The Student Services Librarian is responsible for providing services, outreach, and support to the University’s student communities and organizations. This includes providing reference services; teaching credit-bearing legal research courses as an adjunct; providing legal research instruction/support in the College of Law’s first-year Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research (LAWR) program; participating in the Law Library’s outreach initiatives; and serving as a liaison to the Iowa Student Bar Association, student-run law journals, the College of Law’s clinic, the moot court program, and other student-centered programs. Additionally, the Student Services Librarian serves on the Law Library’s Selection and Electronic Resources Teams and engages in other duties as assigned based on interest, skills, and Law Library’s evolving needs.

Key Areas of Responsibilities and Specific Job Tasks

Select, Acquire, Organize, Preserve, and Provide Information Resources and Services

• Provides exceptional reference service to students, faculty, staff, attorneys, and the public through multiple reference shifts each week.
• Creates and updates research guides and other instructional materials.
• Participates in collection development, including the selection of monographs, and the evaluation of databases and other resources for selection and deselection.
• Serves as the lead selector for assigned subject areas and collections.
• Assists with research requests as part of the Law Library’s faculty service program, as needed.
• Serves as a liaison with database vendors including Bloomberg Law, Lexis, and Westlaw and distributes registration codes and instructions to new students and faculty.
• Participates in the implementation and revision of the Law Library’s Collection Development Policy.

Advise, Consult, Instruct

• Develops, teaches, and/or co-teaches credit-bearing legal research courses as an adjunct within the College of Law and/or other Colleges at the University of Iowa.
• Serves as the liaison librarian for three of the College of Law's four student-run law journals, moot court program, the legal clinic, the Iowa Student Bar Association, and other student-centered programs, as needed.
• Develops, coordinates, and leads the Law Library’s Student Advisory Committee.
• Partners with faculty members in the LAWR program to provide legal research training to first year students.

Operational Management

• Records reference, research, and instructional activities in appropriate library systems to assist with the Law Library’s decision-making and statistics reporting.
• Serves as a member of the Law Library’s Outreach Team, collaborating with the Head of Outreach, Reference, and Instruction and others on developing, implementing, and assessing the Law Library’s Outreach Strategy, including serving as primary coordinator of the Law Library’s social media.
• Works with various members of the Law Library team to plan student-oriented events.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with relevant departments in the College of Law and across the University.
• Participates in and contributes to the creation of the library’s biennial report and other reporting as needed.
• Leads and participates in regular meetings.
• Develops, monitors, and revises library policy and procedures as necessary to support departmental workflows and goals.
• Participates in decision-making and implements decisions and policies within various teams.

Service and Professional Development

• Actively engages in committees, working groups, presentations, and/or scholarship within areas of responsibility or work-related interest.
• Participates in classes, trainings, conferences, and/or programs to develop and enhance job-related skills.
• Serves on committees within the Law Library, College of Law, and University Libraries, as needed.
• Participates in mandated and personally selected continuing education and professional development opportunities. This includes monitoring law library discussion lists, blogs, and websites to remain informed on issues related to all aspects of work; training staff; and disseminating information to the various library teams as appropriate.
• Actively participates in mandated and personally selected professional development opportunities focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Supervision/Leadership

• Functionally and/or administratively supervises and mentors student research assistants and/or student workers.
• Assists in hiring, training, and providing feedback for staff and student workers.
• Provides backup and support for other librarians within the Law Library, as needed.

Financial Responsibility

• Considers finances in decisions relating to instruction, outreach, and selection.

The University of Iowa Law Library is deeply committed to a community of excellence, equity, and diversity and welcomes applications from women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and other candidates who will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives. Candidates who can contribute to these goals are encouraged to apply and to identify their strengths in this area.

Iowa City is a community with something for everyone. Iowa City offers great access to the arts, sports, and nature. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics provide an excellent health care system on the cutting edge of medical care. A UNESCO City of Literature and home to the renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Iowa City is a great place to live and work.

To obtain the full job description including key areas of responsibility, technical competencies, and desirable qualifications, please contact joshua-gulick@uiowa.edu