Description

The University of California, Irvine Libraries is seeking a dynamic, knowledgeable, and collaborative, and user-oriented professional for the position of Digital Initiatives Librarian. As an integral part of UC Irvine Libraries’ Data, Publishing, and Digital Scholarship (DPDS). Department (https://www.lib.uci.edu/dss), the Digital Initiatives Librarian provides essential research support, instruction, and services that bolster robust digital research and learning across all disciplines. 

The UC Irvine Libraries are fully committed to inclusive excellence and we encourage applicants to address how their skills, expertise, and experiences might serve the varied communities of California. Please feel free to include relevant information in any of your application materials.

Qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply.  The UCI Libraries is committed to recruiting a diverse workforce and advancing UCI’s Commitment to Inclusive Excellence.

At the heart of the University of California, Irvine’s academic community, the UCI Libraries plays a vital role in enabling our outstanding students, faculty, and researchers to create new knowledge, develop lifelong learning skills, and make meaningful contributions to society.  We value innovation and collaboration, and we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our commitment is described in our  Diversity Statement and Plan, https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/diversity-statement-and-plan.  The UCI Libraries received the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity, https://www.insightintodiversity.com/  magazine, a leader in advancing best practices in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in higher education.

The Libraries’ physical spaces consist of the Langson Library, the Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library (located at the UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, CA). 

The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles and located on the homelands of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples,  https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/land-acknowledgement.  Founded in 1965, UC IRVINE has over 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 1,800 faculty and staff.  Nearly 67% of UC IRVINE students identify themselves as Asian American, African American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American.  Over 50% of UC IRVINE’s bachelor’s degrees are awarded to first generation college students. The University is committed to serving students from all backgrounds as demonstrated by UC Irvine’s Black Thriving Initiative and its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), https://www.admissions.uci.edu/discover/why-uci/diversity.php.  The New York Times ranks UC IRVINE as the #1 college doing the most for the American Dream, and U.S. News and Report ranks UC IRVINE among the top ten public universities in the nation.  The University offers graduate degrees in more than 100 academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. and J.D.  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. Librarians at UC Irvine are academic appointees. Non-managerial librarians are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This is a represented position.

This position description is listed on the UC Irvine Libraries website at https://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries-experience/academic-staff-positions with links to additional websites featuring campus and community information.

Apply via UCI AP Recruit at:  https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09979

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience, based on the University of California pay scales.  Appointment is anticipated to be at the Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, or Librarian rank with a salary of $74,224 - $102,121. The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and salary point at appointment. See Table for Represented Librarians at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ntD6oW0-Ceeuk0qK7MPOZt8ydzYuOBB8/view.

Applications received by January 5, 2026, will receive first consideration.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities 

     Providing leadership and collaborative management of UC Irvine Libraries’ distinctive digital collections, both special and general, created and stewarded by the Libraries.

     Serving as project manager for inter-departmental projects related to digital collections, systems, publishing infrastructure and research.

     Coordinating rights review process for digitization and digital publishing projects, in collaboration with key stakeholders across the organization.

     Proactively contributing to the management and growth of tools, services, and standards that promote dynamic, ethical digital collections and computationally rich digital scholarship.

     Working with library and external partners to identify and prioritize support needs, system improvement, and user experience for the libraries’ digital repositories and collections.

     Formulating strategies, policies, and procedures for digital projects in collaboration with key stakeholders across the organization.

     Serving as a representative/liaison to the California Digital Library on matters concerning digital libraries, digital collections, and related services.

     Engaging in outreach to encourage creative and innovative use of digital collections, emphasizing ethical re-use of materials, digital humanities, and collections as data concepts.

     Maintain awareness of grant opportunities and opportunities for collaboration that will enhance the Libraries capacity to participate in digitization and digital projects. 

     Other duties as assigned, including permanent or interim subject liaison responsibilities depending on interests, background, and library needs.

Qualifications

Required:

• Graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution or an equivalent combination of relevant advanced degree and library experience.
• Ability to contribute creative scholarly and technical expertise to the evolving strategic vision for data, publishing, and digital scholarship at UC Irvine Libraries.
• Demonstrated experience with project management and/or leading complex digital projects.
• Demonstrated experience with creating, developing and maintaining strategies, policies, and workflows in areas including digitization, digital asset management, and digital publishing.
• Knowledge of scholarly communication, intellectual property and rights management.
• Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical collaborators.
• Commitment to user-centered library services.
• Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively to support teamwork and inclusive excellence within UC Irvine Libraries and the campus.
• Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion. 

 Preferred:

• Experience in an academic or research library.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies and their responsible use for managing digital collections.
• Knowledge of digital scholarship methodologies, tools, and technologies, scholarly communication, and metadata principles and practices.