Instructional Services Librarian

Job Details

Job Location
MIAMI GARDENS, FL

Position Type
Full Time

Job Category
Education

St. Thomas University - Library

Summary

Under the supervision and direction of the University Library Director, the Instructional Librarian's primary responsibility to create educational experiences and increase library information literacy for all STU library patrons with particular emphasis focused on undergraduate students. The Instructional Librarian will design instructional materials and develop learning objects, assessment tools, and learning outcomes in different learning environments. This Librarian serves as liaisons as they meet with students and faculty for research and teaching purposes. They promote and offer training for information literacy opportunities such as database access, computer literacy, and research. It is also their responsibility to maintain awareness of library and information technologies as they change and develop over time.

Essential Functions

• Promotes library instruction opportunities and services to new faculty, underserved departments and programs, and elsewhere on campus, as relevant to instruction responsibilities and subject areas served.
• Establishes and maintains a working relationship with academic departments and programs to incorporate library instruction into the curriculum and other educational initiatives.
• Promote the role of information literacy in academia and the patrons, programs, and departments they serve.
• Collaborates with classroom faculty to integrate appropriate information literacy competencies, concepts, and skills into library instruction sessions, assignments, and course content.
• Communicates with classroom faculty and administrators to collaboratively plan and implement the incremental integration of information literacy competencies and concepts within a subject discipline curriculum.
• Aligns information literacy standards with the institution's program review, departmental learning objectives, and/or accreditation standards.
• Collaborates with classroom faculty and administrators in the development of increased focus on information literacy whether at the course, program, department, or campus- wide level.
• Designs effective assessments of student learning and uses the data collected to guide personal teaching and professional development.
• Documents the activities, effectiveness, and needs of the instruction program through statistical analysis, formal reports, presentations, and data analysis.
• Uses common communication technologies to aid students in and outside the classroom.
• Analyzes the curriculum in assigned subject area(s) to identify courses and programs appropriate for instruction.
• Keeps aware of the types of assignments students receive and the role of the library in completing these assignments.
• Assists learners to assess their own information needs, differentiate among sources of information, and help them to develop skills to effectively identify, locate, and evaluate sources.
• Scales presentation content to the amount of time and space available.
• Designs instruction to best meet the common learning characteristics of learners, including prior knowledge and experience, motivation to learn, cognitive abilities, and circumstances under which they will be learning.
• Integrates appropriate technology into instruction to support experiential and collaborative learning as well as to improve student receptiveness, comprehension, and retention of information.
• Plans presentation content and delivery in advance and manages preparation time for instruction.
• Seeks potential partners to create new instruction opportunities.
• Anticipates growth and change when planning instructional services and adapts plans to these changes.
• Links instructional services to the mission of the University, Library, and other campus planning documents and relevant off-campus documents (e.g., national standards, key publications, and reports).
• Demonstrates initiative by actively seeking out instruction opportunities or instruction committee work within the library, at the institution, and in regional or national organizations.

Teaching/Instruction Skills

• Presents instructional content in diverse ways (written, oral, visual, online, or using presentation software), and selects appropriate delivery methods according to class needs.
• Creates a learner-centered teaching environment by using active, collaborative, and other appropriate learning activities.
• Modifies teaching methods and delivery to address different learning styles, language abilities, developmental skills, age groups, and the diverse needs of student learners.
• Participates in constructive student-teacher exchanges by encouraging students to ask and answer questions by allowing adequate time, rephrasing questions, and asking probing or engaging questions.
• Modifies teaching methods to match the class style and setting.
• Leads or facilitates discussion of controversial or unexpected issues in a skillful, nonjudgmental manner that helps students to learn.
• Encourages teaching faculty during the class to participate in discussions, to link library instruction content to course content, and to answer student questions.
• Reflects on practice to improve teaching skills and acquires new knowledge of teaching methods and learning theories.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Competencies

• Strong and effective communication skills, both oral and written.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively with students and faculty from a wide diversity of background and educational experiences.
• Organizational and planning skills including the ability to work effectively on broad as well as detailed projects.
• Ability to work in a network environment including working with an integrated library system.
• Knowledge and ability to work with legal databases and common law school and educational technologies, and the ability to design library instructional tools.
• Strong technical skills, interest in technology, and the ability to troubleshoot simple technology problems, failures, or deficiencies.

• Ability to understand library system technology that can be used to improve services, instruction efforts and workflows.
• Strong service orientation and effective problem-solving skills.
• Be flexible with work assignments and work hours.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position may support supervision of departmental graduate assistants, work-study students, and public services work-study students as needed.
Work Environment/Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; push library carts full of books; climb on stands to shelf books. The employee must occasionally lift or move library materials and supplies, up to 30 pounds.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This position occasionally requires schedule changes with weekend/evening hours, particularly regarding course schedules.
Travel

Travel is primarily for Professional Development. The employee will be asked to represent the Law Library in local, regional, and national meetings as requested by the Library Director.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

M.L.S. from an A.L.A. accredited library school program is required. Previous teaching or information literacy experience required. Previous library experience is required.
Preferred Education and Experience

Two or more years of experience in academic libraries is preferred.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.