Description

Department Summary

One of 10 constituent colleges and schools of the University of Denver – the only private higher educational institution in the Rocky Mountain Region to be recognized with Carnegie Research 1 (R1) status – the Sturm College of Law features a highly research-active faculty and a Top 20 program in legal research and writing. Housed in a state-of-the-art, LEED Gold building, the Westminster Law Library supports innovative and interdisciplinary faculty research, trains students in legal research skills across multiple subject matter areas, and familiarizes students with technologies relevant to modern-day legal practice.

Position Summary

Occupying a faculty position within the Professorial Series in University Libraries, and reporting to the Associate Director of the Westminster Law Library, the Faculty Services Librarian leads the Sturm College of Law’s Faculty Research Service, which supports faculty scholarship through a variety of research-related initiatives. Working across a range of scholarly areas and methodological approaches, the Faculty Services Librarian provides expert support to law faculty members in association with their research, including (but not limited to) assistance with literature searches, research design, document delivery requests, and the promotion of faculty scholarship. In addition to working closely with faculty members, the successful candidate will collaborate with other faculty colleagues in the Westminster Law Library to advance instruction in legal research, including by teaching in the innovative and highly popular Certificate in Legal Research (CLR) Program and in an upper-division course in advanced or specialized legal research.

This position is a full-time faculty appointment in the University Libraries series subject to the University of Denver’s Policies and Procedures Relating to Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure. Although our preference is to hire someone who can work in-person, we will accept and consider applications from qualified candidates who wish to engage in telework if such arrangements are advantageous to securing the preferred candidate for this critical role.

Essential Functions

• Plan, develop, coordinate, oversee, and participate in the Sturm College of Law’s Faculty Research Service, which supports faculty scholarship through a range of research-related initiatives. This includes serving as the primary point of contact for faculty research support in the Law Library, including management of an electronic research request queue, direct research support, and the delegation of work to members of the reference team, as needed.
• Hire, train, schedule, and oversee the Law Library’s pool of Research Assistants (RAs), who support the Faculty Research Service, in a manner consistent with human resources policies and with the annual budgetary allocation governing such positions.
• Work to preserve and publicize scholarship published by faculty members of the Sturm College of Law, including serving as the point person in the Law Library for maintaining faculty scholarship on the University’s institutional digital repository (currently the Digital Commons) and the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).
• Maintain statistics on the use of the Faculty Research Service to assess its effectiveness and assist in data-driven decision making.
• Establish and execute new policies, procedures, and workflows in the area of faculty services, as well as regularly evaluate the effectiveness of such services.
• Stay abreast of new developments in library research and faculty services, including innovative ways to leverage new technologies to improve relevant workflows.
• Actively participate – and teach – in the Law Library’s Certificate in Legal Research (CLR) Program, an optional legal research training program.
• Teach an upper-division law school course, preferably in an area of advanced or specialized legal research.
• Provide high-quality service at a combined circulation and reference desk.
• Participate on the Law Library’s collection development team, which aids in decisions relating to the selection, cancellation, and retention of materials, as well as the regular evaluation of collection priorities.
• Serve on relevant committees in the law school, within the University Libraries system, and at the University.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Legal research proficiency, including knowledge of key legal research sources and how best to use them in a variety of formats, or the demonstrated potential for rapid growth into such skills.
• Effective oral and written communication skills, including strong presentation skills in both one-on-one and group settings.
• Excellent time management, organizational, and project management skills.
• Attention to detail, timeliness, and dependability.
• A strong customer service orientation, including a demonstrated ability to work flexibly with faculty, students, staff, and a diverse research community.
• Knowledge of professional librarianship concepts, principles, and practices and a commitment to staying abreast of new developments.
• A strong commitment to innovation, including comfort with technology and proficiency in a variety of library-related technologies, such as legal research platforms, next-generation library systems, and other relevant technologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to exercise independent judgment and to work independently.
• The ability to work as a team member.
• The ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships, both inside and outside the law library.
• Flexibility, resilience, and the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
• A commitment to an inclusive learning environment.
• The ability to work evenings and/or weekends, as necessary.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• MLS (or equivalent) from an ALA-accredited institution (or currently enrolled).
• JD (or equivalent) from an ABA-accredited law school.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working in a law or academic library, or relevant equivalent experience.
• An understanding of basic statistical and/or empirical methods.
• Teaching experience that evidences success in the classroom.

Working Environment

• Standard office environment.
• Unexpected interruptions occur often in library work.
• Noise level is quiet to moderate.
• If hired for an in-person role, the Faculty Services Librarian is currently eligible for one day per week of remote work pursuant to the Sturm College of Law Remote Work Plan.
• Although our preference is to hire someone for an in-person role, a Faculty Services Librarian hired in a telework capacity may be up to fully remote if such arrangements are advantageous to securing the preferred candidate for this critical role. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team-specific needs.

Physical Activities

• Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time.
• Ability to sit or stand in front of a classroom for an extended period of time.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule

The Westminster Law Library’s public services team typically works Monday – Friday on one of three general schedules (8:30 am – 5:00 pm, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm, or 9:30 am – 6:00 pm, in Mountain Time), which includes one hour for lunch. However, law library faculty schedules may vary from term to term based on courses taught/instructional needs, service commitments, and other law library demands. The Sturm College of Law is on a semester system, and its academic calendars are posted on the Registrar’s website.

The ability to work evenings and/or weekends, as necessary.

If hired for an in-person role, the Faculty Services Librarian is currently eligible for one day per week of remote work pursuant to the Sturm College of Law Remote Work Plan.

Although our preference is to hire someone for an in-person role, a Faculty Services Librarian hired in a telework capacity may be up to fully remote if such an arrangement is advantageous to securing the preferred candidate for this critical role. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team-specific needs.

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) September 5, 2024.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade

The salary grade for this position is UC.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $75,000 - $82,500

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. List of 3 Professional References

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers' Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver’s Non-Discrimination Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.