Collections Specialist/Professor of Legal Research

Ast In

Candidates for these tenure ineligible specialty faculty positions must hold a master’s degree in a field of specialization unless the administrator of the unit determines that experience and/or training is equivalent to the educational requirements. Authorship or co-authorship of significant publications in the field of specialization may be regarded as evidence of qualifying experience and training.

The Collections Specialist/Professor of Legal Research will be part of the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center’s team and work collaboratively to ensure seamless access to LIC services and resources. The successful candidate will play an active role in collaborative collection development and licensing, conduct collection analysis to align print and electronic resources with current and emerging areas of legal scholarship, ensure compliance with contract terms and access agreements, and work collaboratively to ensure that our collections support the scholarly work of the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law.

This position will participate in a variety of LIC functions including providing reference services and faculty research support, classroom teaching, and other instructional activities at the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law. The Collections Specialist/Professor of Legal Research reports to the Associate Dean for Legal Information.

Professors of Legal Research are full time 12-month non-tenure track law faculty members and receive competitive benefits including professional development funding to support attendance at academic conferences, vacation, sick, and holiday leave, medical and dental insurance, and retirement plans. The University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law offers a defined promotion path for this position from Assistant-in-Law to Associate-in-Law to Senior Associate-in-Law with commensurate 9% salary increases with each promotion.

Essential Functions

Collaboratively curates the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center’s collection including collection development, acquisitions, licensing, preservation assessments, and collection analysis. Ensures that collection strategies align with institutional goals and evolving legal research and scholarship needs.

Establishes and maintains relationships with vendors and negotiates effectively with vendors and electronic service providers to ensure appropriate contract terms. Works with our Acquisitions & Accounting Manager and units across campus to guide contracts through university processes including risk assessments and procurement. Ensures access to electronic resources and compliance with contract terms and access agreements.

In collaboration with the Associate Dean for Legal Information, manages the Legal Information Center’s collections budget, ensuring financial sustainability and effective allocation of resources.

Provide reference service to students and staff of the School of Law, the University community, members of the Bar and the public.

Provide research and reference services to College of Law faculty through the library liaison program.

Participate in teaching introductory legal research and/or advanced legal research courses at the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law.

Complete other duties as assigned.

$95,000-115,000 depending on experience

A JD from an ABA-accredited law school and a master’s degree in Library or Information Science (MLS or equivalent degree) from an accredited program is required. One to three years of professional experience in an academic law library. Knowledge of legal research vendors, sources, and formats is required.

Applicants must have a strong service orientation, be interested in working with vendors to negotiate contracts, ensure user access to licensed material and compliance with contracts, and be able to contribute to continual efforts to improve the delivery of legal information.

Applicants must be able to contribute positively to an active department that serves a diverse patron base. Applicants must have excellent oral and written communication skills, and should have experience working in a professional, team-based environment as well as independently.

Over three years of professional experience in an academic law library; experience or documented interest in managing academic law collections including acquisitions, collections management, and collection analysis; academic teaching experience.

In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter, resume, and list of references.

This position is 'open until filled'. Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until a suitable pool is established.