Health Sciences and Natural Sciences Librarian Job Opening

The University of South Dakota (USD) seeks a user-focused librarian who is committed to making a difference in rural health care. The qualified individual will join a team of health sciences librarians who are advancing teaching, learning, patient care, and research in South Dakota by developing collaborative and interactive relationships with faculty, students, and researchers of the USD Sanford School of Medicine and the USD School of Health Sciences. This is a term faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Librarian, and reports to the Dean of the University Libraries.

The position also serves the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, and Sustainability in the College of Arts and Sciences.

This broad portfolio of liaison areas offers the opportunity to work with diverse faculty and students who are at the heart of the University of South Dakota’s commitment to both excellent teaching and research.

Specific responsibilities:

• Engage with a diverse community of faculty and students in assigned departments, including graduate and professional programs in the health sciences, natural sciences, and biomedical sciences, to understand their teaching, learning, and research methods, and to identify ways in which library services could deepen their understanding and advance their teaching, learning, and research.

• Develop and teach classes and workshops, integrating evidence-based practice, information literacy, responsible conduct of research, and new technologies into the learning environment.

• Provide general reference and information literacy instruction.

• Select, promote, and evaluate scholarly communications in traditional and emerging paradigms.

• Lead and serve on relevant library-wide and campus committees.

• Educate students, faculty, and staff about open access publication models, copyright, and open educational resource initiatives.

• Evaluate new tools and emerging technologies for communicating and analyzing scholarly research.

• Participate in organization-wide planning, projects, and initiatives.

• Contribute to academic and health sciences librarianship through service and professional engagement.

Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications: Master’s degree in Library Science or Information Science from an ALA- accredited program; demonstrated experience in working independently; strong communication skills; ability to work respectfully with diverse constituents; ability to initiate and actively engage in conversations with faculty and/or administrators; and ability to respond effectively to a rapidly changing environment.

Desirable Qualifications: One or more years of professional experience in a health sciences library or equivalent experience; advanced degree in health sciences and/or natural sciences field of study; AHIP membership; knowledge of evidence-based healthcare; experience searching biomedical, health sciences, and physical sciences research databases and resources; experience in measuring research impact of scholarly communications; and a strong desire to investigate user needs and recommend solutions to improve library services.

Founded in 1862 and the first university in the Dakotas, the University of South Dakota is the only public liberal arts university in the state, with 198 undergraduate and 79 graduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Education, School of Law, Sanford School of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Beacom School of Business and College of Fine Arts. With an enrollment of more than 10,000 students and more than 400 faculty, USD has a 16:1 student/faculty ratio. In research, USD is among the nation’s Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity (Carnegie Classification.)

The University of South Dakota Libraries <www.usd.edu/library>, including the Wegner Health Sciences Information Center, strive to provide exceptional collections and services using state-of-the-art technologies to support healthcare students, faculty, and practitioners in South Dakota. The University Libraries provides comprehensive, continually-evolving library services to all USD students, faculty, and staff, and communities throughout South Dakota.

USD’s School of Health Sciences is a national leader in interprofessional health sciences education. South Dakota’s comprehensive School of Health Sciences develops scholars, practitioners and leaders in health and human services, including addiction counselors, dental hygienists, health science practitioners, medical laboratory scientists, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants, public health practitioners and social workers

USD’s Sanford School of Medicine is nationally known for excellence. With its award-winning curriculum, the school prepares medical students to practice in all fields of medicine and is particularly recognized and ranked for its reputation in family medicine and rural medicine. In addition to the M.D., it offers graduate degrees in basic biomedical science, sustains a vibrant and forward-looking research agenda, and is home to the interdisciplinary Center for Brain and Behavioral Research.

USD’s College of Arts & Sciences offers students a top-notch undergraduate liberal arts education in the humanities, social sciences and sciences as well as graduate programs that have earned USD distinction as a research university by the Carnegie Foundation. The college’s more than 22,000 alumni include famous journalists, Hollywood screenwriters, novelists, a Nobel Prize winner, South Dakota governors, attorneys, physicians, justices of the state Supreme Court, distinguished university faculty and international humanitarians.