Data Science Librarian

The NC State University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Data Science Librarian. The Data Science Services (DSS) department (6 librarians, 1 library specialist, plus graduate student assistants) helps students and other researchers develop critical data science and visualization skills through expert consultation, workshops, and classroom instruction. The department provides support for a wide range of data lifecycle activities including data collection, discovery, access, evaluation, cleaning, preprocessing, transformation, modeling, analysis, geospatial techniques, and visualization. The department is the service owner for the Dataspace in the Hunt Library and the Data Experience Lab in the Hill Library, community-oriented spaces offering specialized computing, expert assistance, and services supporting data science and visualization. DSS collaborates with others in the Libraries and with NC State’s Data Science and AI Academy (DSA), a university-wide effort to meet the university’s growing needs for data science research, education, and expertise.

Responsibilities

The Data Science Librarian provides expert consultative support, workshop-based training, and course-integrated instruction for students, faculty, and researchers in the areas of data science and visualization. The position leads DSS’s support around tabular data, spreadsheet software and tools, and data visualizations, while also contributing to other data science topics aligned with their skills and patron needs. They design, develop, and deliver workshops, both as part of an open workshop series and in collaboration with faculty for course-integrated instruction. They engage with faculty, campus groups, and external partners to support the university’s data and visualization needs, and conduct relevant outreach and participate in sponsoring events. The position collaborates with colleagues and faculty on data-related initiatives and projects, contributes to departmental projects and initiatives, and may mentor or supervise graduate student consultants in their skill areas.

This position is based in North Carolina. This position is eligible for flexible hours with a hybrid work environment. This position will require frequent onsite work.

Required Qualifications

Applicants are encouraged to think broadly about and communicate how their skills and experiences transfer to the qualifications below, including in ways that may not be obvious, such as how non-library-specific skills and experiences speak to the position responsibilities. We strongly encourage and welcome applicants with a variety of backgrounds, interests, and experiences to apply for this position.

• Proficiency with concepts for working with tabular data, such as data generation, preparation, analysis, and demonstrated experience with one or more of the following tools for working with spreadsheets and tabular data, such as SPSS, SAS, JMP, GoogleSheets and/or STATA
• Proficiency with concepts for data visualization, including conceptualizing, designing, and building effective data visualizations for research presentations and publications
• Ability to teach workshops, instruction, or other types of training sessions about preparing and visualizing data, including sessions based in Google Sheets
• Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new technical skills and tools; evidence of ongoing, self-directed learning
• Interest in providing services that support students, faculty, and staff in developing their data skills
• Ability to serve and collaborate with a large user community reflecting a variety of backgrounds and disciplines
• Ability to foster an environment of belonging and well-being
• Ability to communicate clearly and knowledgeably through a variety of mediums; ability to represent the Libraries to university and external audiences
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and work in a team environment
• Evidence of ability for ongoing professional development and contribution to the library profession
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

It is not required that candidates meet any of the preferred qualifications to be considered for this position. The following skills represent some of the areas in which this position could potentially grow and focus, based on the incumbent’s background and interests.

• Demonstrated knowledge and evidence of application of one or more specific data approaches, such as: advanced data visualization; survey design and methodology; qualitative analysis; statistics; or others
• Proficiency with one or more programming languages for data transformation, analysis, and visualization, such as R, Python, etc.
• Experience providing consultation or developing and delivering instruction, workshops, or training for data topics