AI Research Librarian

Position Overview

The University of California, Riverside Library seeks two dynamic and highly-skilled AI Research Librarians to join its cutting-edge Research Services team, focusing on supporting faculty and students across all disciplines in integrating AI tools and new 21st century research methodologies into academic research ecosystems and processes. These positions will serve as leaders in the evolving landscape of new technology-enabled research in academic libraries, focusing on the intersection of AI, data, and scholarly research. This includes emerging and new methodologies such as systematic and synthetic reviews and AI 'Deep Research'. The librarians will guide faculty and students in utilizing AI research tools ranging from workshopping deep meta-analysis to synthetic research, including evidence synthesis and systematic research techniques, across disciplines including STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities. While candidates will support all disciplines, they may develop particular focus areas based on their expertise and departmental needs. The successful candidates will also play a critical role in supporting the data research lifecycle, contributing to the development of a robust scholarly research digital ecosystem. These roles will work closely with the AULs and Directors, a team of AI/Data scientists and other librarians and staff , including those involved in GIS, Robotics, Makerspace Labs, the Teaching and Learning department and specialized subject librarians. The ideal candidates will demonstrate strong willingness to pursue continuous learning of new AI research tools and new LLM possibilities, and will push the boundaries of academic research and possibility.

Located an hour's drive to the east of Los Angeles, an hour west of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, an hour east of ocean beaches, ninety minutes north of San Diego, and an hour south of mountain ski resorts, UCR is located in an area of dramatic landscapes and rich cultural traditions. The University is a dynamic, aggressively developing land grant research institution dedicated to preparing its diverse student body to be successful competitors in the world marketplace of ideas.

Over the past few years, UCR has accumulated numerous accolades for its achievements. In 2022, it received the following rankings:

* No. 1 public university in the U.S. for social mobility four years in a row - U.S. News & World Report

* No. 1 for Hispanic enrollment among selective universities - Urban Institute

* No. 2 in the country for financial aid - Business Insider

* No. 2 in Entomology research in the world - Center for World University Rankings

* No. 3 in Hispanic STEM graduates in the nation - National Science Foundation

* No. 4 for Pell Grant student performance - Washington Monthly

* No. 9 among public universities for sustainability - Princeton Review

* No. 11 most diverse medical school - U.S. News

* Top 12 public university - Forbes "America's Best Value Colleges"

* No. 14 public university - CNBC "Colleges That Pay Off the Most"

* No. 20 public university - Princeton Review Best Schools for Making a Public Impact

* No. 31 in the world in plant and animal sciences - U.S. News & World Report

In addition, it has attracted faculty with some of the highest academic honors, including:

* 2 Nobel Prize Winners

* 2 Guggenheim Awards

* 4 UC University Professorships

* 11 Fulbright Scholars

* 28 National Academies Members

The UCR Library is a critical partner in preparing UCR's students to be globally competitive while simultaneously preparing them to be transformative leaders in the Inland Empire and beyond. The mission of the UCR Library is no less than to bring the world's information resources to the UCR community and to ensure that UCR students, faculty, and staff have the skills to fully exploit those resources to change the world for the better.

The UCR Library is a team of intensely collaborative, forward-thinking colleagues dedicated to providing exemplary services to our students, faculty, and community members in a rapidly evolving information environment. The successful candidate will be technologically-sophisticated; committed to problem-solving in local, regional, national, and international arenas; able to develop innovative solutions to complex problems; and a dynamic and effective leader.

The UCR Library is comprised of two facilities housing more than 4,900,000 volumes, 1,740,000 electronic books, 120,000 print and electronic journals, and 2,300,000 microforms. The Library provides services to more than 27,000 students and nearly 2,000 faculty and other academics in an institutional environment planning for and experiencing extensive growth. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic staff of 100, including 36 FTE librarians and 65 FTE staff personnel as well as students, in building a research library of excellence within a dynamic and diverse university ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The UCR Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Among the unique collections of the UCR Library is the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Water Resources Collections & Archives, the Rupert Costo Library of the American Indian, the Paul Chou Collection of Chinese history and culture, the George Brown Papers, the Tomas Rivera Papers, and the Inland Empire Memories Initiative. Information about the UCR Library is available at http://library.ucr.edu.

The UCR Library is an integral part of the University of California library system. With collections totaling 40.8 million volumes, including 4.3 million digitized contents contributed to HathiTrust, UC's more than 100 libraries are surpassed in size on the American continent only by the Library of Congress collection. In addition, UC's California Digital Library (CDL) provides the core of the University's digital collections. CDL also assists UC to share resources and holdings more effectively, and provides leadership in applying technology to the development of library collections and services. Organizationally situated within the UC Office of the President, the CDL operates in close collaboration with all UC campuses and their libraries.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Research Services, the AI Research Librarians are responsible for:

* AI Research Tools Consultation and Teaching: Provide consultation and training on advanced AI research tools and methodologies (e.g., LLMs, Reasoning AI models, Deep Research, Notebook LLM, Tableau) to faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers.

