Posted to IASSIST on: 2012-02-10
Employer: Simon Fraser University Library
Employer URL: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/
Description
Simon Fraser University Library is seeking a highly flexible, collaborative and innovative individual, committed to providing the best possible service to faculty and students, to undertake a range of project-based and operational activities that will advance the SFU Library’s strategic objectives for expanded research data curation and management services.
Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Library Technology Services and Special Collections, this is a unique opportunity that combines a major research data project funded by the University Priority Fund (UPF) with the implementation of several key objectives for research data services in the Library’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2016. The Data Curator will play an important leadership role on the UPF-funded project while also working closely with the Library’s Research Data Librarian to plan and implement the Library’s vision for expanded services and support for research data. An important part of the latter activity will require participation in succession and related transition planning for Research Data Services. This is a continuing position at the SFU Library.
The Data Curator will play a leading role in providing guidance and support in long-term management of research data, including issues of data preservation and access, intellectual property rights, and security of sensitive data. The position will be based in Research Data Services with close working relationships with Library Systems , Research Commons, the Library’s Liaison Librarians, and the Library’s Institutional Repository staff. The position will collaborate with staff from both inside and outside the library devoted to supporting research data management throughout the different phases of the data life cycle. The Data Curator will interact with faculty, students, and various academic and administration units throughout the university and will be responsible for the development and administration of policies, workflows, and infrastructure/repositories regarding the management of datasets and related resources. This is a new position in the SFU Library that will incorporate existing and emerging elements of research data support and services. It is an opportunity for the right candidate to help create and establish new services for long-term curation and management of research data at SFU.
RESPONSIBILITIES UPF Research Data Project ¨ Conduct an environmental scan of SFU research data activities and identify data curation and management requirements ¨ Undertake several “proof of concept” or pilots for the preservation and management of SFU research data in a number of representative data domains ¨ Work with relevant library units and relevant university units (e.g. IT Services, Westgrid, the Office of VP Research, other research centers) to develop university-wide policies, procedures, and support for research data production, management , curation; and discovery for primary and secondary analysis
Research Data Curation and Management ¨ Provide consultation services for faculty/students/staff with devising and implementing project-specific strategies for long-term data curation and management ¨ Work closely with colleagues in the Library and across campus and provide leadership in ensuring SFU compliance with data curation mandates as well as promoting open access to SFU produced research data ¨ Provide leadership role to promote data curation and management services amongst faculty and students and staff, and to solicit feedback from researchers about data management needs ¨ Assist faculty/students/staff with writing data management plans to include in grant applications and with preparing annual reports, so as to meet requirements of funding agencies such as NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC, NEH, and NIH ¨ Identify appropriate venues for data storage and access and act as intermediary between researchers and appropriate internal and/or external repositories and archives ¨ Assist with development of mechanisms for searching and accessing data collections ¨ Work with relevant library units to develop procedures and best practices for helping researchers with database creation and metadata creation ¨ Assess requirements and plan for future facilities, collections, services and staff ¨ Mentor staff and coordinate training and development; collaborate with liaison librarians in regular communication and review of services to departments and faculties ¨ Collaborate with other Library departments on library-wide developments of new initiatives and reviews of existing services
Required
¨ Graduate degree in library/information science/archival studies from an ALA accredited program or equivalent ¨ Minimum 3 years library professional experience including provision of research data services ¨ Experience with project management methodologies and subsequent operationalization in a library or research project/team ¨ Demonstrated knowledge of intellectual property issues, related academic/research policies and procedures related to data curation and management such as preservation, retrieval, and managing access to sensitive data ¨ Demonstrated knowledge of research infrastructure, tools (e.g. DSpace, Fedora, or other repository software), standards and facilities for preservation, data formats and migration, discovery and access. ¨ Demonstrated awareness of both national and international trends and developments with research data curation and management ¨ Knowledge of relevant metadata standards (e.g. DC, DDI, FGDC, ISO, SMDX) ¨ Demonstrated success at collaborating ¨ Demonstrated success in achieving innovative change ¨ Excellent communication skills, both oral and written ¨ Superior interpersonal and intercultural skills ¨ Familiarity with current trends in post-secondary education and academic library services ¨ Able to meet the requirements of a confirmed appointment librarian position
Preferred:
¨ Second advanced degree with a research component ¨ Familiarity with research data analysis tools (statistics, data mining) ¨ Familiarity with major data resources from government and other agencies ¨ Familiarity with domain specific metadata standards
Archived on: 2012-03-10