Job Opportunity: Research and Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences (full-time faculty, 12-month, tenure-track), Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton

The University of Scranton invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track Research and Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences, commencing January 1, 2019. The regularly scheduled hours for this position will be primarily Monday-Friday, 1:00-9:00 pm, with occasional mornings and weekends. A generous benefits package is offered, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a retirement plan, and paid vacation, holidays, and research leave.

As a member of the Library faculty, the Research and Instruction Librarian for Health Sciences contributes to the Library’s campus-wide focus on transformative teaching and learning in the Ignatian tradition. This is an entry-level position, requiring a willingness to develop the knowledge needed to provide information literacy instruction to health sciences courses and programs.

Responsibilities

  • Teaches as part of the Library’s information literacy program, which includes information literacy instruction in core general education courses, as well as upper-level disciplinary courses.
  • Provides research services and scholarly assistance to members of the university community both in-person and online.
  • Serves as subject liaison to the health sciences, a role that includes providing course-integrated instruction and collection development.
  • Oversees and is responsible for Library services and building operations during evening hours.
  • Participates in Library and University initiatives, e.g., by serving on committees, etc.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

  • Possession of an American Library Association (ALA) accredited Master’s degree at time of appointment
  • Experience working in a library or archives
  • Experience working collaboratively with others to pursue, manage, and complete projects
  • Availability to work Monday through Friday 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., with occasional mornings and weekends

Desired Qualifications

  • Familiarity with the health sciences or related subject areas (e.g. nursing, counseling, allied health services, etc.)
  • Knowledge of current trends in academic librarianship related to research and instruction, such as knowledge of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
  • Experience creating engaging learning opportunities for student, faculty, or community audiences
  • Proficiency in the use of technology, such as social media and other emerging technologies and platforms, for delivery of library services
  • Strong desire to explore pedagogical approaches and learning theories that can enrich teaching practice
  • Familiarity with assessment methods and techniques
  • Supervisory experience

Additional Skills Needed

  • Willingness to develop the knowledge required to provide information literacy instruction in health sciences courses
  • Ability to deal well with members of the public
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and presentation skills
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem solving skills
  • Ability to work effectively both as a team member and independently
  • Ability to work creatively and collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and community-at-large
  • Professional commitment to user-focused library services
  • Professional commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • Ability to engage in scholarship and service in order to meet qualifications for reappointment and tenure, as defined in the Faculty Handbook
  • Ability to attain a second Master’s degree in a subject field, or the completion of thirty graduate credits in a discipline that improves professional competence, as a requirement for tenure (if not already accomplished at time of hire)

About the Library and University

The Weinberg Memorial Library provides superior resources, services, and programs that meet the dynamic and diverse scholarly, cultural, and social needs of the University and our community. We value teaching, research, and lifelong learning, and we are committed to intellectual freedom, preservation, accessibility, and sustainability. Our work environment is forward-looking and participatory, with an emphasis on transparency and faculty/staff development.

The University of Scranton is a regional institution of more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students located in northeast Pennsylvania near the Pocono Mountains. Recognized nationally for the quality of its education, Scranton is one of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. It is committed to providing liberal arts education and strong professional and pre-professional programs in the context of Ignatian educational principles, especially the care and development of the whole person. Drawing on the strengths that have made it a recognized leader in the Northeast (ranked 6th among the master’s level universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report), Scranton is committed to a culture of scholarship and excellence in teaching and is moving into the front ranks of America’s comprehensive universities.

Official University of Scranton Diversity Statement

The University of Scranton is committed to providing a safe and nondiscriminatory employment and educational environment. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other status protected by law. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

To Apply

Applicants must apply online at https://universityofscrantonjobs.com and include a cover letter summarizing qualifications and strengths, a curriculum vitae (or résumé), and contact information for three references. Direct link to the job posting: https://universityofscrantonjobs.com/postings/3131. The position will remain open until filled but applications will be reviewed beginning October 1, 2018. Prof. Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator, serves as the Search Committee Chair.

Winners of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Announced

Maura C. Burns is the winner of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Upper-level category, which is awarded to the winning project completed in a 200- to 400-level course.

David Dzurec, Associate Professor of History; Brian Conniff, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Maura C. Burns, Research Prize Winner; Charles Kratz, Dean of the Library; and Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator

Maura is a senior History major with minors in Biology and Biochemistry from Jessup, Pennsylvania, who submitted to the competition her paper “Medicine in the American Revolution,” completed in the course HIST 490: Senior Seminar on the American Revolution, taught by Dr. David Dzurec. In her description of research she explains, “I learned that the University of Scranton website connects to a network of libraries and resources that helped me form the backbone of my paper.” Maura goes on to rightly note that “just like history, research is unpredictable,” and that “research is a learning experience in and of itself,” things she learned through conducting the research for this project.

