User Experience & Web Design Librarian

Description

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) seeks a User Experience & Web Content Librarian to support and advance the mission of CRL by ensuring its website and digital collections are discoverable, accessible, and in line with the priorities of the broad CRL community. This is an ideal opportunity for a professional with a passion for researcher and library user success, a commitment to harnessing technology to foster more equitable and inclusive knowledge ecosystems, and a dedication to an organizational culture that incentivizes teamwork and continuous learning. Reporting to the Director of Collections and Research Support, the User Experience & Web Content Librarian is a key member of the CRL team, responsible for researcher success in discovering resources through the design, development, organization, evaluation, and maintenance of CRL’s web and digital presence.  

Based in Chicago, IL, the Center for Research Libraries is an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries and an enduring model for cooperative collection development and community building among the research library community. From its original founding in 1949 by ten member libraries in the Midwestern United States, today CRL represents an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries collectively building, stewarding, and sharing a wealth of resource materials from all world regions to support inspired research and teaching. 

CRL is dedicated to advancing the values and first principles of academic librarianship, including the defense of intellectual freedom, celebration of diversity, advocacy of responsible stewardship, and promotion of social responsibility and the public good. 

As a place of work, CRL places a high value on excellence, accountability, innovation, inclusivity, and teamwork. Learn more about us and our work here. 

Responsibilities 

• Creates and manages web content, coordinates projects, ensures currency of information, and gathers usage statistics and information to continually improve resource discovery and use of CRL’s collections 
• Leads CRL’s efforts to create an effective, inviting, and accessible online presence for the CRL community  
• Works closely with content creators to ensure content is current and organized in a meaningful way 
• Initiates or collaborates on other web development and communication/UX projects/duties for the overall benefit of the organization 
• Conducts user interviews, surveys, or other information gathering strategies to ensure an ongoing understanding of user needs, interests, abilities, and limitations 
• Provides user-centered design strategies and best practices to enhance users’ discovery experiences. Implements CRL policies and procedures for website structure, format, and accessibility and develops and administers new library website policies and procedures 
• Contributes to documentation standards, interface guidelines, and promotes UX design best practices 
• Applies accessibility standards and UX design patterns to the CRL website, digital collections, and services 
• Provides training and information through seminars and various communications to user departments and internal staff 

Qualifications/Education and experience 

• Education or career experience to effectively understand the needs, expectations, and preferences of researchers and library users remotely navigating a wide variety of resources and services 
• Understanding of user experience, usability testing, and universal design principles 
• Knowledge of UX research and design principles, including designing and conducting UX research methodologies, such as user interviews and usability testing 
• Knowledge of design thinking practices and principles, including building empathy, designing human-centered systems, accessibility standards, and iterating on solutions 
• Knowledge of web communications best practices and analytics 
• Knowledge of library catalogs and tools 
• Awareness of the role of academic libraries in supporting student success, research productivity, and community engagement 
• High degree of professionalism in working with diverse groups of stakeholders 
• Appreciation for collaboration, continuous process improvement, and new ideas 
• Commitment to professional ethics and the ability to appropriately handle information of a confidential or sensitive nature 
• Exceptional time management and the ability to prioritize/react with appropriate urgency to events requiring a quick response/turnaround 

Compensation and benefits 

This is a full-time, permanent position with an expected starting salary between $60,000-$70,000 per year. CRL offers competitive benefits including health, dental, life and disability insurance, and flexible PTO including vacation, sick, personal time, 2 floating and 12 paid holidays per year. In addition, CRL offers generous retirement benefits with a monthly 10% contribution after a year of employment (immediately vested). Employees will receive funding for professional development activities. Although the successful candidate is expected to work on-site in CRL’s headquarters next to the campus of the University of Chicago, hybrid on-site/remote schedules are possible, pending manager approval.  

Application process 

Expertise in each requirement listed above is not expected — instead, we encourage applications from those who demonstrate a mix of expertise in some areas and commitment to learning and experimentation in others. Skills and relevant experience outlined in your application may be paid or unpaid, and can include internships, volunteer work, and practicums. We understand that experience, education and learning, and creativity take many forms, and expect that qualified applicants may bring additional skills to this position that we’ve not considered or listed here. If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply!  

To be considered for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume to resumes@crl.edu. Please include ‘User Experience and Web Content Librarian' in the subject line. We are keen to fill this important position on our team, and applications will be received until the position is filled. Applications received by close of business Friday, January 27, 2023 will be given priority attention.  

Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity    

CRL enthusiastically embraces the empathy, courage, self-reflection, and respect of a multi-cultural, diverse, and inclusive workplace, and those who strive to incorporate those values in their work and interactions. CRL is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. CRL is committed to actively promoting the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion as key components for serving our members and advancing our global mission. As such, CRL complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment, hiring and employment and is dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CRL are based on organization needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CRL will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.