Data Curation Librarian

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries seeks an inquisitive and collaborative Data Curation Librarian to meet the growing demand for data sharing and curation support within the Penn State research community. This tenure-line library faculty position, based in the Research Informatics and Publishing Department's Data Learning Center, involves developing and overseeing open data sharing services and workflows. The role includes providing guidance and support for curating, describing, sharing, and preserving research datasets.

The Data Curation Librarian will work closely with researchers, research support specialists, and fellow Libraries' employees to deliver responsive data curation services that meet local needs. As such, the position involves staying informed of developments in open data sharing policy and technology and engaging with national and international data curation groups to share expertise and coordinate responses.

This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to open scholarship initiatives, empowering researchers to make their work openly accessible, reusable, and impactful.

Responsibilities:

• Offer consultations and resources for researchers to aid and encourage effective and efficient open and reproducible research data practices. Topics for consultations, trainings, and resources include best practices in open data and code sharing and repository selection to store and share data.
• Develop and organize introductory and advanced workshops and other educational programming on topics related to open data, code sharing, and curation.
• Set priorities based on user engagement and contribute to the collaborative development and delivery of institutional data repository services.
• Plan and implement data curation and preservation practices that govern data curation, ingest, and preservation of research data and improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIRness) of research data in an institutional repository. These practices may include engaging a board of stakeholders, managing workflows, and developing standards and policies.
• Review datasets and code submitted to ScholarSphere, a Penn State institutional repository, and serve as a data curator in the Data Curation Network (datacurationnetwork.org), a membership organization of institutional and non-profit data repositories whose vision is to advance open research by making data more ethical, reusable, and understandable.
• Engage in research, scholarly publication, and professional service activities in areas related to core responsibilities.

Qualifications

Required:

• Advanced degree in a relevant subject area (e.g., ALA-accredited master's degree in library or information science or a master's or doctoral degree in another relevant field combined with experience in information science, informatics, and/or research)
• Familiarity with identifying the needs of researchers and providing individualized guidance that meets those needs.
• Experience developing and delivering both introductory and advanced curriculum via courses or workshops.
• Demonstrated interest in and/or familiarity with the research data lifecycle, research data management, data curation, and/or open data sharing practices.
• Commitment to fostering an equitable and inclusive workplace.

Preferred:

• Direct experience with sharing data in a data repository and/or curating or preserving research data.
• Experience or interest in one or more of the following:
  • Version control software (e.g., Git and GitHub)
  • Data transfer tools (e.g., Globus)
  • Sensitive and/or human subjects data
  • Metadata schema, authority control, controlled vocabularies, and relevant descriptive standards

Additional Information:

This position will report to the Data Learning Center Manager/Research Data Management Librarian and will be a part of the Data Learning Center team within the Research Informatics and Publishing Department (RePub). RePub is a collaborative and innovative unit within the University Libraries that enhances the technology-driven teaching and research capacity of the Penn State community. The Data Learning Center team supports faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students in producing transparent research, transforming data into information, and sharing reusable data.

The Penn State University Libraries is a strategic asset to Penn State University, advancing intellectual discovery, information literacy, and lifelong learning, all in support of the University's strategic goals in teaching, research, service, and outreach. More information about working at the Penn State University Libraries including the organization at a glance, culture and community, mentoring and professional development, salary and benefits as well as the evaluation, promotion, and tenure process can be found at: https://libraries.psu.edu/about/jobs. Successful candidates will benefit from a strong mentoring program developed by the University Libraries to support new faculty in tenure-track appointments in fulfilling expectations in the areas of librarianship, research, and service.

The University Libraries values diversity of thought, perspective, experience and people, and is actively committed to a culture of inclusion and respect. We encourage candidates who thrive in a welcoming multicultural environment to apply. More information on Penn State's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence can be found by visiting http://equity.psu.edu/diversity-statement. Information about the University Libraries' Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility efforts can be found by visiting https://libraries.psu.edu/about/diversity.

Application Instructions:

Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted via Workday. Interested candidates should upload a letter of application and a resume or CV. A candidate's application materials are expected to provide clear evidence of their commitment to, and the impact of, the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout their librarianship, teaching, research, and/or service.

Candidates also must provide three professional references, indicating their professional relationship to each reference. References will be contacted later in the search process. Review of applications will begin August 5th, 2024 and continue until the position is filled.

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