Research Services Librarian

Reporting to the Associate Director for Clinical, Academic, and Research Engagement (CARE), the Research Services Librarian provides research, reference, and instructional services to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff of UT Health San Antonio. This entry-level position is designed for a new or early-career librarian with an interest in health sciences librarianship. The incumbent supports public services such as access services and interlibrary loan, develops and coordinates outreach programs and initiatives, and assists with special projects. Working with the Collections, Acquisitions & Resource Discovery Services (CARDS) unit and the Senior Curator for Special Collections & Archives, the incumbent also supports collections and electronic resource management, student scholarly works, and Archives and Special Collections. The incumbent works alongside experienced liaison librarians and specialists in both the CARE and CARDS units, gaining broad experience across public services, collections, and special collections in an academic health science center library. The position is part of the CARE unit within the Health Science Center Libraries, which is responsible for outreach and engagement across the institution’s clinical, academic, and research enterprises. The Health Science Center Libraries support the incumbent’s professional development, including participation in the Medical Library Association and its chapters or related organizations.

Schedule: 

Monday - Friday from 7:00am or 7:30am to 4:00pm - 4:30pm.

Fully on-site.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides general reference assistance and research consultations to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff by chat, email, and virtual or in-person appointments, and refers discipline-specific and complex requests to the appropriate liaison librarian.

Participates in the library’s On-Call Librarian rotation and provides backup coverage for liaison librarians’ on-call shifts.

Assists liaison librarians with literature searching and document delivery for research projects, including structured reviews, and with compiling data for departmental and faculty publication reports.

Designs and delivers in-person and virtual instruction and training sessions on library resources, evidence-based practice, information literacy, research skills, and related topics in collaboration with liaison librarians.

Creates and maintains instructional materials and online library guides in multiple formats (videos, online tutorials, guides, etc.) and identifies new topics for digital learning objects based on user needs.

Triages questions and requests from library users and resolves issues within established policies and procedures, escalating to the appropriate librarian or staff member as needed.

Plans and participates in library programs, events, and outreach activities in collaboration with the Resource Sharing & Outreach Librarian and other colleagues, including Student Life.

Provides backup coverage for the Library Services Assistants and for interlibrary loan and document delivery services as needed.

Supports collection management activities for electronic resources in collaboration with the CARDS unit, including monitoring collection expenditures and renewals and processing and tracking payments so that access to resources is not interrupted.

Maintains access and holdings information for electronic resources across library systems, troubleshoots access issues, and performs copy cataloging in the Koha integrated library system.

Receives, processes, and catalogs student scholarly works, including electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects, adds them to the Digital Archive, and manages embargoes in accordance with established procedures.

Assists with the processing and organization of Archives and Special Collections materials and supports tours of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library.

Participates in library planning activities, contributes to the development of policies, procedures, and reports, and serves on library and campus committees.

Participates in professional development activities, including professional association involvement and continuing education.

Performs additional or special duties as assigned.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Candidate must be able to meet the criteria for appointment at the Librarian level. No post-MLIS professional library experience is required.

Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program. Degree must be completed and awarded prior to the hire date (anticipated hire date January 2027).

Working knowledge of library services and practices related to reference, instruction, outreach, and collection management, ideally in an academic or health sciences library.

Knowledge of health science information resources, including databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and UpToDate, and of evidence-based medicine.

Ability to provide high-quality services to diverse library users to meet their academic, research, and clinical information needs.

Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Demonstrated organizational and project management skills and ability to balance multiple priorities, schedule constraints, and deadlines.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team and to develop and maintain strong working relationships with library users and university colleagues.

Working knowledge of standard productivity software (Microsoft Office); citation management software; integrated library systems and library-related platforms (e.g., Ex Libris Alma, Koha, Springshare); and electronic resource systems and research platforms (e.g., ORCID).

Able to qualify for a security-sensitive position.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

One (1) or more years of library experience at the staff level, or post-MLIS library experience, in an academic, medical, health sciences, or clinical library.

Coursework, practicum, internship, or work experience in health sciences librarianship, reference and instruction, cataloging and metadata, electronic resources, or archives and special collections.

Experience providing reference or research assistance, including by chat or email, or teaching library or research skills.

Familiarity with expert literature searching or systematic review methods.

Experience with cataloging (MARC, RDA) and with OCLC, Koha, or another integrated library system.

Experience creating research guides or instructional materials (e.g., LibGuides, video tutorials).

Interest in professional involvement through the Medical Library Association, its chapters, or related organizations.