Rare Books and Instruction Librarian (Open Rank)

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Closing Date:

07/25/2025

Type of Position:

LibraryNo

Job Type:

RegularYes

Institution Name:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a land grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top 2 percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance the state and build a better world through education, research, and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, fostering a welcoming climate, and nurturing creativity, discovery, and the spread of new ideas and innovations.

The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The growing region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts and overall quality of life.

As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions, you should review before applying for the opening.

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Department:

Special Collections

Summary of Job Duties:

This position is a tenure-track, twelve-month faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Librarian / Assistant Professor or Associate Librarian / Associate Professor.

The University of Arkansas Libraries seeks a collaborative and enthusiastic librarian to guide management of the growing collection of rare books and Arkansas print materials in Special Collections and join a dynamic instruction and outreach team to help further extend the learning made possible by the Division to more classes, programs, researchers, and students. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Special Collections, the Rare Books and Instruction Librarian will work closely with the Division’s Collection Development team to advise on collection priorities and will develop recommendations for new acquisitions while seeking ways to leverage a rich and multifaceted rare books collection into innovative instruction and outreach opportunities. The Librarian will also work with donors to evaluate and advise on potential additions to the Special Collections’ print holdings.

The rare books and Arkansiana in Special Collections include more than 130,000 titles. In keeping with the University of Arkansas’s land grant mission, Special Collections continues to collect and make accessible the print record of Arkansas’s history and culture as comprehensively as possible, and the holdings include one of the largest and most complete collections on Arkansas history, 17th century to present, in the world. Areas of growth include teaching collections of medieval manuscripts and fine press facsimiles, artist books, and zines. The collection also includes historic and contemporary monographs and serials, ephemera, maps, and broadsides, and a unique assemblage of special libraries with particular strengths in Arkansas poetry, religious studies, politics, and 20th century activism. Special libraries include the personal collections of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Gould Fletcher and acclaimed Arkansas poet C.D. Wright; a significant collection devoted to theologian Thomas Merton and libraries from conservative Arkansas religious activists such as Professor James Bales; the historic library of the folk labor school Commonwealth College; the historic feminist collection of books and serials from the Fayetteville Women’s Library; and the library of 19th century utopian reformer and politician Robert Dale Owen. Special Collections is also home to a substantial and growing collection of Arkansas cookbooks.

A core duty of this position is to facilitate coordination between the Special Collections Division and the acquisitions, cataloging, and preservation departments within the Division of Collections and Open Initiatives. The position will also help expand the teaching and learning with the Division’s resources to even more students. The Rare Books and Instruction Librarian will be an active member of the Instruction and Outreach Team in Special Collections, coordinating closely with the team on instruction planning and curricula development, use of the classroom and gallery, events, and exhibits. The University Libraries seeks a librarian excited about engagement and scholarship with rare books who will pursue and nurture partnerships within the Libraries and with departments across campus, as well as find ways to showcase the rare books and print holdings of Special Collections through guest speakers, seminars, digital humanities projects, and other innovative partnerships and opportunities.

Along with performance, the responsibilities of this position include research and creative work and service in keeping with the faculty requirements of the University of Arkansas.

Relocation allowance available. Benefits include TIAA or Fidelity Investments, tuition reduction, and health insurance. Annual leave starts at 15 days per calendar year and increases with years of service.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution or equivalent institution
• Demonstrated experience working in a library setting
• Demonstrated experience with special collections and rare books description and curation
• Experience providing public service through instruction/tutorials, reference, and/or external outreach/engagement in an academic or professional setting

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education, professional background, or subject matter expertise in an area of current or potential collection strength, including history of the book, literature, artist books and zines, Arkansas and Mississippi Valley history, or African American history and culture
• Experience in digital humanities research or project development
• Experience with or a willingness to learn collection development and/or collection assessment
• Demonstrated knowledge of or a willingness to learn about the use of emerging technologies to support research, teaching, and learning
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in library pedagogy, such as the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated service orientation
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse and changing environment
• Willingness to engage different constituent groups through outreach and collaboration
• Demonstrated initiative and flexibility
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability in working collaboratively with team members, other colleagues, and/or customers
• Effective oral and written communication skills

Additional Information:

Minimum salary: $60,000, commensurate with education and experienceCover Letter/Letter of Application, Curriculum Vitae, List of three Professional References (name, email, business title)Proof of Veteran StatusJoshua C. Youngblood, Associate Dean for Special Collections, [email protected]

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS  

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

When completing your application, please upload the following: letter of application highlighting education and experience related to the position qualifications, curriculum vitae, and a list of three current references (names, addresses, emails, and telephone numbers). Candidates who received international degrees in library and information science not accredited by ALA will need to submit the foreign credential evaluation determination with their application materials.

Pre-employment Screening Requirements:

Criminal Background Check, Sex Offender Registry

The University of Arkansas is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas seeks to attract, develop and retain high quality faculty, staff and administrators that consistently display practices and behaviors to advance a culture that embeds equal opportunity, educational excellence and unparalleled access for all.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of any category or status protected by law, including age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, or pregnancy. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University’s Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All Application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Constant Physical Activity:

N/A

Frequent Physical Activity:

N/A

Occasional Physical Activity:

N/A

Benefits Eligible:

Yes