The Weinberg Memorial Library inaugurated the prize in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011.

Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Upper-level category included Catherine McManus, a junior Biology major with a minor in Political Science, as well as group partners Luis Melgar, a senior Exercise Science major with minors in Spanish and Theology, and Julianne Burrill, a junior Exercise Science major.

Emily Dineen is the winner of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate category.

Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator; Emily Dineen, Research Prize Winner; Charles Kratz, Dean of the Library; Marlene Joy Morgan, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy; and Victoria Castellanos, Associate Dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies

Emily is a graduate occupational therapy student from Bethel, Connecticut, who submitted to the competition her project “Historical Analysis,” completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy, taught by Dr. Marlene Joy Morgan. For this project Emily researched sensory integration intervention in pediatric occupational therapy, and of her research process she said, “I was able to literally see the progression of the sensory integration approach and of the profession itself,” calling it a “historical immersive experience.”

New in 2018, the Library has created a third category to recognize research excellence and learning in the first year. Nicole Cavanaugh is the winner of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational category, which is awarded to the winning project completed in a 100-level course.

Donna Witek, Information Literacy Coordinator; Brian Conniff, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Nicole Cavanaugh, Research Prize Winner; and Charles Kratz, Dean of the Library

Nicole is a first-year Accounting major from Dallas, Pennsylvania, who submitted to the competition her paper “There’s No Gain in the Globalization Game,” completed in Prof. Dawn D’Aries Zera’s WRTG 107: Composition course. To complete her research, Nicole took advantage of the Library’s Research Services, made available to students at the Research Services desk on the second floor of the Library. It was there that she learned of the vast amount of information available through the Library. As she puts it in her description of research, “A few clicks from the university homepage and I was connected to thousands of media sources, books, magazines, articles, journals, and more.”

Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Foundational category included group partners James P. McKane Jr., a first-year History major, and Alana Siock, a first-year French major, as well as Sydney Vanvourellis, a first-year Physiology major.

Prize winners were honored at a reception on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

Information about the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize can be found on the website: http://www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize

Congratulations to all of our honorees!

Please consider giving to the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund, ensuring that the prize will be awarded in perpetuity. Make your gift directly to the fund here.

Give to the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund on 5.06

Professor Emerita Bonnie Oldham stands in front of the Weinberg Memorial Library

The Weinberg Memorial Library has teamed up with University Advancement to raise funds for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund this 5.06 weekend for the University’s Day of Giving.

Make your donation directly to the fund here.

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize is designed to attract outstanding research projects from courses taught in departments across The University of Scranton campus. It recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services.

Named for Professor Emerita Bonnie Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011, this Endowment Fund was started by Bonnie at her untimely passing four months after her retirement in 2017. Our goal is to raise funds for this Endowment Fund to ensure that the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize will be awarded in perpetuity. Your donation will help us do this.

Annually, three prizes of $500.00 each are awarded to the winning individual student and/or group projects in the following categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate.

Help us ensure the future of the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize by directly supporting student learning at the University with your gift to this Endowment Fund!

Home Page Catalog Search Temporarily Down

This morning on Monday, January 29, the catalog search box on the Library’s home page and on the Library tab in My.Scranton.edu is temporarily down. The problem has been logged and it should be back to normal soon.

The catalog is still available through the Advanced Search catalog link in both places, as well as at this link.

Thank you for your patience as we address this issue.

#GivingTuesday for the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund

This #GivingTuesday, help support student learning and information literacy for up and coming University of Scranton Royals by giving to the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund.

Named in honor of the late Bonnie Oldham, Associate Professor Emerita at The University of Scranton and Library Research Prize founder in the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in student research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services.

It is the program in the Weinberg Memorial Library that most exemplifies the Jesuit ideal of magis–striving for excellence–as it relates to information literacy and students’ development of research skills and dispositions that will enable them to become leaders in their fields and professions.

Help us fully endow the Prize in perpetuity by making a donation today on #GivingTuesday!

To support student learning with your gift:

  1. Visit Support Scranton.
  2. Select “Weinberg Memorial Library” as the area you wish to support.
  3. Mention the “Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund” in the Additional Comments box at the bottom of the page.

Apply Now for the Library Research Prize

The second application deadline for the 2017 Library Research Prize is coming up.

