Consortial Services Librarian

Job Type
Full-time (37.5 hours/week), virtual, one-year contract position at an hourly rate of $30.50/hour, plus vacation pay and mandatory employer costs.

Our Organisation

The Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries (CAAL-CBPA) is a collaborative partnership of 20 publicly funded post-secondary libraries in Atlantic Canada. Its mandate is to foster a vibrant regional network of diverse libraries that leverages community and collaboration to cultivate scholarship, innovation, and inclusion in the academic libraries of Atlantic Canada. With CAAL-CBPA’s strong reputation for service excellence, our member libraries trust us to deliver services and expertise in line with our mandate to create efficiencies, achieve cost savings, and build capacity across the membership. To learn more about our mission, vision, values, and services, please visit the CAAL-CBPA website.

Your Opportunity

CAAL-CBPA is seeking an enthusiastic, customer-focused library professional to manage our e-resources licensing program and our member knowledge and skills development program. Reporting to the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director, you will collaborate closely with consortium members, CAAL-CBPA committees, e-resource vendors, and other consortia.

Key Responsibilities

Under the authority of the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director, the Consortial Services Librarian has the following key responsibilities:

• E-Resource Management and Licensing
  • Take a lead in the e-resource management and licensing tasks, such as identifying and evaluating resources, facilitating trial access, negotiating pricing and licence terms, disseminating negotiated offers to members for decision, conveying acquisition decisions to vendors, securing vendor invoices, providing post-purchase resource support and troubleshooting for members, and updating workflow management systems as appropriate.  These systems include the OCUL Usage Rights Database and the ConsortiaManager E-Resource Management (ERM) system.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with vendors, member libraries, and other CAAL-CBPA staff, liaising with these parties to address ordering, access, licensing, invoicing, and other issues.
  • Collaborate with other library consortia on e-resource negotiations, acquisitions, and other mutually beneficial initiatives.
  • Provide facilitation, coordination, and research support to relevant committees and working groups.
  • Develop and maintain workflows, procedures, and documentation, and ensure that workflows are aligned with e-resource management and licensing best practices.
  • Provide ongoing user training for staff at member libraries on the ConsortiaManager system.
  • Participate in external communities of interest, monitoring trends and issues relevant to service areas, bringing these forward to committees and the Executive Director as appropriate.
• Member Knowledge and Skills Development Program - Work collaboratively with the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director and CAAL-CBPA committees to develop opportunities for member knowledge and skill development in CAAL-CBPA’s strategic areas of focus.  This includes managing the logistics of webinars and in-person events and event marketing.

Accountability

The Consortial Services Librarian reports to the Executive Director of CAAL-CBPA and works closely with the groups and staff comprising CAAL-CBPA’s organizational structure, particularly the CAAL-CBPA Collections Committee and collections and acquisitions staff and librarians at member libraries.

Education and Experience

• Master's degree from an ALA-accredited library science (name may vary) degree program completed by the position start date.
• Knowledge of electronic resource management and licence negotiation principles through either experience and/or course learning.
• Knowledge of fundamental information science principles, such as knowledge management and organization of information.
• Project management experience through either experience and/or course learning.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical persons at all levels, such as staff, clients, executives, and vendors.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong oral and written communication proficiency in English.
• Ability to thrive and actively participate in an environment that supports diversity and inclusion.
• Committed to collaborative professional development.

Assets

• Intermediate oral and written communication skills in French.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools, such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience with an E-Resource Management (ERM) System, preferably ConsortiaManager.

Work Environment
This is a virtual, full-time (37.5 hours/week), one-year contract position. CAAL-CBPA welcomes candidates residing anywhere in Canada. Being physically situated in one of the Atlantic provinces is preferable, but it is not required. Candidates must have a valid working status in Canada. The successful candidate must have access to a computer and robust Internet access to enable them to effectively carry out the responsibilities of this position. The specific schedule is negotiable. Learning and development opportunities are facilitated through a dedicated professional development fund.

Position Start Date

April/May 2025 (negotiable dependent on availability)

Additional Information

CAAL-CBPA welcomes applications from all individuals, particularly those who would contribute to the diversification of our staff, including, but not limited to, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and individuals of any sexual identity, ethnicity, or age.

CAAL-CBPA is an equal opportunity employer and strives to ensure that its hiring process meets the needs of all candidates. CAAL-CBPA will provide reasonable accommodation for any applicant, as requested during the hiring process.