Data Services Librarian

Description

Position: Data Services Librarian

Primary Location: Washington, D.C., eligible for partial telework

Reports to: Director of Research Services

JOB SUMMARY

The George Washington University Libraries and Academic Innovation (GWLAI) enriches the academic experience of scholars and students and sparks innovation at GW. We enable research and teaching through access to the latest scholarship and rich archival resources, tailored support for researchers at all levels, guidance for faculty who want to explore new teaching methods and technologies in the classroom, and robust support for online education. Through innovative partnerships, dynamic workshops, and team-based approaches to project management and problem solving, GWLAI fosters collaboration and provides leadership across the university to support the shared mission of generating, making accessible, and preserving new knowledge. Having joined the Association of American Universities (AAU) in 2023, GW is at an exciting moment in its history and trajectory, and GWLAI is a key partner in supporting the university’s research and scholarly advancements and promoting discoveries and innovations made by the research community.

GWLAI is seeking a collaborative and service-oriented Data Services Librarian to join the Research and User Services (RUS) department. RUS is a highly collaborative unit where librarians work together to meet student, faculty, and researcher needs across disciplines. The Data Services Librarian will provide research support, instruction, and collection development services focused on data-related fields. The ideal candidate will have expertise or a strong interest in emerging trends in technology, data literacy, and analytical tools used in research. This position will play a vital role in helping students and faculty navigate cross-disciplinary datasets, data visualization tools, and statistical software. GWLAI staff and librarians are champions of open access and support open scholarly communication and publishing practices, including the adoption and creation of open educational resources. We also contribute to the scholarly community through our own research, professional engagement, and service.

The University and GWLAI have a strong commitment to recruiting librarians of the highest caliber who have thrived in different environments and would enrich the University with different experiences and perspectives. We offer a work environment that values and supports collaboration, teamwork, and professional growth and development.

A virtual information session for interested candidates will be offered in the coming weeks. Please visit https://go.gwu.edu/librarianjobs for details. 

Primary job responsibilities 

●      Collaborate with campus units including the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR), GW Information Technology (GWIT), Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library and more in order to support research data management at GW; help researchers address relevant management issues related to the research data lifecycle, including advising on: the creation of data management plans, the development of preservation and storage plans for research data, selecting and using data repositories for archiving and sharing, and on meeting funding requirements for data integrity and access

●      Develop and provide services to support researchers in the discovery, access, analysis, management, preservation, and publication of data; help meet the needs of data-intensive research and teaching in a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences; help GWLAI meet curricular needs by increasing the visibility of available data-related resources and services 

●      Help to create and cultivate an institutional culture that values openness across the university by understanding and communicating about issues related to scientific research and scholarly publishing, including workflows, transparency, and reproducibility

●      Deepen our data-related workshop offerings while contributing to a robust curriculum that currently includes topics such as programming in a number of languages and packages; working with data markup and encoding; using APIs and other techniques to retrieve data from online data sources and websites; and data cleaning and manipulation

●      Provide leadership among GWLAI staff to ensure that colleagues are aware of current research about data trends and activities, including available research tools and resources

●      Sustain and expand intellectual partnerships with faculty and students across the university 

●      Conduct library instruction for undergraduate and graduate level courses across a range of academic disciplines, including partnering with GW’s first-year University Writing Program 

●      Support open data, open educational resources (OERs), and scholarly communication initiatives

●      Help GWLAI grow its support of computational literacy and thinking and contribute to a portfolio of research and data consultations

●      Participate in collaborative collection development, building relationships and supporting faculty and departments through active engagement 

●      Demonstrate a desire and ability to learn new skills as well as the potential to work with researchers, librarians, and campus partners to support increased visibility into GW scholarship

●      Contribute to the broader professional community by sharing knowledge in scholarly/professional venues and through service to the University and the profession

Qualifications

Minimum

●      ALA-accredited Master’s degree in library or information science or other advanced degree with relevant experience by date of appointment

●      Demonstrated ability to support faculty and student researchers in data management and/or data analysis 

●      Familiarity with software for statistical, geospatial, qualitative, and/or text analysis, such as SPSS, Stata, SAS, R, Python, ArcGIS, Atlas.ti, NVivo, GIS, or data visualization tools 

●      Demonstrated collaboration skills, with a commitment to supporting an inclusive research community

●      Strong initiative and results-driven approach in previous roles

●      Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills

●      Knowledge of current and emerging trends, issues, and challenges facing researchers

Preferred

●      Project management experience or interest in project management, including planning, communication, and assessment

●      Experience or coursework in data management

●      Familiarity with current research data management best practices

●      Knowledge of scholarly publishing trends and current research data management practices

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet every qualification. If you are passionate about this role, we encourage you to apply and highlight how your experiences align with the position.

This position reports to a Director of Research Services and is eligible for partial telework.

When applying for the Data Services Librarian position please highlight the experiences you have that address the job responsibilities and demonstrate your ability to thrive in this position and within the broader GWLAI and university communities. 

RANK AND SALARY

Salary ranges by rank are:

Librarian 1 - $58,566 - $65,000

Librarian II - $61,156 - $78,000

Librarian III - $65,156 - $81,000

Librarian IV - $71,656 - $130,000

Salary is negotiable, contingent upon rank, skills and qualifications and is competitive for DC-area academic libraries. Comprehensive benefits package includes 22 days/year paid annual leave; 12 days/year paid sick leave; paid winter break and 8 other holidays; medical, dental, and vision; 401(A) retirement plan, 4% base and GW will match 150% of the first 4% of your 403(B) contributions, up to a maximum of 6% of your eligible compensation; tuition assistance; generous ongoing support for professional development; and paid parental leave. Librarians are eligible to apply for research leave after a defined period of service. For benefit details, please visit GW Benefits.

This position is classified as a Council of Librarians position and is eligible for a hybrid on-campus/remote work schedule. This position is a continual reappointment position with reappointment periods of 1-5 years depending on rank. Proven commitment to the profession is expected and can be exhibited through service, publication, and/or presentations. This position is being considered at an open rank.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

To be considered, please complete an online application at https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/117990 and upload a CV and a cover letter that includes an assessment of skills related to minimum and desired qualifications. Only complete applications will be considered. Review of applications will begin on March 26, 2025 and continue until the position is filled.

Employment offers are contingent upon the satisfactory outcome of a reference check and standard background screening.

EEO STATEMENT

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.