Purpose of Position:
The W. Frank Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University seeks a collaborative, visionary, and service-oriented individual to serve as Online Learning Librarian. This non-tenure-track renewable faculty position is charged with leading, implementing, and sustaining library services, resources, and instruction for NKU faculty and students participating in online programs. This role will be engaged in NKU’s digital spaces and ensure our online, hybrid, and remote students have the necessary access to Steely Library. The librarian will raise awareness of library resources and services and seek out learning opportunities in the online learning environment. They will be responsible for developing a vision for digital learning objects and collaboratively working with Education & Outreach Services to create and maintain these objects. The Online Learning Librarian will collaborate with key partners across campus, including Center for Excellence in Teaching & Innovation (CETI), our instructional designers, Online and Professional Education, and colleagues within academic colleges focused on online education. As a faculty member, the Online Learning Librarian will be expected to participate on library and campus-wide committees. The librarian will be engaged in fulfilling the educational mission of the university. This position is part of a robust team of educators, the Education & Outreach Services Department, and reports to the Head of Education & Outreach Services.
The W. Frank Steely Library provides a wide range of library services to support the University’s commitment to its Success by Design strategic framework, which promotes student success by embracing inclusiveness, equity, global awareness, and academic needs of students and faculty in each academic college. Library faculty and staff have enhanced traditional services to better address 21st-century information needs and are collaborative partners across campus.
Primary Responsibilities:
Instruction
• Facilitates one-time instruction sessions (primarily online with some face-to-face) in a broad range of disciplines for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Identifies online instructional opportunities within the campus curriculum and collaborates with Education & Outreach Services department members who specialize in certain student populations.
• Teaches credit-bearing information literacy courses, such as LIN 175: Information Literacy (a general education course).
• Provides guidance on best practices for online courses and ways to create inclusive online learning environments.
Learning Objects
• Articulates a vision for the role digital learning objects play in student learning.
• Creates and maintains subject guides, tutorials, and other digital learning objects, in collaboration with members of Education & Outreach Services.
• Regularly assesses digital learning objects to ensure relevant information and impactful student learning.
• Collaborates with CETI to maintain the LibGuides LTI Integration with our Canvas system.
• Partners with faculty and students across campus to support their creation of digital learning objects.
• Leads the effort for the Library to be recognized across campus as an active contributor to online student, faculty, and staff learning.
Outreach
• Collaborates with departments/units on campus relevant to online student learning.
• Leads and assesses library outreach programming, designed to support curricular and extra-curricular needs of our online students
• Communicates with departments and collaborates with faculty across campus to ensure digital learning objects meet the needs of students and courses.
Research Help
• Provides weekly research help services, including desk hours, virtual chat, and consultations, to support in-person and virtual users.
• Participates in our co-op chat service, providing reference to students at other universities.
• Creates FAQs related to identified needs for online students.
Other
• Other duties as assigned.
Service
• Participates in library and campus-wide committees.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
• Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library or information science program or an ALA-approved foreign equivalent by anticipated start date.
• Experience with, knowledge of, or interest in teaching and assessing information literacy in online and face-to-face settings.
• Experience with, knowledge of, or interest in best practices for online learning, such as Universal Design of Learning and accessibility of learning materials.
• Experience with, knowledge of, or interest in creating instructional materials in multimedia formats (video, audio, or visual media).
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with, knowledge of, or interest in learning about relevant digital tools and platforms, including but not limited to: Learning Management Systems (especially Canvas); open licensing (Creative Commons); and digital publishing (institutional repositories).
• Project management experience, with the ability to guide projects that require collaboration and coordination with internal and/or external partners from initial idea to completion.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Knowledge and understanding of key issues and trends within online education and learning technologies.
• Ability to create and assess digital learning objects.
• Exemplary interpersonal and written communication skills, ability to work in a highly collaborative environment, and ability to prioritize various teaching assignments, departmental initiatives, and outreach.
• Ability to manage projects, involving internal and external partners.
• Knowledge and understanding of key issues and trends in information literacy instruction
• Demonstrated commitment to professional development/achievement.
• Demonstrated commitment to participating in and building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community (particularly in online spaces) dedicated to student success and sense of belonging.
Although the position will remain posted until filled, priority consideration will be given to applicants who apply before January 15, 2024.
NKU is a public comprehensive university located in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area. The university delivers innovative, learner-centered education and engages in impactful scholarly and creative activities, all of which empower students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives while contributing to the social and economic vitality of the region. NKU has almost 14,000 students, over 2,000 faculty and staff. It offers 79 undergraduate degree programs, master’s degrees in 21 disciplines, graduate certificates in 15 areas, two doctoral programs, a law degree, and in a partnership with the University of Kentucky and St. Elizabeth Hospital opened a medical school in the fall of 2019.