Description

Assistant Librarian, Research and Scholarly Communications 

Research and Open Scholarship, York University Libraries
 

The Open Scholarship Department, York University Libraries (YUL) at York University invites highly qualified applicants to apply for an Assistant Librarian position in Research and Scholarly Communications with a focus on research visibility, research data management (RDM) and open access publishing. This is an open continuing appointment stream position with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2026.

Summary

York University Libraries (YUL) seeks a collaborative-oriented individual for the position of Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian to advance YUL’s open scholarship portfolio in support of the research community across York’s campuses. This position is based at the Keele Campus. 

The Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian will be a part of the Open Scholarship department (OS), within the Research and Open Scholarship Division. OS consists of librarians specializing in RDM, open access, scholarly publishing, research visibility, open education, and data services. The successful candidate will work with departmental colleagues on a team-based approach to promote and deliver open research services and will have teaching and consultation responsibilities. They will also work closely with colleagues in YUL and research support partners in the university, to advance the priority areas of the University Academic Plan (UAP) 2020-2025 and YUL’s Strategic Plan 2021-2026.

Primary Responsibilities

The Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian will work closely with colleagues in the OS department to co-lead and co-deliver services and programs in alignment with the department's team-based approach.

• Provide support through consultations, workshops, and other channels to York researchers (faculty, students, and staff) in coordination with OS members, in the following areas:

o        Research visibility: including the use of bibliometrics and alternative metrics, disciplinary considerations for research impact assessment, responsible use of metrics, and researcher persistent identifiers such as ORCID.

o        RDM: including best practices for developing data management plans (e.g., using the DMP Assistant Tool), data curation best practices, and depositing research data to York University’s Dataverse.

o        Open access (OA) publishing: including OA publishing options/routes to OA publishing, selection of OA journals, accessing existing article processing charge discounts, identifying predatory publishers, and use of library-hosted OA platforms, such as YorkSpace, York’s institutional repository or York Digital Journals.

• Co-lead, develop and deliver programs such as the Research Impact Challenge, develop tailored presentations and workshops for faculties, departments, staff, and students, and provide professional development for librarians and archivists with OS colleagues. 
• Develop webpages, online resources, and learning objects, such as LibGuides, to promote campus awareness of new and existing scholarly communications best practices in the areas of research visibility, RDM and OA publishing, in coordination with OS team members.
•         Support annual affiliation cleanup projects and ensure York’s research outputs are represented accurately in key indexes that are used in university rankings (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science).
•         Work with the director of OS and others to liaise with the Provost’s Office, Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation,  the Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis, and York International to support university ranking submissions to ranking bodies such as the Times Higher Education.
•         Liaise with bibliometric database providers (e.g., Elsevier, Digital Science) to address technical issues with the platforms in terms of affiliation and researcher persistent IDs and coordinate technical support for York researchers.
•         Participate in university-wide committees that support research visibility, RDM, and open access, such as York’s Open Access and Open Data Steering Committee.
•         Undertake research consultations, teaching and collection responsibilities within a discipline (e.g., Social Sciences, Health Studies), as assigned based on institutional priorities and the successful applicant’s disciplinary knowledge.
• Other Duties Include:
•         Engage in ongoing self-directed learning and professional development to keep abreast of changes in the scholarly communications landscape, with a specific focus on OA publishing, research visibility, and RDM.
•         Actively participate in decision-making activities within the Libraries and the University through collegial contributions to committees and other groups.
•         Represent the Libraries on local, regional, consortial, and/or international scholarly communications organizations, committees, and initiatives.
•         Advance the profession through research, publication, and participation in professional organizations.

Candidate Qualifications:

Degree: 

o    Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree from an ALA accredited program, or its recognized equivalent.

Required:

o    Superior written and spoken communication in English.

o    Excellent interpersonal skills and presentation skills.

o    Evidence or promise of research contributions in the form of publications or conference presentations, professional development, and/or active involvement in professional or scholarly organizations.

Demonstrated:

o    Knowledge of the research lifecycle and research processes with an understanding of the issues surrounding scholarly communication across a variety of disciplines.

o    Leadership capacity and evidence of navigating complex administrative environments and building effective working relationships with a diverse population of colleagues and stakeholders.

o    Aptitude for adapting to new responsibilities and environments, while also demonstrating a capacity for self-directed learning. 

o    Ability to provide research and consultation services to researchers with varying levels of expertise.

o    Ability to advance new programs and services in a collaborative, team-based environment.

o     Ability to teach information, data, and/or digital literacy classes.

o    Project management skills and strong attention to detail.

Knowledge of: 

o    Principles and best practices in decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion (DEDI) (e.g., York’s DEDI strategy) within the institutional and professional context.

o    Traditional and alternative bibliometrics (such as publication counts, citation counts, h-indexes, and journal metrics) and data sources (such as Altmetric Explorer for Institutions, Dimensions, Google Scholar, SciVal, Scopus, and Web of Science) for purposes of assessing and reporting on research impact. 

o    Frameworks and best practices for the responsible use of research metrics, such as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.

o    Researcher persistent identifiers such as ORCID iD, Scopus Author Profiles, Google Scholar Profiles, or Web of Science Researcher profiles. 

o    Research data management best practices, such as developing data management plans, common data repositories, and the research data lifecycle.

o    The scholarly publishing landscape, with specific knowledge of Open Access publishing models.

o    Emerging topics within the constantly evolving scholarly communication and open research landscape.

o    Effective pedagogical practices for teaching library workshops and classes.  

Additional: 

o    Spoken and written competency in French is an asset but is not required.

Hiring Policies:

   The anticipated starting salary for this position at the rank of Assistant Librarian and commensurate with qualifications and experience, is in the range of $110,000 to $135,000. All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval.

  York is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, in its community. Details of the AA Program, which applies to women, members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, can be found here or by contacting Aqsa Ahmed, EDI Program Manager (aqsa517@yorku.ca).

  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

  York has a policy on Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities and is committed to working towards a barrier-free workplace and expanding the accessibility of the workplace to persons with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation are invited to contact the chair of the search committee at yulapps@yorku.ca.

Application Process:

•         Due date for completed applications: Friday, May 15, 2026
•         Required materials: 1) current CV; 2) a cover letter addressing the stated qualifications and experience relevant to the responsibilities. Candidates who proceed to a final interview will later be asked to provide names and contact information for three professional references.
•         Provide required information regarding your Canadian work status and optional self-identification for Affirmative Action purposes as part of the online application.
•         In-person interviews for short-listed candidates will be scheduled in mid-July 2026.   
•         Direct questions about the position can be sent to the Search Committee Chair, Minglu Wang at yulapps@yorku.ca.
•         Submit application materials: at  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LIB_RSCL  

Learn More About York:

•   York University generates and shares knowledge through our research, teaching, and engagement with communities around the world. The 2023-2028 Strategic Research Plan showcases the depth, breadth and ambition of research at York.
•   York’s commitments to social justice are laid out in our Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, the Framework & Action Plan on Black Inclusion and the Indigenous Framework for York University.
•   Follow the activities and accomplishments of York’s faculty, students and staff on YFile.

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