Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian

Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian

Northfield, MN, United States

Position Title: Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian.
Department: Library – Distinctive Collections and Archives.
Classification: Exempt.
FTE: 1.0.
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am
-5:00 pm; occasional evenings or weekends may be required for special events; travel up to 2% of work schedule, which includes local (Twin cities metro area) travel; overnight trips average 1-2 trips per year.
Work Location: Hybrid. WFH 1-2 days a week. Will work on campus fully for the first three months.
Salary Range: $56,000 - $63,000.

Rolvaag Memorial Library’s Distinctive Collections and Archives’ primary mission is to preserve, protect and provide access to St. Olaf College’s distinctive holdings of rare books, artists books, Norwegian‑American Imprints, college records, historic documents, photographs, and archival materials. In support of that mission, the Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian provides vision and leadership in teaching, research, outreach and engagement, and collection development. This professional works to define new approaches to teaching in Distinctive Collections and Archives, develop creative outreach practices, engage with new pedagogies, and support scholarship across interdisciplinary communities.

This position works collaboratively with Rolvaag Memorial Library’s Research & Instructional Technology team, the St. Olaf College Archives’ Lead Archivist, the staff and archivists at the Norwegian‑American Historical Association, and other stakeholders. In this capacity, this position will guide the integration of Distinctive Collections and Archives into the College’s future Innovation Hub.

• Instruction and Research - 35% of time.
  • Continue to build St. Olaf’s strong Distinctive Collections instruction program, promoting the use of distinctive collections and archives resources as an integral part of a liberal arts education.
  • Partner with faculty, and other LITS staff as appropriate, to design learning experiences that inculcate wonder in students through guided contact with primary sources in our collections and exposure to book arts.
  • Provide innovative instruction experiences that facilitate varied teaching, learning, and research, including interdisciplinary projects, new pedagogical models, and original undergraduate student research.
  • Collaborate with archivists to teach students (and faculty) how to use professional archival search tools, and conduct research in archives.
  • Communicate frequently with faculty to discover new curricular directions and materials that will keep St. Olaf at the vanguard of student learning.
  • Regularly engage with the Research and Instructional Technology team to incorporate and assess Distinctive Collections and Archives learning outcomes so they align with the LITS Literacies Framework for student success.
  • Create a collection of physical and digital educational tools to sustain our teaching program.
  • Supervise and mentor student employees who support teaching and learning efforts.
  • Identify materials to add to the collections that support the curriculum, build upon existing collection strengths, and provide opportunities for student and faculty research.
• Outreach and Engagement - 35% of time.
  • Develop a dynamic outreach program that encourages our campus community to access our rare and unique books, archival objects, and other unique collections.
  • Continuously work to bring underexposed portions or areas of the collections into the classroom and the community through the use of displays, special events, digital media, and other emerging formats.
  • Design exhibitions that engage our community and that explore new modes of interacting with our materials. Seek guest curators (students, classes, campus staff) as appropriate.
  • Collaborate with Lead Archivist to identify gaps in our collection and develop community archiving initiatives.
  • Partner with campus stakeholders to develop innovative ways to use the collections.
  • Work in a team environment with staff in Research & Instructional Technology, and academic departments on a range of ongoing…