Student Engagement Librarian

Aurora University (AU) is committed to the transformative power of learning by creating a student-centered environment and an equity of experience and opportunity, to ensure that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcome and included. Our culture of collaboration, generosity, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff.

AU is grounded in the transformative opportunity it provides to a diverse student body. As a private university with a public mission and a commitment to making a difference in peoples’ lives, AU has a long history of resilience and of providing access to an education that values innovation, focuses on continuous improvement, and has a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are proud of our service to and economic impact on the state of Illinois, where over 80% of our students stay to live and work, where 90% of our students come from, and where we foster strong community partnerships to develop the workforce in areas such as nursing, education, business, technology, and social work.

We are looking for passionate and purposeful individuals who represent the full diversity of Aurora and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ability, identity, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at AU, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative, and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice requiring broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and community partners.

At AU we believe that continuous learning is a fundamental part of working life, and our goal is for all colleagues on our campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support our community by providing all employees with opportunities to engage in professional development activities, as well as a range of tuition and employee benefits that can be found here.

Phillips Library is a small, student-focused library with a current physical collection of 16,127 volumes, over 660,000 eBook titles, and over 100 databases. We house the University Archives as well as the Jenks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials. The library plans to move into a Learning Commons in 2026.

Position Purpose: The Student Engagement Librarian supports learning by providing library outreach services to all Aurora University students in all modalities. This librarian increases our community’s knowledge of and cultivates interaction with library resources and services, especially in regard to student learning, research, and success. The Student Engagement Librarian enhances the visibility of the library and the future learning commons and communicates our value to our stakeholders.

Core Competencies:

1. Represents Aurora University in the most positive manner with prospective, former and current students, clients, suppliers and the community we serve. Interacts effectively with a diverse group of faculty, staff, students and other customers of our service, learns and uses operating practices of the department and Aurora University.
2. Upholds the Mission Statement: At Aurora University, our singular goal is to empower students to achieve lasting personal and professional success. We do this by being an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and purposeful lives.
3. Handles all information with tact and discretion and recognizes the confidential nature of university business.
4. Supports learning through performance of essential job functions and performing other duties and functions as necessary or as assigned, including voluntary participation in university committees, activities and events.

• Develop, organize, and promote outreach initiatives and programs (events and workshops), in all modalities, to increase faculty, student, and AU community awareness and utilization of library resources, collections, and services.
• Engage with all areas of the AU community to identify library priorities, needs, and experiences.
• Support student success, recruitment, and retention efforts on campus by acting as a liaison between the library and centers, initiatives, and support units. These include, but are not limited to, Admission, Orientation, Athletics, Campus Life, Career Services, Lifelong Learning, Alumni Office, and Academic Advisors.
• Collaborate with campus partners to develop and deliver engaging library-related programming, workshops, and events. Develops and delivers workshops and programming for a diverse student population, including targeted workshops/programming for specific AU student populations or in timely response to current events.
• Support provision of library services by working afternoon and evening hours most days of the regular fall and spring semesters.
• Contribute to the academic life of the university community by participating in campus-wide events, committees, and work groups.
• Participate in assessment activities related to the user experience within the library in all modalities.
• Support course development across campus by monitoring and maintaining Reserve and eReserves services.
• Create, maintain, and promote targeted asynchronous resources (LibGuides, tutorials, videos, etc.) for specific AU populations, such as AU Online students, in partnership with appropriate stakeholders.
• Facilitate relationships within a Learning Commons environment to ensure the seamless delivery of services to students. Fosters relationships with all services within the Learning Commons to cooperatively enhance and expand offerings to students.
• Provide student-centered reference and instruction services, such as answering reference questions, taking research appointments, and occasionally teaching instruction sessions in the classroom, in conjunction with Instructional Services Librarian and other librarians.
• Produce and promote library newsletters.
• Compile and send relevant information for the weekly Student Success email blasts.
• Assist in creating OER guides for instructors who request such resources.
• Maintain the library’s social media presence with timely, useful, and informative materials.
• Create flyers and signage in Canva to promote library events.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education: ALA accredited master’s degree in library/information science.
Experience: Experience in library programming, engagement, and outreach. Strong communication and collaboration skills.

• A collaborative disposition. Willingness to work with library colleagues in a rapidly changing information environment. Ability to work collaboratively with other campus departments and individuals.
• Dedication to teamwork. We are a small department where each person contributes unique talents to the whole. Flexibility and acceptance of change are necessary.
• Communicates effectively to student patrons, co-workers, and the campus community both orally and in writing.
• Solid understanding of Microsoft and Apple operating systems.
• Sound judgment and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work independently and be dependable.
• Ability to accept divergent views while maintaining a constructive working relationship with other team members.

• Ability to work with a computer for long periods of the day.
• Ability to attend off campus meetings.
• Office setting, standing, walking, sitting.

The pay range referenced in the job posting is the budgeted amount the university reasonably expects to pay for this position. The final pay rate will not be below the lowest pay rate listed herein.

Benefit-eligible positions offer excellent benefits including health, dental, life, vision, long term disability, a 403(b) retirement plan through TIAA, and tuition remission.

Aurora University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.