Electronic Resources Acquisitions and Licensing Librarian

The Electronic Resources Acquisitions and Licensing Librarian plays a vital role in ensuring that the Hesburgh Libraries have access to a diverse range of scholarly content by serving as the library’s leading subject matter expert on agreements between content providers, publishers, and other related service providers. As a member of the Continuing & Electronic Resources Unit, in the Collection Strategy and Acquisitions Program the incumbent takes an active role in meeting unit goals, seeks to uphold service, system standards and best practices that ensure high quality patron access to electronic resources and discovery of library collections and services. 

The Electronic Resources Librarian serves as the Hesburgh Libraries primary contact with the University’s General Counsel, regarding resource licensing and interpretation; advising the program leadership and other colleagues by reviewing and recommending approval or changes in terms that align with evolving service needs and campus requirements. The Electronic Resources Acquisitions and Licensing Librarian supports the procurement, licensing, renewal, and maintenance of electronic resources and print serials for the Hesburgh Libraries in a multi-faceted environment. They work in a team-based environment to communicate and build relationships with vendors and publishers, evaluate electronic resources, and maintain acquisitions and license records in library systems. The Electronic Resources Acquisitions and Licensing Librarian works closely with colleagues across the library and campus to answer questions related to acceptable use of electronic resources, order follow-up, usage statistics, and other related manners. 

Responsibilities:

Acquisitions & Licensing 

• Primarily responsible for reviewing and negotiating license agreements in consultation with University Counsel and library stakeholders. Provide support for inquiries related to interpretation of terms; regarding use and access of electronic resources.


• Organizes and maintains license records for the University Libraries. They are also responsible for developing expertise on current and emerging licensing practices to negotiate licenses for electronic resources, streaming media, public performance rights, data and datasets, open access, and consortial agreements. This position will contribute to the development of licensing strategies that consider long-term implications and advances the University Libraries’ commitment to excellence.


• Collaborates with the Program Director of Collection Strategy & Acquisitions and Unit Head of CER on vendor negotiations. 


• Coordinates with the Serials and Electronic Resources Associates in the areas of knowledge base management, administrative management of licenses, acquisitions record keeping, renewals/cancellations, statistics and vendor relations. 


• Plays an active role in forming a license review team that focuses on implementing a review process that meets current and future needs and standards


• Regularly consults with the University of Notre Dame’s Office of General Counsel. Serves as the licensing expert, answering licensing questions from colleagues across the Libraries. 

Electronic Resource Management 

• Gathers and disseminates statistical and other value-related data regarding e-resources and annual statistical surveys for library faculty and administration. Resolves usage data issues, such as failed logins, missing data, missing metrics, and data anomalies. Keeps track of the most current COUNTER standard code of practice for measuring library resource usage and address publishers' noncompliance issues. 


• Serves on the Electronic Resources Troubleshooting Team. This team monitors tickets, solves complex access issues, and works proactively in problem identification and resolution.


• Takes an active role in the upcoming ILS migration, with particular focus on acquisitions and licensing.


• Develops workflows, best practices, and documentation to manage electronic and subscription resources, explores new methods in the field, and helps to make the library responsive to new needs and evolving technologies surrounding electronic resources.


• Stays abreast of emerging educational technologies and research methods, open access trends, related eresources and bibliographic standards, interoperability, and other technical issues related to the acquisition, licensing, access, usage,and data mining of electronic resources. 


• Stays informed of trends in acquisitions and electronic resources licensing, and recommends changes to existing tools and workflows as appropriate.

Institutional and Professional Involvement 

• Each library faculty member engages in professional leadership, through membership, teams, and committees in library and other appropriate professional organizations, with a commitment to one’s personal growth and development, as well as to shape the future direction of librarianship.


• Each library faculty member engages in scholarship in librarianship, information science, or other relevant fields, and participates in scholarly conversations happening in outlets such as peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, blogs, and professional conferences.


• As a member of the university faculty, seeks opportunities to participate in faculty and professional activities within the University and broader community, to contribute to the University’s mission and strategic initiatives.

Environment

The University of Notre Dame is a highly selective global Catholic doctoral research university with very high research activity whose idyllic campus is located in northern Indiana’s Michiana region, and about 90 miles east from Chicago. For more information about the University of Notre Dame, please visit the University of Notre Dame homepage at http://nd.edu/

The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame advances institutional priorities by utilizing a talent process that maximizes professional and personal potential, implementing innovative services that further intellectual inquiry, and facilitating access to knowledge across a wide range of scholarly resources in numerous disciplines and formats.

As the primary library system on Notre Dame's campus, Hesburgh Libraries is a dynamic organization that features the flagship Hesburgh Library. Hesburgh Library, along with the Main Building and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is one of three iconic buildings that define the skyline of the Notre Dame campus. It also features the world-famous Word of Life mural (affectionately known as “Touchdown Jesus”).

The Hesburgh Library building houses the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, the Medieval Institute Library, Rare Books & Special Collections, University Archives, and the Visual Resources Center. The Hesburgh Libraries organization also includes three specialty libraries located across the Notre Dame campus (Architecture Library, Business Library, and Music Library).

In 2022, the Hesburgh Libraries developed a new mission, vision, and strategic framework [pdf] designed to help advance Notre Dame's aspirations to become one of the world's leading research universities while prioritizing human and professional flourishing. Within this new framework, each member of the library community plays a key role in advancing strategic goals and objectives, sustaining critical operations, and defining shared values.

The Hesburgh Libraries organization employs nearly 200 people, including more than 50 library faculty members, and has been a longstanding member of several organizations, including Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), Northeast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL), HathiTrust, and the OCLC Research Library Partnership.

Additional information about Hesburgh Libraries can be found on the Libraries’ website https://www.library.nd.edu/employment/. For additional information about working at the University of Notre Dame and various benefits available to employees, please visit http://hr.nd.edu/why-nd. 

Salary and Benefits

Faculty appointment, salary, and rank are nationally competitive with peer Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Per the University’s Academic Articles, librarians at Hesburgh Libraries may qualify for non-tenure library faculty appointments.  Candidates may learn more about Library faculty status through the University’s “Academic Articles” and the Hesburgh Libraries’ information circular “Criteria for Library Faculty Appointment and Promotion”. Both documents are available in the “Library Faculty Positions” section of Hesburgh Libraries’ Employment Opportunities web page, at https://www.library.nd.edu/employment/

In addition, the University of Notre Dame offers an outstanding benefits package. Candidates can view summaries of benefits at Human Resources’ Benefits Summaries web page, at https://hr.nd.edu/employment/benefit-summaries/. For this role, view the summary entitled “Regular Faculty {Full-Time}.”

Finally, the University of Notre Dame supports the needs of dual career couples and has a Dual Career Assistance Program to assist relocating spouses and significant others with their job search. Candidates can view summaries of this program at Human Resources’ Dual Career Assistance Program web page, at https://hr.nd.edu/employment/dual-career-assistance-program/

Required Qualifications: 

●        MLS degree from ALA-accredited program or non-U.S. equivalent. 

Preferred Skills or Experience:

●        Experience reviewing library resource license agreements and document management.

●        Ability to take a leadership role in group activities.

●        Proven success communicating with stakeholders and team members, patrons and content providers.

●        Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

●        Ability to balance multiple projects and set priorities in a time-sensitive environment. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We expect that the successful candidates will increase the diversity of voices within research libraries, higher education, and cultural heritage institutions. Through their materials, applicants should clearly demonstrate how they have embodied, fostered, or implemented an equitable culture that considers diversity to be a competitive advantage.

While the University of Notre Dame welcomes and actively seeks Catholic intellectuals, what the University asks of all its scholars and students is not a particular creedal affiliation, but a respect for the objectives of Notre Dame, and a willingness to enter into the conversation that gives it life and character. Therefore, the University insists upon academic freedom that makes open discussion and inquiry possible.

The University of Notre Dame is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and requires affirmative action by covered contractors to employ and advance veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities in compliance with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a).