Communications Librarian

Description

The University of California, Merced is a dynamic new university campus in Merced, California, which opened in September 2005 as the tenth campus of the University of California and the first American research university in the 21st century. In keeping with the mission of the University to provide teaching, research and public service of the highest quality, UC Merced offers research-centered and student-oriented educational opportunities at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels through three academic schools: Engineering, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences/Humanities/Arts.
Position Summary:

The role of the Communications librarian is to provide a highly usable, relevant, and inviting digital presence in order to effectively connect library users with library resources and services. The Communications librarian will manage and direct the ongoing development and evaluation of the library’s communications, including the web site, mobile site, social networking profiles, print publications, and digital signage. This individual will follow emerging technology trends and current user practices in order to anticipate academic users’ needs and preferences in a highly digital and mobile environment. The Communications librarian will produce content for digital communications and contribute to library reference services, especially those provided digitally.

Primary Duties:

•Develops and coordinates the library’s communications strategy
•Leads the library web team to direct website development
•Contributes design, technical, and information architecture expertise in support of digital communications
•Monitors and develops the library’s digital presence including its website, social networking profiles, and digital signage
•Prepares workflows and implements tools to simplify the production and distribution of content through digital means
•Identifies and interprets metrics in order to evaluate digital communications and services
•Monitors trends in user behavior and emerging technologies, including social media activities
•Participates in library reference services, particularly digital modes of reference

Secondary Duties:

•Serves on UC systemwide, UC Merced campus, and UC Merced library committees as appropriate
•Participates in appropriate professional development activities
•Other duties as assigned

The University of California, Merced is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. The University is supportive of dual career couples.
Qualifications:  
Qualifications:

•Professional degree from a library school or other appropriate degree or equivalent experience in one or more fields relevant to library services.
•Strong marketing and communication skills, especially writing for the web
•Experience gathering and assessing feedback and analytics data in order to evaluate new or existing communication strategies
•Technical fluency with web authoring standards, accessibility standards, and content management systems
•Experience organizing information for the web; information architecture knowledge
•Expertise using and evaluating current and emerging social media platforms
•Proficiency in project management including delivering projects on time and within scope
•Experience in supervising and training others
•Ability to both strategize and attend to details
•Strong collaborative & interpersonal skills

Preferred Skills:

•Experience using media production technology (e.g. Final Cut) or digital signage systems
•Experience with graphic design
•Experience working in an academic environment with both students and faculty
•Experience providing reference, especially digital reference