Applications for research projects completed in Intersession or Spring 2017 are due Monday, May 1, 2017 by 4:00 pm.

The Weinberg Memorial Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. The prize is $500 for the winning undergraduate project, and $500 for the winning graduate project.

Complete applications will include a 500-700 word essay describing your research process and the ways you used the library in order to complete your project, a final version (or almost complete draft if necessary) of your research project, a bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted, and a statement of faculty support.

For the online application form, tips on how to write a successful essay describing your research process, and previous winning applications, see www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize. For questions, email Bonnie Oldham, Information Literacy Coordinator, at bonnie.oldham@scranton.edu.

 

Library Research Prizes Available for 2016-2017

libraryresearchprize_banner_finalAre you working on a research project this semester? Did you use the library’s resources, services, collections, or spaces in order to complete your research? Then the Weinberg Memorial Library Research Prize is for you!

Two prizes of $500 each are awarded every year to the winning Undergraduate and the winning Graduate submissions. All you need to do is write a 500-word essay describing your research process and how you used the library in completing the project. Click here for some tips on how to craft the best 500-word essay you can about your research.

Then, submit the application materials for your project through the Library Research Prize website by the Fall 2016 deadline: Monday, December 5, 2016 by 4:00 pm. This deadline is for projects completed in the Summer 2016 or Fall 2016 semesters. There will be another deadline for Spring 2017 research projects. Winners are announced at the end of the Spring 2017 semester.

Research projects can be individual or group projects, though winning group projects will receive one $500 prize for the group.

A statement of faculty support from the instructor who assigned the research project is also required for each submission.

Details on how to apply, what to include in a completed application, and what the selection criteria are, can be found at the Library Research Prize website. Any additional questions can be sent to Prof. Bonnie Oldham, Information Literacy Coordinator (bonnie.oldham@scranton.edu).

We look forward to hearing about your research!

Library Research Prize – 2nd Deadline Approaching

 LibraryResearchPrize_banner_FinalThe application deadline for the 2016 Library Research Prize is coming up.

Applications for research projects completed in Intersession or Spring 2016 are due Friday, April 29, 2016 by 4:00 pm.

The Weinberg Memorial Library Research Prize recognizes excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. The prize is $500 for the winning undergraduate project, and $500 for the winning graduate project.

Complete applications will include a 500-700 word essay describing your research process and the ways you used the library in order to complete your project, a final version (or almost complete draft if necessary) of your research project, a bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted, and a statement of faculty support.

For the online application form, tips on how to write a successful essay describing your research process, and previous winning applications, see www.scranton.edu/libraryresearchprize. For questions, email Bonnie Oldham, Information Literacy Coordinator, at bonnie.oldham@scranton.edu.

Enter to Be Honored (and Rewarded) for Your Research

Announcing the Library Research Prize application window for projects or papers completed in Intersession and Spring 2016!

Study
Image by Moyan Brenn (Flickr: aigle_dore; Photography website: Moyan Brenn Photography) via CC BY 2.0 (human readable license summary)

Are you going to complete a project or paper this semester that requires you to conduct research using information resources or services offered by the Library? Did you complete such a project or paper in Intersession 2016? Then you should consider applying to win the Library Research Prize.

Two prizes–one to an Undergraduate student or group, and one to a Graduate student or group–will be awarded this May to the projects or papers from this academic year that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools and services.

The prize itself is $500, but perhaps even more enticing is the honor of being judged by faculty in all three colleges, librarians, and CTLE staff, to have excelled at conducting research and information gathering to accomplish a specific purpose or aim. (It also makes a great addition to your list of honors while pursuing your studies!)

In addition to submitting the project itself, complete applications also require a 500-word essay describing your research process (tips for writing this essay can be found here), as well as a statement of faculty support by the course instructor who assigned the project.

Visit the Library Research Prize page for details about applying and to see applications from past winners of the prize.

The deadline for applications featuring projects from Intersession or Spring 2016 is Friday, April 29, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. 

Early Snow Closure Mon 2/15

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of the Library are closing early this evening, Monday, February 15, due to inclement weather, so that our staff may drive home safely. Circulation Services, Reference Services, and Media Resources are also closing.

The Reilly Learning Commons, the Pro Deo Room, and the 2nd floor of the Library will remain accessible  24/7 by swiping your Royal Card.

A librarian is also accessible to offer research support via our Ask a Librarian chat widgets, located throughout our web pages.

Apologies for the inconvenience. Stay safe and happy studying!