* AI Tool Assessment and Curation: Develop systematic evaluation criteria for emerging AI research tools, focusing on accuracy, reliability, data privacy, and academic integrity. Maintain a curated collection of vetted AI tools for different research needs and disciplines. Create and regularly update documentation on tool capabilities, limitations, and best practices for academic use.

* Meta, Synthetic, and Systematic Analysis: Assist researchers with meta-analysis, synthetic research methods, and systematic analysis across diverse disciplines. Support the integration of AI technologies into these complex research processes.

* Research Lifecycle Support: Work with faculty, researchers and students to guide them through the data research lifecycle, from planning and data collection to analysis, interpretation, visualization and dissemination. Focus on how AI tools can augment each stage of the research lifecycle.

* Scholarly Research Ecosystem: Promote the use of AI tools within the broader context of the university and digital scholarly research ecosystem present in an academic research library, ensuring faculty and students have access to the most relevant tools and resources for their research.

* Collaborative Work with Data Science Team: Collaborate with AI Research Data Scientists and other members of the Research Services team on larger, interdisciplinary research projects.

* AI and Library Resources Integration: Help faculty, researchers and students on all levels including first-generation students to post-docs and use AI tools in conjunction with library resources, including catalog searches, research databases, citation tools and digital archives.

* Instruction and Programming: Develop and deliver research-focused workshops, training sessions, and presentations on AI tools, data analysis techniques, and research methodologies. Provide specialized support to students and faculty in integrating AI into research, writing, and presentations.

* Cross-disciplinary Support: Tailor AI research support to various disciplines, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities, ensuring that AI tools are applied effectively across fields.

* Ethical and Responsible AI Use: Guide students and faculty in the ethical use of AI in research, emphasizing transparency, academic integrity, and responsible use of generative AI tools. Develop frameworks for appropriate AI attribution in academic work, address concerns about AI bias in research tools, and ensure compliance with institutional policies on AI use in research and teaching. Partner with campus stakeholders to establish best practices for responsible AI integration in scholarly work.

* Collaboration and Engagement: Collaborate with colleagues, including librarians and staff supporting GIS, Makerspace Labs, digital scholarship, medical programs and other subject-specific librarians to enhance the research experience for all disciplines.

* Ongoing Professional Development: Engage in continuous learning regarding the latest advancements in AI, machine learning, and research technologies, and apply these innovations to library services and research support.

UC professional librarians are academic appointees and are represented by an exclusive bargaining unit; The University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit.

Appointment at rank of Assistant Librarian to Librarian - Potential Career depending upon qualifications and experience. Advancement through the librarian ranks at the University of California is through a series of structured, merit-based evaluations, occurring every two to three years.

See Table 26B Represented Librarian Series (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/compensation/index.html) for the salary range for this position. A reasonable estimate for this position is $69,781 - $128,788. Excellent retirement system, health, and vacation benefits.

Department: https://library.ucr.edu/

* ALA-accredited master's degree in library and information science OR equivalent advanced degree.

* Proven experience or demonstrated ability to quickly learn and apply AI tools for research (Deep Research AI tools, autonomous agents), including literature review tools, research synthesis data analysis tools (e.g., Tableau), reasoning and best in class open source and proprietary LLMs and research presentation tools.

* Familiarity with the integration of AI tools into the research process, from literature review and data analysis to academic writing and presentation.

* Experience with or knowledge of AI-powered tools for meta-analysis, synthetic research, and systematic research methodologies.

* Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain complex AI concepts and research methodologies to faculty, students, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.

* Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and engage with a wide range of stakeholders across campus.

* Experience working in academic research libraries, with a strong focus on research services.

* Familiarity with advanced AI tools like autonomous agents, multimodal AI, and generative AI in academic research contexts.

* Experience with research data management and digital scholarship workflows.

* Familiarity with research tools for Social Sciences, Humanities, or other specialized research impact tools (e.g., Web of Science, Plum Analytics, Scopus).

* Familiarity with emerging trends in emerging academic research AI technologies and innovation in libraries.

* Basic Familiarity with autonomous agent environments, multimodal applications, Python, R, other GenAI deep learning frameworks.

* Advanced Degrees (Ph.D. or Professional) in an academic research related discipline

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Please provide contact information for a minimum of three references.

The University of California, Riverside is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. UCR is a member institution of the American Association of Universities (AAU) as well as the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or protected veteran status.

For the University of California policies on Affirmative Action, Anti-Discrimination, and Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy, see below.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, State, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.

For the University of California's Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy please visit:

https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH.

For the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy please visit: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf.

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students, and Third Parties, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.