The Head of Digital Scholarship Services (Head of DSS) is a Faculty Librarian in the University Library System reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Technology, Digital Scholarship, and Creation. The position leads the ULS’s Digital Scholarship Services (DSS) unit, an outward-focused, public-outreach unit, which serves as a front-end to the library’s resources, expertise, and services in support of a broad range of digital and data-intensive scholarly activities. In this capacity, the Head of DSS develops and maintains strategies, relationships, services, and project portfolios that enable meaningful library support of digital scholarship for faculty, students, and staff at the University of Pittsburgh. The Head of DSS also engages directly with digital scholarship practitioners through consultations, presentations, instruction, and project collaborations.
Digital Scholarship Services is a unit of five librarians and staff with expertise in areas that include Digital Humanities, Social Science data methods, coding and computational support, research data management, GIS and spatial data, and digital creation (e.g., 3D digitization, VR/AR systems). DSS works in close partnership with other units in the ULS and individual librarians and staff interested in digital scholarship, with other research and learning support units across campus, in direct collaboration with researchers from all disciplines engaged in digital scholarship projects, and with instructors incorporating digital pedagogies. DSS also supports physical spaces within the ULS’s Hillman Library, including a digital scholarship-focused computing lab, a makerspace operated in partnership with the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning, a soon-to-be-deployed digital interactive installation showcasing research at Pitt, to name a few. The Head of DSS plays a critical role in the ongoing strategic development of the unit’s expertise, collaborative partnerships, and experiential learning spaces.
Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic leadership for ULS support of Digital Scholarship with a focus on user-centered program strategy.
- Further develop and extend connections between the library and University faculty, researchers, and students engaging in digital scholarship. Promote use of ULS digital scholarship services while deepening our understanding of user needs.
- Serves as supervisor for programming and personnel in the unit.
- Work with other relevant units within the library, especially public services liaisons, archivists and curators, IT developers, and metadata librarians to grow digital scholarship capacity and expertise across the library; work with relevant campus partners to grow and coordinate digital scholarship support across the university. Work, in conjunction with the library’s assessment unit, to monitor impact of services.
- Foster a local community of digital scholarship practitioners through hosting and presenting relevant speakers, seminars, workshops, and other events.
- Provide consultation and instruction for students, faculty, and researchers using digital tools and computational methods supported by DSS.
- Provide operational leadership for the Digital Scholarship Services unit and associated learning spaces in Hillman Library.
- Monitor future trends and developments in Digital Scholarship and deploy those relevant to the strategic directions of the ULS
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or higher in library or information science or another relevant discipline.
- At least three years of professional experience in a relevant setting. Experience may be in a library or another setting related to research or instruction involving digital methods.
- Demonstrated expertise in one or more elements of digital scholarship. This includes but is not limited to: computational research platforms and workflows; text, network, or spatial analysis; data visualization; multimodal / emerging forms of scholarly publication.
- Demonstrated experience leading others, whether in a formal supervisory role or through project/team leadership.
- Highly effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
- A record of professional engagement and contribution.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Evidence of strong commitment to user-centered library service and the ability to work flexibly and creatively in a changing and fast-paced environment with a culturally diverse population.
- Proven track record of cultural competence, understanding, and working with diverse racial, ethnic, religious, academic, socioeconomic, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity communities.
- Engagement with a well-established network of digital scholarship professionals within higher education and libraries.
For more information, and to apply, please visit https://cfopitt.taleo.net/careersection/pitt_faculty_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=23000264