queen’s University Library consistently receives top marks as a medium-sized university library.  It comprises six libraries and several cross-library divisions supporting the university’s academic mission, and is known for its dedicated staff, strong research collections and superb facilities. A staff of approximately 120 provides information leadership and is deeply embedded in Queen’s faculties and schools of Engineering & Applied Science, Arts & Science, Business, Education, Health Sciences, Law, Policy Studies, Religion, and Urban & Regional Planning. The Library’s research collections, developed since Queen’s University’s founding, are a central university priority and include millions of print and digital items supported by a strong technology infrastructure and a focus on scholarly communications. The Library provides a comprehensive suite of services to assist faculty and student researchers in depositing scholarly publications to institutional and discipline repositories and is a recognized leader in providing services related to data curation and in the development of regional and national initiatives to support research data management. Library facilities are heavily used campus hubs with a mix of inviting, accessible learning spaces, computers and collections. Queen’s University Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.  

The Bracken Health Sciences Library serves the teaching and research needs of undergraduates, graduates, faculty and researchers in the Faculty of Health Sciences, which includes the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences.  Bracken Health Sciences Library offers a comprehensive information literacy program integrated in all the health and life sciences curricula. Another important role for the Bracken Health Sciences Library staff is the delivery of information and collection services to a number of hospitals in Southeastern Ontario. 

 
APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minority and Indigenous/Aboriginal people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applications must include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”; OR, “I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada”. Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.

The deadline for applications is March 22, 2021. Applicants are asked to send an application package electronically as a single PDF in confidence to the Appointments Committee at library.hr@queensu.ca. 

A complete application consists of:  

- a cover letter (including one of the two statements regarding Canadian citizenship / permanent resident status specified in the previous paragraph) 

- a current curriculum vitae 

- names of three referees, two of whom must have been in a supervisor role 

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview by the Appointments Committee will be contacted. 

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs.  If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact library.hr@queensu.ca