Posted to IASSIST on: 2011-09-30
Employer: University of Alberta Libraries
Employer URL: http://www.library.ualberta.ca/
Description
The University of Alberta Libraries, with a long tradition of service excellence to the University and its communities, seeks a dynamic individual to take responsibility for its GIS program within the framework of the academic plan and the University of Alberta Libraries. strategic collections directions and digital initiatives. Reporting to the Associate University Librarian, Collections and working within a team environment, the successful candidate will be responsible for the development, management and delivery of library services and digital initiatives relating to geospatial information and spatial data held within the collections of the University of Alberta Libraries and ERA: Education and Research Archives, the institutional repository. The GIS Librarian will have a leadership role in the provision of geospatial information and spatial data services within the University community.
The University of Alberta Libraries is Canada’s second largest research library, with a collection exceeding seven million titles and ten million volumes. The Libraries has a unique relationship with the broader community through NEOS, a central Alberta consortium consisting of 18 government, hospital, college and university libraries and through The Alberta Library. The Libraries also has a partnership with OCLC for cataloguing of materials. For more information, visit our web-site at http://www.library.ualberta.ca/
Working within the team structure of the Collections portfolio, and in collaboration with the Data Library Coordinator, the Maps Librarian, and the members of the Digital Initiatives team, the GIS Librarian will work to (a) ensure unencumbered access to spatial data held within the digital collections of the University of Alberta Libraries and ERA, (b) consult in the preparation and use of spatial and geo-referenced data and (c) support preservation activities related to spatial data. The GIS Librarian will work collaboratively with others as required to ensure appropriate discovery tools and GIS metadata standards are in place, supported, and maintained for GIS collections.
NOTE: A distinction is made between geospatial information and spatial data above. “Spatial data” refers specifically to digital files containing data (whether polygons, line segments or points) prepared for GIS applications to draw boundaries and locate spatially referenced objects. “Geospatial information,” on the other hand, is used to refer to geographical locations within digital content. Examples include place names or street addresses in text files or metadata (e.g., Henderson’s Directories), longitude and latitude coordinates in digital image metadata (many of today’s digital cameras produce this information automatically using GPS), and geographic units in research data files, such at the spatial values in Statistics Canada’s Census geography. This latter category of geospatial information in research data files is also called geo-referenced data, i.e., research data files with a geographic variable (e.g., Postal Code or Census geo-codes).
This is a permanent tenure-track position classified at the Librarian 1 level with a current salary range of $56,746 - $113,408 per annum. Librarians at the University of Alberta have academic status and participate in a generous benefits program.
Qualifications include an MLS degree from an accredited library school and experience with geospatial information and spatial data. Applicants must possess a strong service orientation, excellent communication skills, a thorough understanding of geospatial information and spatial data , an interest in implementing new initiatives and in evaluation of current practice, superior leadership skills, a demonstrated commitment to cooperative action and collaborative work, and a demonstrated interest in the goals of the Library and the profession.
Archived on: 2011-11-01