Institution Introduction
- Join our team of professional librarians at Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Library! We have two full-time, faculty Graduate Research and Instruction Librarian position available.
- Our beautiful campus sprawls over 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, VA, near the famous Blue Ridge Mountains and James River, which offer miles of scenic trails and beautiful parks for outdoor enthusiasts. In downtown Lynchburg, walking tours highlight iconic landmarks and monuments that reveal Central Virginia’s rich history. A vibrant arts community and diverse collection of restaurants and markets complement the culture of the historic city.
- The 170,000 square-foot library opened in 2014 with the latest technological advances, including a two-story robotic book retrieval system and a fully equipped technology commons. Featuring Jeffersonian-style architecture, the building was recognized with Library Journal’s Landmark Libraries 2016 Honorable Mention Award for innovative design and spaces. It offers views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a small lake, and the academic lawn. A main focal point in the Esbenshade Atrium is a media wall that is 22 feet wide by 12.5 feet high. It features news and weather as well as university social media and events. Casual seating areas, reading rooms, a spacious café, multiple balconies, and three levels of quiet add to the relaxed, scholarly atmosphere. Our popular group study rooms with writable walls provide opportunities for students to collaborate while the Active Learning Classroom and telepresence technologies support interactive and virtual learning.
- The library supports over 15,000 residential students, more than 2,700 faculty, and a thriving online learning community. Liberty was founded in 1971 by Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. with a vision of training Champions for Christ. As an R3 doctoral university with over 700 unique programs of study on the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, you have an exciting opportunity to join us in creating a culture of student research and success by helping to ensure ease of discovery and access of our more than 1.6 million electronic and physical resources. In this position, you must be able to work with and provide customer service to diverse populations in compliance with our Non-discrimination Statement (http://www.liberty.edu/financeadmin/financialaid/index.cfm?PID=30442). You must also embrace the library’s core values of faith, service, wisdom, integrity, and community.
Job Summary
- Faculty are essential to Liberty University’s mission of Training Champions for Christ. It is expected that a faculty member model a personal commitment to the goals and values of Liberty University, engage in an active commitment to, and experience of, personal spiritual formation within a biblically informed Christian worldview. Faculty should view their teaching, engagement with students, and scholarship as a means to a significant educational end. They should strive to employ a variety of techniques for the development of good learning conditions, view each student as a unique individual, and insofar as it is possible, provide for individual differences, abilities, and interests.
- The principal role of the Graduate Research and Instruction Librarian is to provide graduate-level research assistance and instruction services to Liberty University students and faculty. This individual will be familiar with current and emerging technologies for the provision of research and scholarship services and will collaborate with teaching faculty to provide workshops, seminars, in-class instruction, digital tutorials, and research assistance to both residential and distance students. This position reports to the Coordinator, Research and Instruction at the Jerry Falwell Library.
Job Responsibilities
- Primarily provides instruction at the graduate level, in collaboration with faculty, online subject matter experts, and other campus organizations, using student engagement practices and multimodal methods to develop innovative approaches to information literacy instruction aligned with industry standards.
- Leads efforts and ensure appropriate content and effective approaches in the provision of graduate-level research service, specialized research support, and instruction to students and faculty that support learning, teaching, research, and scholarship.
- Serves as a liaison to specific graduate programs within his/her areas of expertise, exploring and employing creative outreach approaches with the goal of expanding graduate and faculty research services. This also involves collection development to support the assigned department(s).
- Communicates and collaborates with the library’s internal and external constituencies to provide timely and effective customer service.
- Participates in both formal and informal professional development opportunities.
- Frequently required to serve customers during evening and weekend hours.
- Remains abreast of existing and emerging technologies, processes, products, services and leading industry performance benchmarks.
- Strictly adheres to Liberty University policies, representing the University in an exemplary manner.
- Works effectively as a team member, embracing and fostering LU’s mission.
Educational/Experiential Requirements
Minimum Qualifications
- MLS degree from an ALA-accredited institution or equivalent.
- One year of professional experience in an academic library.
- Strong academic background with knowledge of educational trends and learning emerging technologies in information delivery and services.
- Enthusiasm for collaboration with faculty and students.
- Demonstrated superior teaching skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Second master’s degree.
- Coursework in adult learning theory, web-based instruction, and educational media.