job opportunity: Copyright Librarian at UNT (near Dallas and Fort Worth)
Kevin Hawkins
Colleagues, please share this announcement with anyone you know of who might be interested in this position. --Kevin
Copyright Librarian
assistant/associate/librarian, faculty equivalent
2. More on why you should be interested in this position
Summary of Position
Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication, with additional oversight from the Head of Library Research Support Services, the Copyright Librarian will lead the Libraries’ efforts to increase awareness both at UNT and in the extended community of the rights of creators and users of original works of authorship, especially works of scholarship. The Copyright Librarian will work in close collaboration with members of the Libraries’ Scholarly Communication Transformation Workgroup and will coordinate efforts with UNT’s Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign (CLEAR) and the Technology Transfer & Economic Development office.
About the UNT Libraries
The University of North Texas Libraries, serving the largest and most comprehensive university in the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area, have pioneered efforts to foster the transformation of libraries and of scholarly communication, including becoming the first public university in Texas to adopt a campus-wide open-access policy, hosting an annual open-access symposium with speakers from around the world, and co-founding the Library Publishing Coalition. With four physical locations on campus and an even larger digital footprint, including digital-library collections of over 10 million items, the UNT Libraries are a world leader in web archiving -- the first non-federal library to participate in the Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet) and to be designated an affiliated archive of the National Archives and Records Administration. UNT’s dean of libraries is the driving force behind the Cross Timbers Library Collaborative, which brings together library staff from across the region for professional development and collaboration. The Libraries receive about $1 million per year in funding from grants and foundations.
Major Responsibilities
- Develop and implement an educational program on the rights of both creators and users of original works of authorship.
- Provide legal information (but not legal advice) to the UNT and extended community on copyright law.
- Contribute to the work of the Library Research Support Services department, such as the planning and presentation of workshops for UNT researchers on topics related to scholarly communication.
- Develop and maintain a web presence on copyright.
- Serve on the Libraries’ Scholarly Communication Transformation Workgroup and other appropriate committees within the Libraries and other parts of the university.
- Depending on the needs of the Libraries, serve as a subject librarian for one or more academic programs.
Minimum Qualifications
- MS/MLS/MLIS from an ALA-accredited program by December 2016, or relevant equivalent combination of advanced degree and/or experience
- Familiarity with US copyright law
- Familiarity with US contract law, especially licensing
- Familiarity with the work environment of higher education
- Positive customer orientation and strong interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated ability to work with faculty and students
- Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with copyright limitations, exceptions, and defenses in US copyright law
- Familiarity with author-publisher contracts
- Familiarity with institutional and disciplinary repositories
- Familiarity with innovations in scholarly communication such as electronic theses and dissertations, open-access publishing, and born-digital forms of scholarship
- JD from an ABA-accredited program
- Experience in preparing grant applications and administering grants
To apply, please visit http://facultyjobs.unt.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=52660
More on why you should be interested in this position
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is located about 40 miles from both Dallas and Fort Worth, in a region of nearly 7 million people, and even closer to two major hub airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field. It is home to two public universities: the University of North Texas (the largest and most comprehensive university in the region, with nearly 38,000 students and 120 graduate degree programs) and Texas Woman’s University (the nation’s largest university primarily for women, with approximately 15,000 students). Like any other college town, Denton has plenty of coffee shops, yoga studios, natural-food stores, and funky eateries, but it distinguishes itself with its active music scene. Each year sees the opening of new upscale bars, restaurants, and coffee shops.
The main campuses of both universities are located about a mile from the Downtown Square, containing the historic Denton County courthouse and surrounding park and independent businesses, including Recycled, a 17,000-square-foot store selling used books, music, and film. Both campuses are quite compact and walkable, and UNT especially has a number of places to grab lunch just off campus.
The climate is generally quite sunny, and summers, while hot, tend to have low humidity.
A few cool thing about Denton:
- The city runs its own electric company, which gets about 40% of its energy from renewable sources (wind). Denton is the first city in the world to combine biogas extraction and mining for recyclables in the city landfill as additional sources of energy.
- Denton was the first city in Texas to ban fracking, though the law was preempted by a state law stripping the power of municipalities to regulate oil and gas extraction.
- You can legally consume alcoholic beverages in public (but not in glass containers), including bringing your own to the free Twilight Tunes concerts on the Downtown Square, the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, and Denton Blues Festival.
- Denton is also home to two major ticketed music festivals: Oaktopia and 35 Denton.
UNT
While UNT began as a teacher-training college, it has long been known for its College of Music, the largest in the nation. While it is now a top-tier research university, in many ways UNT has the feel of an art school: an alternative student body, a strong commitment to sustainability and LEED-certified construction, and a mediocre athletic program. The first all-vegan dining hall at a college in the US (Mean Greens) is located on campus and is popular with not just students but also faculty and staff. There’s a number of other places to grab lunch just off campus.
While freshmen who just graduated from high school are required to live on campus, the university accepts a large number of transfer students. The student body is incredibly diverse, with many first-generation college students.
In 2011 UNT became the first public university in Texas to adopt a campus-wide open-access policy.
The UNT Libraries
The UNT Libraries have four physical locations on campus but an even larger digital footprint, with digital-library collections including over 10 million items—many in the Portal to Texas History, which has millions of online users each year and is the largest service hub for the Digital Public Library of America. The Libraries are a world leader in web archiving, becoming the first non-federal library to participate in the Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet) and to be designated an affiliated archive of the National Archives and Records Administration. Since 2010, the Libraries have hosted an annual open-access symposium with speakers from around the world, and our dean of libraries is the driving force behind the Cross Timbers Library Collaborative, which brings together library staff from across the region for professional development and collaboration. The Libraries receive about $1 million per year in funding from grants and foundations.
Quite a few members of the UNT Libraries staff have been hired in the past few years. Of those who live in Denton, a good number bike or walk to work, and a handful of us can be found at lunchtime at Mean Greens.