Call for Applications: UCLA: Librarian for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

The UCLA Library seeks a highly collaborative, knowledgeable and user-driven librarian/curator to work with students and faculty to advance research, scholarship, and teaching in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.

Position Duties
Reporting to the Head of International Studies, the Librarian/Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies is responsible for collection development and management, reference, and instruction in assigned areas in order to support and advance research-level scholarship by UCLA students and faculty. The Librarian/Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies collaborates on the creation of research tools and develops plans to digitize content and collections to increase access to resources; delivers specialized orientations, instruction sessions, and consultations; and serves as a resource on issues related to digital scholarship, scholarly communications and emerging research methods. The incumbent collaborates with campus and UC colleagues on a range of issues related to collections and digital projects, participates in professional forums such as the Middle East Librarians Association and the Center for Research Libraries’ Middle East Materials Project, actively engages in outreach and community engagement activities in support of UCLA Library’s strategic priorities and serves as a member of library teams related to preservation and/or digitization, such as the UCLA Library’s International Digital Ephemera Project. The incumbent has supervisory responsibilities for .5 FTE staff member and student assistants.

UCLA librarians and academic staff are expected to participate in library-wide planning and governance and work effectively in a shared decision-making environment.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:
• Develops and manages the library’s collections regardless of format, language, period, or place of publication in the areas of the social sciences and humanities published in or relating to the Middle East and its diasporas. Utilizes a creative, agile, and selective approach to collection development that is married with aggressive campus outreach, community outreach, and collaboration with scholars.
• Manages library allocations, including those from endowed funds and other gift funds.
• Serves as liaison to the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and all related centers.
• Joins library preservation and digitization efforts, such as the International Digital Ephemera Project, an effort to preserve and digitize endangered cultural heritage materials globally, and participates in activities with Middle Eastern partners.
• Participates in the Association of College and Research Libraries, Center for Research Library’s Middle East Materials Project, and other area-specific consortial activities.
• Serves as the subject specialist for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, providing in-depth reference and research assistance to faculty and students in relevant units. May take on additional subject areas based on expertise and Library need.
• Collaborates whenever possible with relevant faculty on digital projects, research initiatives, and curricular/teaching activities.
• Actively collaborates with Library Special Collections on acquisition, processing, digitization, and preservation of primary source collections and rare books.
• Collaborates with the Library’s Cataloging and Metadata Center to address technical service issues.
• In collaboration with colleagues in the Digital Library Program, User Engagement, and other units, develops new projects, programming, services, instruction, and other scholarly activities in the newly renovated spaces on the first floor of the Research Library.
• Develops plans for digitization of priority content and collections in the areas of responsibility. Works closely with the UCLA Library Collections Council Digitization Task Force, Imaging Services, Digital Library, and others to increase online access to UCLA content and collections.
• Works closely with Library Development to identify and steward donors, collections, and endowed gift funds.
• Recruits, trains, mentors and supervises staff and student assistants; assigning work, evaluating work, providing feedback and developing staff specializations as appropriate.

Required Qualifications
• ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in Library or Information Science OR significant graduate-level coursework toward such a degree OR equivalent education and experience (subject expertise combined with professional library education and/or experience).
• Graduate-level study, or equivalent experience, in the humanities and/or social sciences.
• Research-level knowledge of Middle Eastern and/or Islamic Studies.
• Demonstrated understanding of the information needs of researchers in area studies fields, including the ways research methods and scholarship are evolving.
• Fluent Arabic; reading knowledge of Turkish or Persian also necessary.
• Experience providing reference and/or instructional services related to humanities, social sciences, and/or area studies in an academic or research library environment.
• Knowledge of collection development in an academic or research library, including familiarity with core print and e-resources relevant to the Middle East.
• Knowledge of initiatives and trends related to research in international and area studies fields and to the evolving scholarly communication landscape, including knowledge of the publishing industry in the regions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work with staff, students, and faculty from diverse cultural backgrounds and in a dynamic and complex environment within a large organization.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience that includes training and directing the work of staff and student assistants.
• Commitment to professional development and service.

Desired Qualifications
• Minimum 2 years experience in an academic library setting.
• Experience in selecting and managing research collections in one of the areas of responsibility.
• Knowledge of current trends in information technology as they apply to collection development and management and the provision of reference and research services in the humanities.
• Experience with the design, provision, and evaluation of curriculum and pedagogy for upper-division and graduate students.
• Advanced degree in a humanities discipline.
• Knowledge of additional languages relevant to Middle Eastern Studies, such as Yiddish, Kurdish, Hebrew or Neo-Aramaic.
• Knowledge and/or interest in religious studies, specifically Islam.
• Knowledge of cataloging and access issues for non-English language materials.
• Demonstrated contributions to collaborative projects at the local, regional, national, and/or international level.
• Knowledge of book vendors and book distribution in the region.
• Experience in donor relations and stewardship.