Temporary Reference & Research Services Assistant Librarian

About Fitchburg State University:

Fitchburg State University, located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is a public institution dedicated to integrating high-quality professional programs with strong liberal arts and sciences studies. Founded in 1894, the university now has more than 30 undergraduate programs and 22 master's degree programs, and 7,000 full and part-time students. We invite you to learn more about us and how we can help you achieve your educational goals.

Institutional Diversity and Social Justice

Fitchburg State University embraces a commitment to diversity, inclusion, belonging and social justice. We encourage individuals from historically underrepresented groups to apply and also those who can contribute to diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity in higher education through their teaching, research and mentorship.  

Job Description:

The Full-Time Temporary Reference & Research Services Librarian will be the primary reference librarian working with the tenure-track librarians to provide reference and research services to the University community, participate in collection development liaison duties, and participate in related projects during the academic year. The Reference and Research Librarian will also assist in the supervision of student workers in reference/research duties.

Works under the guidance of the MSCA librarians, and is under the administrative supervision of the Library Dean.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: 

Functional supervision of student worker assistants.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate in the Research Help Desk rotation. Answer both ready reference and in-depth reference questions by IM, chat, email, phone and in-person.
• Create/revise reference, subject and topic research guides.
• Project: Review, update and build out the Research Help Desk's FAQ on LibAnswers (Springshare platform).
• Project: Participate in the redesign and conversion of the library's LibGuides (Springshare platform) based on the library's established best practices and the outcomes of a recently completed accessibility review.
• Project: Develop and update ready reference video tutorials.

Shared Responsibilities:

• Acts as library liaison to selected academic departments for both graduate and undergraduate programs.
• Provides collection development duties - evaluation, resource selection, weeding, etc. - in selected subject areas..
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Required at Hire:

• A Masters of Library Science (MLS) from an ALA-accredited program or an equivalent Master's degree, such as a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) or a Master of Library Science and Information Science (MLS/MLIS), with degree awarded before start date.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations.
• Ability to perform the duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to satisfactorily pass a check conducted by the Criminal History Systems Board (CORI) as well as a completed background check satisfactory to the university.

Preferred Qualifications (List knowledge, skills, abilities):

• Experience providing reference and research services in an academic environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of the information needs of undergraduates, graduates, and faculty.
• Interest, experience or coursework related to academic librarianship.
• Experience working with diverse, multicultural populations.

Additional Information:

Please submit cover letter, CV and three professional references. 

Full-time Contract Time Period: August 11, 2025 - May 15, 2026

Union: MSCA

Salary: According to the MSCA Bargaining Contract