F/T - Emerging Technologies Coordinator - Columbia University

Emerging Technologies Coordinator

The Columbia University Libraries invites nominations and applications for the position of Emerging Technologies Coordinator within the Science & Engineering Libraries division.  The Emerging Technologies Coordinator will play a key role in planning and assessing information services supporting the research, teaching, and learning needs of the Columbia science community.  The position will provide proactive, effective technology and research support to students and faculty within the new Digital Science Center (DSC), located within the new integrated Science Library, scheduled to open in January 2011. 

Reporting to the Director, Science & Engineering Libraries, the Emerging Technologies Coordinator will identify, implement, and assess technologies for the division, including those supporting data gathering and management, visualization, competitive analysis, and other technologies emerging as critical to science and engineering research and teaching. The Emerging Technologies Coordinator will provide training for students, faculty, and staff on technologies supported by the DSC, including group instruction and in-person consultations tailored to individual needs.   Working closely with the Library Information Technology Office, the position will coordinate the planning and maintenance of equipment and software for the DSC, as well as lead the planning, promotion, and assessment of outreach to faculty and students related to electronic resources and bibliographic management tools.  In addition, the position will participate in library-wide service programming, including planning for next generation information discovery and management tools, virtual reference services, and other committees and task forces as appropriate.

The new Science Library will consolidate collections and service support for faculty and students in Astronomy, the Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, and Psychology.  The DSC, within the new library, will support the emerging research, teaching, and learning needs in the science disciplines at Columbia by integrating state-of-the-art technologies and professional, discipline-specific research consulting and support.  The DSC will include ~50 high-end workstations with large, high-resolution displays, advanced peripherals, and discipline-specific and course-related software in both individual and collaborative configurations.  An evolving suite of mathematical analysis, visualization, statistical, spatial data/GIS, scientific and editing software packages will meet a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate student needs.  The DSC will also include group study spaces in various configurations, as well as two multipurpose group consultation and presentation practice rooms, enabling both collaborative research and the direct interaction of students, subject-specialist librarians, and technology support staff.

Required Qualifications:

An accredited MLS or an advanced degree in a relevant subject area or an equivalent combination of education and experience; an awareness of the issues involved in developing sustainable support for research and teaching in the sciences and/or engineering; experience providing service in a technology-rich environment; an aptitude for teaching and developing instructional content and documentation; knowledge of Windows and Macintosh operating systems; experience in managing complex projects and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and independently; demonstrated initiative and flexibility and the ability to work in a collaborative environment; and experience in webpage creation, including ability to write effectively for the web.

Preferred Qualifications:

An academic background in a science or engineering-related discipline; experience in instructional design; experience in identifying and evaluating software applications; knowledge of statistical, spatial data, visualization, and/or bibliographic management applications.

Knowledge of one or more of the following: AutoCAD, ChemDraw, LaTeX, Mathematica, Matlab, R, SAS, SPSS, Stata.

One of the world's leading research universities, Columbia provides outstanding opportunities to work and grow in a unique intellectual community. Set in the Morningside Heights academic village, Columbia also presents the unmatched dynamism, diversity and cultural richness of New York City. The University Libraries, grounded in collections of remarkable depth and breadth, are also building extensive electronic resources and services. The Libraries at Columbia are committed to collegiality, professionalism, innovation and leadership.

We offer a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience and excellent benefits including 100% Columbia tuition exemption for self and family and assistance with University housing. Columbia will also pay 50% tuition for your dependent child who is a candidate for an undergraduate degree at another accredited college or university.  

Priority consideration will be given to applications submitted by November 8, 2010.

This position will be available beginning January 1, 2011.

To submit an application, please visit: academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=53853