Journalism Librarian

The University of Missouri Libraries seeks a Journalism Librarian. The Journalism Librarian will provide in-depth reference service to students, faculty and staff of the Columbia Missourian and other units of the School of Journalism and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI). This position works closely with the Head of the Journalism Library, colleagues within the Libraries and Journalism, faculty, students, staff of the Missouri School of Journalism, and RJI to provide integrated library services to the School and Institute. These services include: assisting the Head of the Journalism Library with instruction sessions for news and information gathering, investigative reporting and data visualization courses; collaborating with colleagues in the Libraries and Journalism in the planning, collection, management and long-term access to the digital assets created by all units of the School and Institute.

 

Description of Duties

• Serve as liaison to the newsroom editors and staff to help facilitate improved services for the eight professional media outlets associated with the School of Journalism, including the newsrooms of the Columbia Missourian, VOX Magazine, KOMU television station, KBIA radio station, Missouri Business Alert, and Missouri News Network, as well as the advertising agencies AdZou and MOJO Ad.

• Engage in consistent outreach to each affiliated media outlet through attending pitch meetings, advertising library resources, and building relationships with students, faculty and staff. Encourage increased use of library services and promote industry standards of research to elevate the status of our professional media outlets. 

• Maintain digital content for the Journalism School and the library. Provide assistance to the newsrooms for local and national contest entries throughout the year as well as technical expertise. Manage the course e-reserves for the Journalism School. Work closely with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the Journalism School to gather, store, and organize each semester’s syllabi as part of accreditation guidelines.

• Provide premier reference services to the Journalism faculty through newsroom or classroom instruction and individual research help. Instruction may involve basic skills such as utilizing library resources or it might be advanced information on gathering and visualizing information and data for news and narratives.

• Create and maintain appropriate digital guides and online tutorials for journalism students and faculty based on course content, library resources, or interesting and relevant topical research.

• Work closely with the Head of the Journalism Library, and colleagues within the Libraries and Journalism to plan and execute a digital preservation strategy for managing the digital assets created by units of the School and Institute. This would include academic research, scholarly communication, understanding and working with digital media asset management systems, selecting, modifying and applying appropriate metadata schemas, and employing standardized media file formats for long-term access.

• In coordination with the Journalism Library team, supervise staff with their assigned tasks. 

• Staff includes: Library Information Specialist, P#00007535, tasked with ingesting digital assets into a digital asset management system, assigning appropriate metadata and file formats for access by authorized users at the School and Institute, assisting with equipment check-out and answering reference questions. 

• Keep current with digital preservation and digital asset management systems, metadata schemas and standardized media file formats. 

• Participate in library and professional development; promote the University mission through professional activities and service on Libraries, School of Journalism, and University of Missouri committees and working groups; and engage with appropriate professional organizations.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

This position works out of the Journalism Library at the University of Missouri, located within the Reynolds Journalism Institute. The position has the option of a hybrid work schedule. 

Qualifications

Minimum:  
Education: MLS from an ALA accredited program required.

  
 

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• Commitment to outstanding customer service

• Experience working on research projects, individually and collaboratively

• Experience working in an academic or special library or information related field

• Experience in or familiarity with journalism, newsrooms, or media agencies

• Experience with content management systems, news databases (NewsBank, U.S. Newsstream, Newspaper Source, etc.) or other large searchable databases used for teaching or research

• Experience in, or demonstrated understanding of, digital rights management and digital preservation relating to both text and visual assets

• Teaching experience, including creating online resources guides and tutorials

• Course work in managing, sharing or curating quantitative research data, or direct experience supporting researchers in managing, sharing and curating their data

• Knowledge of data services concepts, such as: data management plans, data curation, data visualization, research and data lifecycle support, open data, and data literacy

• Knowledge of Digital Asset Management design, metadata schemas, standards, taxonomies and digital file encoding formats, workflow strategies and priorities critical in structuring, standardizing, encoding, documenting and retrieving information

• Knowledge of programming languages, such as: Python, R, and SQL

• Strong management skills and ability to work in a team environment

• Willingness to take an active role in developing a new library program and promoting a new suite of library services

 

Salary

Salary and librarian rank will be commensurate with experience. This position holds non-tenure track (NTT) faculty status. 

• Librarian I, negotiable from $51,500

• Librarian II, negotiable from $56,500

• Librarian III, negotiable from $64,000

For information regarding title and rank, please review the MU Libraries’ Librarian and Archivist Governance Document found at: http://library.missouri.edu/staff/libguides/Governance%20Document_rev2019.pdf

Other Information

This position works out of the Journalism Library at the University of Missouri, located within the Reynolds Journalism Institute. The position has the option of a hybrid work schedule with occasional days working from home. 

 

Application Materials

Apply online at http://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/academic with Job ID 49744. A cover letter, contact information for three references and CV must be uploaded through the brief online application. Application review begins January 2, 2024, but will accept applications until position is filled.

 

About the University of Missouri Journalism Library and the School of Journalism 

The Journalism Library, part of the MU Libraries system, serves as a comprehensive academic center for the School of Journalism. In 1908, Walter Williams created the world’s first School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. In 1909, his wife, Sara Lockwood Williams, followed suit by creating the world’s first Journalism Library. From our humble beginnings as a collection of 92 books loaned out from a single room, we have grown into a collection of over 30,000 print materials, hundreds of thousands of materials available digitally, and a beautiful 2-floor information commons located within the Reynolds Journalism Institute. 

The Missouri School of Journalism is routinely recognized as one of the top journalism schools in the world, offering Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in Journalism and Strategic Communication. The School of Journalism is widely known for their “Missouri Method”, inspired by Walter Williams’ belief that the best way to learn about journalism and advertising is to practice them. As part of the degree program requirements, every School of Journalism student will staff a professional media outlet and gain real-world experience. The eight media outlets associated with the School of Journalism include the Columbia Missourian, a community newspaper; Vox, a cross-platform magazine; KOMU-TV 8, an NBC affiliate broadcast station; KBIA 91.3 FM, an NPR member radio station; Missouri Business Alert, a digital newsroom covering local business news; Global Journalist, a converged newsroom covering issues of free speech and free press across the world; AdZou, a strategic communication agency; and MOJO Ad, an advertising agency.

The MU Libraries belong to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), and the statewide MOBIUS consortium.    

 

Columbia Missouri Information

Columbia, Mo., is known as an ideal college town, combining small-town comforts, community spirit and low cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources.  Home to nationally renowned public schools and other colleges and educational centers, Columbia is packed with restaurants and entertainment venues and hosts more than a dozen annual cultural festivals.

 

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits.  The University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts.  For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at http://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits

Values Commitment   
 We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement.  This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research and engagement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-7976.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.

Know Your Rights

To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) please use the following links:

• Know Your Rights English Version

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