Systems & Data Research Librarian - Library and Researcher Information Services

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Systems & Data Research Librarian at UL Research Institutes Library and Researcher Information Services (LRIS). While this position is remote our operations are based in our Evanston, Illinois office. The Systems and Data Research Librarian provides operational and strategic support for the ULRI Library and Researcher Information Services systems, digital resources, and data services.

This role oversees the administration, maintenance, and optimization of library platforms; ensures reliable access to digital collections; and develops analytics, dashboards, and reporting to support research and organizational priorities. Working collaboratively with IT, vendors, and internal stakeholders, this position advances secure, scalable, and user-centered technologies while contributing to institutional data governance and evidence-based decision-making.

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our UL Research Institute teams who conduct the research required to produce that knowledge and put into practice.

• Administer, monitor, and maintain core library systems (Open Athens, EDS, Stacks, SharePoint, Lib Guides, Zotero) and supporting platforms (Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps) to ensure consistent authentication, discovery, and access for all users.

• Diagnose and resolve system, access, indexing, and authentication issues, communicating clear resolutions and interim workarounds to stakeholders.

• Partner with IT teams to maintain a secure, stable, and scalable technology infrastructure that supports library operations and research initiatives.

• Establish and document standardized processes for testing, troubleshooting, and resolving system issues to improve efficiency and reliability.

• Conduct user research and usability testing to assess library technologies and recommend enhancements that improve user experience and workflow effectiveness.

• Serve as the primary vendor liaison, coordinating system performance, access troubleshooting, product updates, and new implementations.

• Manage the LRIS SharePoint portal to ensure alignment with ULRI branding, accessibility requirements, and user-centered design principles.

• Maintain seamless access to digital resources by managing access points, metadata workflows, APIs, and discovery platform integrations.

• Support institutional data initiatives by contributing to data governance efforts, documentation, and the development of shared data standards.

• Design, implement, and maintain metadata schemas, controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies to enhance discovery, interoperability, and long-term access.

• Ensure metadata quality and consistency, collaborating with data engineers to integrate taxonomies and ontologies into data pipelines, knowledge graphs, and AI-enabled systems.

• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and analytics that integrate usage data, bibliometrics, altmetrics, and engagement metrics to support evidence-based decision-making.

• Serve as a Data Steward for library and knowledge-domain data, ensuring compliance with enterprise data governance standards, definitions, and quality expectations.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• People
  :
  Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work
  :
  Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve
  :
  We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values
  . Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards
  :
  All employees at UL Research Institutes are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching…