Classical Studies Librarian
Assistant or Associate Professor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library
Position Available: The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date. This is a 100% twelve-month, tenure-system appointment.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Statement and EEO Statement: The University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign values diversity of thought, perspective, experience, and people, and is actively committed to a culture of inclusion and respect. We are dedicated to the practices of social justice, diversity, and equality, and we strive to overcome historical and divisive biases in our society and embrace diverse points of view as assets to the fabric of our community. All positions will be called on to contribute to building this environment in the Library and throughout the campus community, and we encourage candidates who share these values to apply.
The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.
Position Description: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks a knowledgeable and dynamic individual to provide library services for Classical Studies and, depending on the successful applicant’s background, other areas covered by the Literatures and Languages Library, such as linguistics, cinema studies, translation studies, English, Germanic, and / or Romance languages and literature. The position requires deep knowledge in the subject areas, collection development practices, reference, and instruction. This position will report to the Head of the Literatures and Languages Library.
Position duties:
- Serve as a liaison to the Department of the Classics and related interdisciplinary programs and other liaison areas;
- Develop and manage collections in all formats in the areas of responsibility and work closely with faculty to establish collection priorities;
- Develop, promote and provide in-depth, subject-based research services to faculty and students in liaison areas;
- Monitor trends in scholarly communications and the emerging resources and technologies supporting scholarly work in liaison areas;
- Coordinate the development and maintenance of online resources, including LibGuides and unit webpages in Classics and other areas of responsibility, that assist users with research and teaching;
- Participate in campus and Library-wide committees, task forces, and relevant leadership assignments;
- Contribute to the national and international reputation of the University Library through professional research, service, and collaboration with national and international colleagues and organizations.
Qualifications
Required:
- Either 1) Master's degree in library and information science from ALA-accredited school or equivalent, or 2) advanced degree in relevant field (such as: archeology, art history, Byzantine Studies, Classical Studies, European languages and literatures, history, Medieval Studies, philosophy, and religion) and two-years work experience in an academic or research library setting;
- Advanced reading knowledge of Latin and ancient Greek;
- Knowledge of trends, issues, and resources in Classical studies or related fields;
- Excellent communication and organizational skills;
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a diverse community;
- Evidence of the ability to do research, publication, and service consistent with University standards for tenure and promotion;
Preferred:
- An advanced degree in relevant field, such as: archeology, art history, Byzantine Studies, Classical Studies, European languages and literatures, history, Medieval Studies, philosophy, and religion;
- Demonstrated experience building and managing research collections in all formats;
- Experience in providing instruction or workshops in an academic library or similar research environment;
- Experience in providing reference services in an academic library or similar research environment;
- Basic reading knowledge of one or more Western European languages supported by the Literatures and Languages Library: Germanic or Romance.
Environment:
The Literatures and Language Library is dedicated to the study of literatures and languages from Classical Antiquity to the present and covers North and South America, Western Europe, the British Commonwealth, and Francophone world as well as cinema studies, comparative and world literature, translation studies and linguistics. The Library's roughly 80,000 books and journals are housed in the Library's historic Reading Room and nearby room 225 with many more in the Main Stacks. The Literatures and Languages Library also houses the Classics Library Collection, which along with holdings in other areas, includes nearly 400 serials and more than 100,000 volumes focusing on all aspects of the Greco-Roman world, from southern Egypt to Great Britain, and includes works on art, archaeology, history, literature, mythology, numismatics, papyrology, and philosophy. It also supports Early Christian studies, as well as Medieval and Byzantine studies. The UIUC’s Classics collections are among the three largest such collections in the United States. The Classics resources are primarily in support of the research and teaching of the Department of the Classics, from undergraduate programs through doctoral and advanced research, as well as students and scholars in archaeology, art history, English, European languages and literatures, history, philosophy, and religious studies.
The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world. With more than 14 million volumes and significant digital resources, it ranks second in size among academic research libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest possible collections and services and engaging in research and development activities in pursuit of the University’s mission of teaching, scholarship, and public service.
Campus and Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members who serve 31,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receives campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.
The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: https://illinois.edu or https://www.champaigncounty.org.
Salary and rank: Minimum starting salary for faculty positions in the Library is $60,000 and is commensurate with credentials and experience.
Librarians have faculty rank, and must demonstrate excellence in librarianship, research, and university/professional/community service in order to meet university standards for tenure and promotion. Library faculty have an obligation to remain professionally informed, to pursue the discovery of new knowledge related to their field of expertise, to disseminate the results of their scholarly work, and to seek opportunities for service to the Library, campus, state, nation and profession. Library faculty are governed by University statements on review and promotion found in Article IX of the Statutes, and in Provost’s Communication No. 9 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-9-promotion-and-tenure/ and Provost’s Communication No. 13 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-13-review-of-faculty-in-year-three-of-the-probationary-period/. For more information on library tenure and promotion, see https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/promotion-and-tenure-advisory-committee.
Terms of Appointment: Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.
To Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.
Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by January 3, 2022. The review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University processes.
The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Convictions are not a bar to employment. As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility. The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment.