Inside Higher Ed is hiring: Open Education Librarian in Amherst

Open Education Librarian – UMass Amherst

Job no: 528384
Work type: Faculty Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst

About UMass Amherst

The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land‑grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450 acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state‑of‑the‑art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors.

Job Summary

The Open Education Librarian provides innovative and high‑quality programming and services at UMass Amherst. Housed in the division of Data, Digital Strategies, & Scholarly Communication, the Open Education Librarian leads the Libraries’ programs and services supporting the creation, adaptation, and adoption of open educational resources, tools, and practices. Working with Libraries’ colleagues, campus partners, faculty, and graduate students, they will prioritize the development of robust, high‑impact, and affordable course materials for learners at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, across the Commonwealth, and beyond.

Essential Functions

• Provides expertise and guidance across the institution for creating, adapting, and adopting open educational resources (OER), tools, technologies, and practices.
• Leads Libraries’ open education initiatives, including the Open Education Initiative program.
• Collaborates with library colleagues and campus partners to assess, implement, and maintain platforms and tools that support the creation and use of OER and open pedagogy (e.g., PressBooks, Open Syllabus Analytics, Janeway).
• Oversees the planning, delivery, and evaluation of open education events, workshops, training opportunities, and other outreach internally for library colleagues, across the campus, and with local and regional organizations.
• Collaborates with campus partners and student organizations to strategically align the Libraries’ open education initiatives with campus, state, and national directions in open education.
• Collects, analyzes, assesses, and reports metrics on the Libraries and campus open education initiatives, programming, and tools.
• Aligns planning, priorities, goals, and services with the strategic initiatives of the Libraries and the University.
• Keeps apprised of key issues and trends in open education, open pedagogy, open scholarship, and academic publishing, and incorporates this knowledge into planning.
• Represents the Libraries at specific library or university events to promote Libraries’ services, such as student‑focused events, orientations, end‑of‑semester support activities for students.
• Serves on internal committees as assigned and may represent the Libraries on campus committees, Five College Committees, and Boston Library Consortium Committees.
• Participates in professional development and continuing education activities, including service in professional and scholarly associations, and presenting and publishing on work‑related topics.
• Works a flexible schedule, which includes some evening, weekend, and holiday hours.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or required to meet the goals of the department, Libraries, and University.
• May supervise student employees.

Organizational Values

• Commitment to support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) within libraries and institution.
• Ability to build and sustain effective working relationships and collaborate in a diverse and fast‑paced environment.
• Purposefully promote a One Library environment that encourages inclusion, personal growth, respect, self‑reflection, curiosity, and continuous learning.
• Understands responsibilities with respect to conflicts of interest and behaves in ways consistent with both law and with university policy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduate degree in librarianship (from a program accredited by the American Library Association) or related field by time of hire, or combination of an advanced degree in a relevant subject area and experience in libraries, archives, museums, or similar institutions.
• For Librarian II, a minimum of 2 years of experience in an academic library, archives, museum, or similar institution.
• Experience providing library instruction and outreach programming in an academic library setting.
• Evidence of commitment to user‑centered service to students and faculty in an academic institution contributing to student success.
• Participates in professional development, continuing education activities, professional and scholarly associations, and evidence of potential for active contributions to organizations at the Libraries, university, and community level.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, problem‑solve, and demonstrate a commitment to inclusion, service excellence, innovation, and creativity.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain effective working relationships and work collaboratively in a diverse and fast‑paced environment.
• Strong organizational, project, and time management skills to lead or coordinate multiple projects and work with minimal supervision.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to communicate the academic library’s role in supporting open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open scholarship and the ability to use this understanding to serve patrons in a research library setting.
• Fluency with software and workflows for adapting, creating, organizing, and providing access to open educational resources.
• Experience providing library instruction and outreach programming for faculty and graduate students in an academic library setting.
• Experience working with and creating open educational materials for underserved student populations, such as international students, English‑language learners, first‑generation students, and transfer students.
• Experience with project management tools and/or techniques.
• Experience in academic publishing or editorial experience.

Work Schedule

• The regular working schedule for this position is Monday – Friday, day hours.
• The incumbent is expected to work on a flexible schedule, which includes some evening, weekend, and holiday hours.

Salary Information

• Librarian I: $63,250
• Librarian II: $70,725

Benefits

University benefits may differ based on collective bargaining agreements (unions). MSP Librarians at UMass Amherst are eligible for benefits through the Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) collective bargaining agreement, including faculty & staff general benefits.

Promotion

MSP Librarian positions are eligible for promotion, defined as a change in rank as a librarian from one rank to the next higher rank. The promotion process follows the MSP collective bargaining agreement, article 20, for salary increases and personnel actions.

Application Instructions

Along with the application, please submit a résumé, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references. The search will remain open until filled.

EEO Statement: The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti‑discrimination laws.

Advertised

Sep 5 2025 Eastern Daylight Time

Applications will remain open until the position is filled.