Digital Scholarship Librarian

Digital Scholarship Librarian 

University Library System (ULS)

University of Pittsburgh (Pitt)

Overview:

The Digital Scholarship Librarian is a Faculty Librarian in the University Library System reporting to the Head of Digital Scholarship & Publishing. The position supports researchers and students in creating, accessing, transforming, analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data and digital content in support of research, learning, and publishing at the University of Pittsburgh. Through consultations, instruction, outreach, and collaborative initiatives, this position supports digital research practices and data literacies in a wide variety of disciplines, largely concentrated in the humanities and social sciences, which engage with qualitative data and digital sources in the form of unstructured text, network data, images, and/or audiovisual materials.

The position draws on a broad knowledge of research data practices, communicates clearly and effectively with researchers and colleagues, and monitors and creatively responds to emerging digital scholarship needs across the University. In addition, the Digital Scholarship Librarian will maintain specialized expertise in Digital Humanities research methods and tools for working with qualitative data, such as text encoding, text data mining (TDM), network analysis, data visualization, and/or digital storytelling.

The position also maintains a liaison relationship to position-related departments or programs as assigned. The liaison role includes proactively building relationships and partnerships with faculty, staff, and students in the assigned departments; staying current with user needs; promoting awareness and use of Library resources and support, including those in other library units and departments (e.g., Archives & Special Collections); developing curricular and co-curricular engagement opportunities; and providing academic and research support for students.

As a member of the Digital Scholarship & Publishing (DSP) unit, the Digital Scholarship Librarian will collaborate with colleagues in providing DSP's core digital scholarship services, including support for digital project management and collaboration tools, digital publishing and web-based content creation, principles of open scholarship, and critical and ethical perspectives on digital scholarship.

Responsibilities:

• Provide instruction and consultation for students, faculty, and researchers on a variety of tools and practices for working with qualitative data, including data cleaning and transformation, web scraping, text and data mining (TDM), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), data visualization, data sharing in research repositories, and qualitative data analysis.
• Perform outreach to educate the campus community about digital scholarship and qualitative data.
• Foster conversations and collaborations on digital scholarship and computational research practices in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. 
• Collaborate with ULS colleagues to develop strategic initiatives in support of Digital Humanities research and instruction.
• Maintain awareness of the evolving landscape of practices and infrastructure for digital project management, reproducible research, and humanities data sharing.
• Support user development of data literacies alongside the other members of the Digital Scholarship & Publishing unit, particularly for research that makes use of qualitative data or digitized primary sources.
• Liaise to assigned academic departments, developing relationships, supporting the research & learning needs of departmental faculty, students, and staff while actively communicating library resources and services.

Librarians at the University of Pittsburgh are members of the faculty and are expected to demonstrate continuous professional development in addition to performing their specific responsibilities. This expectation includes such activities as participating in and contributing to departmental, library and campus-wide committees or working groups as well as the profession at a regional, national, and/or international level, maintaining a broad awareness of current and emerging issues that affect their disciplines and areas of expertise, participating in relevant publishing and presentation opportunities, and pursuing knowledge of professional trends and developments that can be applied to evolving research, services, and collections. Approximately 10% of the librarian’s time should be directed toward such activities and will be included as part of the annual evaluation.

Specifically, the incumbent in this position is expected to:

• Keep abreast of and contribute as appropriate to current developments in the profession, especially as they relate to digital scholarship and research data services.
• Contribute to the profession through publications, presentations, teaching, and other professional activities.
• Seek out appropriate roles in professional associations, research and/or publication on the regional, national and international level.
• Participate actively in ULS and campus-wide working groups and committees, as appropriate.
• The incumbent is also expected to contribute to the University community or the local community through service that utilizes their professional expertise.

This position performs a public services role and is conducted in-person from the Pittsburgh campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

Qualifications:

A successful candidate for the Digital Scholarship Librarian will have the following required qualifications:

• A master's degree from an ALA-accredited library/information sciences program, or another relevant advanced degree.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the following aspects of working with research data: data formats, data management practices, data transformation workflows, and systems for managing and sharing research data or digital assets.
• Demonstrated experience with R or Python as well as one or more applications for data transformation, visualization, or qualitative analysis (such as OpenRefine, QDA software, TDM software, and/or database systems).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively on a small team to identify and solve emerging and ambiguous problems.
• Ability to deliver effective instruction, in a variety of formats and settings, to higher education learners.
• Highly effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• A record of professional engagement and contribution.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Academic training or relevant research experience in the arts or humanities.
• At least 3 years of professional experience in a relevant setting. Experience may be in a library, or another setting related to research or instruction.
• Demonstrated knowledge of qualitative research methods and data curation principles.
• Demonstrated experience managing collaborative Digital Humanities projects.
• Demonstrated experience with applications for digital storytelling and/or website creation, such as digital publishing platforms or web content management systems.
• 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 data services professionals within higher education and libraries.

The University of Pittsburgh  

Founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh (http://www.pitt.edu) is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Today, Pitt is an internationally recognized center of learning and research, strong in the arts and sciences. Pitt serves approximately 35,000 students, including more than 9,800 graduate students, in the seventeen schools at the Pittsburgh campus and the four regional campuses. The University produces the most employable graduates of any public school in Pennsylvania, even “outpacing Ivy Leaguers,” according to Forbes. Ranking No. 28 in U.S. patents among global universities, Pitt is a powerhouse in research and innovation. The Class of 2023 achieved an outstanding career outcomes rate, highlighting the success of our world-class education and the dedication of our undergraduates. In the 2023 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, Pitt ranked No. 17 out of 900 institutions in R&D expenditures. Pitt was named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students and Scholars for the 2023-24 academic year by the U.S. Department of State. U.S. New and World Report ranks Pitt No. 47 on its list of best global universities.

The City of Pittsburgh  

The city of Pittsburgh is in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States, Pittsburgh is recognized for its natural beauty and unique blend of cultural, education, and technological resources. Additional information on the city of Pittsburgh can be found at: https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/  

Salary:  The rank is open, and the salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience, with an initial salary of $60,000.  This position is represented by the University of Pittsburgh Faculty Union and is subject to the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement between the University of Pittsburgh and the union. Comprehensive benefits package includes health and wellness plans, retirement savings plans, one-month (20 working days) vacation per year, and tuition assistance.  

The successful candidate will meet the criteria for appointment at the rank of Librarian I, II, or III and will be hired on an initial 3-year renewable contract in the appointment stream. For further information, please see:  ULS Guidelines for Faculty Librarians.  

Please apply through the University of Pittsburgh’s Talent Center, requisition number 26002147. In addition to creating a Talent Center account, please upload/attach a cover letter, CV, and three professional references with contact information. Any questions regarding the application process should be directed to Sharon McMasters (sam989@pitt.edu).  

Visa sponsorship is not offered with this position.  

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; primary consideration will be given to those received by May 18, 2026.

The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity, and diversity. EOE, including disability/vets.