Humanities Librarian

Job Description:

The Humanities Librarian at the Brown University Library is a subject specialist who brings distinctive expertise in research- and curriculum-aligned services to the community of scholars, instructors, and students engaged in research and teaching in a number of academic departments, including Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, and the programs in Early Cultures, Judaic Studies, and Medieval Studies. Reporting to the Director of Academic Engagement, this position is part of the liaison librarian team providing research support, instruction, and collection development activities that enable the intellectual endeavors of the Brown community of scholars. This is a highly collaborative position, typically involving partnerships with librarians in Academic Engagement, the Center for Digital Scholarship, the Center for Library Exploration and Research, and Special Collections. 

The essential functions of this position are to:

• Provide communication and outreach to faculty, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and community scholars in assigned departments, cultivating strong partnerships and seeking opportunities for enhanced collaboration and support.
• Regularly make collection development decisions for each liaison area that reflect evolving disciplinary and program needs, and effective use of allocated funds.
• Connect users with the University’s remarkable collections of materials including extensive circulating materials and the John Hay Library’s rare books, manuscripts, and archives, which include substantial  Medieval and Early Modern collections.
• Develop and deliver effective library instruction, including primary source literacy, research methods, core tools and methods relevant to humanities disciplines.
• Deliver reference assistance and research consulting at all levels, both face-to-face and online.
• Partner with colleagues to develop high-impact research and curricular services which support disciplinary and interdisciplinary research across the humanities
• Maintain a high level of professional engagement with colleagues in other institutions and with the professional literature.

The Brown University Library is open to a broad range of ways and contexts in which candidates might demonstrate how they meet these qualifications through work experience, coursework, community involvement work, and life experiences.​ Please use your cover letter to address how your combination of expertise, experience, and skills are relevant to the work described, addressing each of the required qualifications.

This position will be hired at a Librarian II rank in the Brown University Library’s Program for Library

Professionals, a professional development program whose aim is to support the advancement of career

professionals.

About the Library:

The Brown University Library is a dynamic center of scholarship and community at the heart of a world-class research university. Supporting and collaborating with a broad and diverse academic constituency, the Library is essential for Brown’s mission “to serve the community, the nation, and the world by discovering, communicating, and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry.” Brown is widely known for its open undergraduate curriculum and the belief that the best academic programs bring innovative teaching and rigorous research together. Integrating with Brown’s ambitious strategic plans, the Library is a site of innovation that fuels intellectual creativity. Signature Library initiatives include the establishment of the Center for Library Exploration and Research to increase campus and community impact; the Racial Justice Resource Center and initiatives  to assess and counteract the legacies of historical racism in library practice; Brown University Digital Publications to advance new approaches to born-digital scholarship; and a revisioned special collections program that is positioning the John Hay Library as a research destination and leader in reparative and community-based collecting. We are seeking outstanding library professionals at all levels of the organization who are excited about advancing academic excellence at the highest level, and who will bring a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and abilities to a scholarly community that is actively committed to being more diverse and inclusive.

Education and Experience

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 years of experience in an academic library, cultural heritage setting, or educational institution in a collection development, teaching, or research role.
• Advanced academic work or degree in classical, medieval, or early modern studies, or a related field of study.
• Experience introducing primary and secondary sources and information literacy skills to a variety of learners in person and in virtual settings.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a setting that embraces a highly diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge.

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of current research trends and information literacy principles and practices.
• Work experience with the subject matter, tools, and methods in at least one related field of study.
• Knowledge of or experience working with library collections in classics, religious studies, and related fields.
• Reading proficiency in classical and modern languages relevant to our holdings.
• Strong customer-service orientation.
• Demonstrated ability to bring inclusive, collaborative and engaging approaches to research service, collection development, and instruction onsite and virtually.
• Excellent planning, decision making, problem-solving skills with superior verbal and written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and cooperatively in a diverse, dynamic, team setting and to balance multiple competing priorities.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of the University.

Best consideration date: September 16, 2024

All offers of employment are contingent upon a criminal background check and education verification satisfactory to Brown University.

Benefits of Working at Brown:

Information on the Benefits of Working at Brown can be found here.

Recruiting Start Date:

2024-08-06

Job Posting Title:

Humanities Librarian

Department:

University Library

Grade:

Grade 10

Worker Type:

Employee

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular

Time Type:

Full time

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

37.5

Position Work Location:

Hybrid Eligible

Submission Guidelines:

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any staff position at Brown University you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

Still Have Questions?

If you have any questions you may contact employment@brown.edu.

EEO Statement:

Brown University is an E-Verify Employer.

As an EEO/AA employer, Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, and caste, which is protected by our University policies.