Category: News

Over Intersession the Library made some new improvements in response to student feedback:

• 100 of the hardwood chairs on the 2^nd floor were upgraded to have cushioned seats.
• The large group study room on the third floor was split into two, adding an additional “non-reserve” study room.
• The third floor will be open 24/7 for quiet study all semester starting Friday Feb.7.

We always appreciate student feedback, and hope these changes improve your study experience!

Can’t make it to the Library? No worries—there are a multitude of library resources available to you from wherever you can connect to the internet! The Weinberg Memorial Library provides access to eBooks, articles, videos, and more that you can connect with instantly from your computer or mobile device. You can even connect with a librarian virtually via chat, email, or the phone!

To find resources online that you can access right away, check out the complete list of databases available to current University of Scranton students, staff, and faculty. If you aren’t sure what database to start with, choose your research area from the “Browse Databases by Subject” drop down box. Then, you can browse through the list of suggested databases. The databases contain scholarly articles, newspapers, videos, dictionaries, and more! Tip: Read the brief description corresponding to each databases to learn what type of content it covers.

If you’d like to browse for an answer, you can review the Research Guides, which provide assistance for certain courses, help with citations, information about 3D printing, and other helpful tips & topics.

Finally, if you need more personalized help from a distance, you can contact a librarian using a few different methods. One of the most popular ways to reach us is the chat box that you see all over the Library’s website. You can also get in touch by email or phone via: askalibrarian@scranton.edu or 570-941-4000. The librarians are more than happy to help, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have!

The upgrade to the ILLiad service has been completed and access has been restored.

There will a short interruption of service to the Interlibrary Loan, ILLiad service between 9am and 10 am today due to an upgrade.

The Library will not be open today, 1/18/2020, due to the inclement weather. The first and second floors are available via swipe for students.

We invite applications for a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track Collections and Resource Management Librarian. The regularly scheduled hours for this position will be primarily Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. A generous benefits package is offered, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a retirement plan, and paid vacation, holidays, and research leave.

The Collections and Resource Management Librarian is a tenure-track faculty position, responsible for managing the ordering/renewal, payment, and receipt of monographs, serials, and electronic resources in all languages and formats.

Essential Duties

• Directs and oversees all aspects of monograph, serials, and electronic resources acquisition, including e-resource licensing
• Provides training and supervision for three full-time clerical staff members
• Collects statistics and maintains accurate records for the acquisition of monographs, serials, and electronic resources
• Serves as the point person for consortial purchasing and partnerships
• Confers with academic departments regarding expenditures and balances of Library resource budgets
• Works closely with the Dean and Associate Dean of the Library in managing the collections budget including establishing priorities and reconciling the end-of-year budget
• Explores and integrates appropriate emerging technologies into acquisitions practices to assure effective workflows
• Maintains close relationships with all library functions (cataloging, circulation, digital services, interlibrary loan, library systems, media resources, research services, and special collections)
• Participates in planning, implementing, and configuring the integrated library system (ILS) as it pertains to acquisitions, serials, and e-resource functions and public display
• Participates in information literacy instruction
• Participates in the general responsibilities of a tenure track library faculty member

Additional Skills Required

• Knowledge of current and emerging acquisitions, electronic resource, and serials control best practices
• Skills in using computer applications including spreadsheets, databases, and word processing (Microsoft Office preferred)
• 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)

Minimum Education and Job Experience Requirements

Must possess an American Library Association (ALA) accredited Master’s degree at time of appointment. Minimum of three years post master’s degree experience in resource acquisition. Experience managing fund accounting within an integrated library system. Minimum two years supervisory experience.

Preferred Job Experience Requirements

Working knowledge of OCLC Services and MARC records. Familiarity with Innovative Interfaces’ Sierra system. Working knowledge of at least one modern European language. Familiarity with print and electronic publishing markets, evaluation literature, and information products. Experience in vendor relations/price negotiation. Experience with systems and tools used by libraries to manage and provide access to electronic resources (i.e., link resolver software, serials management software, electronic resource management systems, etc.). Familiarity with emerging trends in library systems and services, including Open Access and Open Educational Resources.

The University is a Catholic and Jesuit University animated by the spiritual vision and the tradition of excellence characteristic of the Society of Jesus and those who share in its way of proceeding.  The University is a community dedicated to the freedom of inquiry and personal development fundamental to the growth in wisdom and integrity of all who share it its life.  As a Catholic and Jesuit institution of nearly 4,000 undergraduate and more than 1,500 graduate students, The University of Scranton delivers a meaningful education that challenges its students morally, spiritually, and intellectually.

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. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational, extracurricular, athletic, or other programs or in the context of employment. The University of Scranton is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Educator. Veterans, minority persons, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The University is committed to developing a diverse faculty, staff, and student body and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of differences in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal and professional development, and institutional success.  In keeping with this commitment, the University encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.  We recruit, employ, train and promote regardless of race, gender, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, color, national origin, disability, age, veterans status and other underrepresented groups. 

How to Apply

Interested applicants must apply online at https://universityofscrantonjobs.com. Please provide a CV, cover letter, and a list of three (3) references which include contact information. Review of applications will begin on March 16, 2020. The position will remain open until filled.

For questions regarding this position, please contact the search committee chair: Marleen Cloutier, Assistant Professor, Cataloging & Metadata Librarian, The University of Scranton, Weinberg Memorial Library, marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.

Charles E. Kratz, Dean of the Library and Information Fluency is retiring at the end of 2019. We celebrated his retirement on December 7th with remarks from some of his colleagues including, Eugeniu Grigorescu, Director of the CTLE; Dean Deb Pellegrino, PCPS; Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Assistant Dean of the Library; Dr. Marian Farrell, Nursing Department; Betsey Moylan, retired Chair of the Library Faculty; and Gretchen Welby from the Friends of the Weinberg Library. Former University Provost, Hal Baillie served as MC for the evening.

For over 28 years, Dean Kratz has lead the Library, from opening the new Weinberg Memorial Library in 1992 and renovating the first floor for its 20th Anniversary to include more collaboration space and technology. He built collections to meet the needs of its students, instituted and extended 24 hour accessibility for study space, and worked with University administration, faculty, and students to improve Library services, spaces, and collections. We will miss his leadership, advocacy, and support. We wish him all the best in his retirement.