Head Librarian for AI, Digital Init & Schlr
Mentions vibe coding and bot construction as preferred knowledge; role involves integrating AI tools into research and teaching.
About the Role
Lead Drew University Libraries’ digital services and scholarship initiatives with an emphasis on knowledge design, data-informed research, and the responsible integration of AI across research and teaching. Collaborate with faculty, students, and campus partners to design, support, and sustain digital projects, supervise student technology fellows, and develop AI and digital scholarship instruction. This is an on-site position beginning July 1, 2026.
Job Description
Role
The Head, Librarian for AI, Digital Initiatives, and Scholarship leads and advances the library’s digital services, positioning the library as a hub for interdisciplinary inquiry, experimentation, and scholarly innovation. The role focuses on knowledge design, data-informed research, and the responsible integration of AI across the research and teaching lifecycle, working closely with faculty, students, and campus partners.
Key Responsibilities
Digital Scholarship & Cultural Analytics
- Lead and support computational cultural initiatives such as text analysis, digital exhibits, spatial humanities, digital archives, and multimodal scholarship.
- Consult on project design, tool selection, workflows, metadata, copyright, and sustainability.
- Support digital publishing platforms (e.g., Omeka, Scalar, Pressbooks, Reclaim).
- Partner with Special Collections and Archives to develop digitally enhanced research projects using primary sources.
Artificial Intelligence in Research & Teaching
- Develop and lead workshops, guides, and training to foster AI literacy and responsible integration of AI tools into research and academic writing.
- Support ethical and effective use of AI across discovery, analysis, writing, data visualization, and digital creation.
- Provide guidance on transparency, attribution, bias, copyright, and academic integrity in AI use.
- Collaborate with faculty to integrate AI-informed research methods into coursework and assignments.
- Monitor and evaluate emerging AI technologies relevant to libraries, scholarship, and pedagogy.
Instruction & Consultation
- Create learning materials, tutorials, and documentation to support scalable, inclusive access to digital scholarship tools.
- Collaborate with subject librarians to embed digital and AI literacies into the curriculum.
Digital Infrastructure & Project Development
- Participate in selection, implementation, and assessment of digital platforms, tools, and services supporting scholarship.
- Contribute to project planning, grant development, and external funding opportunities related to digital scholarship and humanities.
- Advocate for sustainable, accessible, and interoperable digital infrastructure.
Collaboration & Campus Engagement
- Work with partners across campus, including University Technology and Instructional Design.
- Lead the Technology Fellows project, supervising and mentoring a team of 5–8 student workers who support classroom digital tools.
- Participate in library-wide planning on digital strategy and emerging technologies; contribute to professional service and program assessment.
Requirements
Required Qualifications
- ALA-accredited Master’s degree in library and information science or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant field.
- Demonstrated experience engaging with evolving AI tools to support faculty and students in ethical adoption.
- Demonstrated experience supporting digital scholarship, Digital Humanities, or related digital research initiatives.
- Experience providing instruction, consultations, or workshops in an academic setting.
- Strong collaborative, communication, and project management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong knowledge of AI platforms and concepts (including vibe coding and bot construction) as applied to academic research, teaching, or libraries.
- Knowledge of programming languages such as Python and R and frameworks like scikit-learn, Hugging Face, and TensorFlow.
- Experience with Special Collections, archives, or primary source materials in digital contexts.
- Familiarity with copyright, intellectual property, and ethical considerations in digital and AI-enabled scholarship.
- Experience with Digital Humanities/cultural analytics tools and methods (text mining, data visualization, GIS, photogrammetry, Storymaps, Timelinejs, text analysis).
- Experience with tools and platforms such as Omeka, Zotero, GitHub, Photoshop/GIMP/Inkscape, Audacity, OpenRefine, Pressbooks, Scalar, Reclaim, and others.
- Ability to contribute to a Digital Humanities curriculum and collaborate with instructional designers.
Location & Timing
- Primarily an on-site, in-person position at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
- Scheduled to begin July 1, 2026.