Greetings, ALISE colleagues,
The School of Library & Information Studies, College of
Communication & Information Sciences, at The University of Alabama
anticipates openings for positions of assistant professor (tenure-track) and
instructor (3-year renewable contract) beginning August 2010. Several faculty
members will attend the ALISE conference in Boston during the week of January
11 and will be happy to discuss the University of Alabama opportunities with
interested parties.
New faculty members will have considerable opportunity to
shape the character and direction of the School as it continues to integrate
the traditions of librarianship with new technologies. The successful
tenure-track candidate will be actively engaged in research, have an
interdisciplinary approach to teaching graduate students, possess the ability
to work with multiple constituencies, be able to teach in the SLIS core
curriculum, and possess an earned doctorate. Successful candidates for
instructor positions will be prepared to teach six courses per year (including
summer), to advise graduate students, and participate in the life of the
School. Instructor candidates must have a minimum of 18 graduate hours beyond
the master’s degree and are encouraged, but not obligated, to have a
research and publication agenda. Work history in a library or another
information environment and related experiences is desirable for both the
tenure-track and instructor positions.
Applicants with expertise in one or more of the following
areas are of particular interest:
Information sources and services, to
include e-reference, sources and services in specialized areas (government
documents, business, etc.), and information literacy programming
Practice and management in areas such
as preservation and conservation, archives and special collections, and
digitization
Organization of information in areas
such as cataloging, metadata, and indexing and abstracting
The School, with 14 faculty members, offers an
ALA-accredited Master’s program, an MFA program in the book arts,
doctoral courses that contribute to a multidisciplinary doctorate in
communication and information sciences, and undergraduate courses in information
science. The School is selective in admissions for all program options, and
the MLIS program ranks among the top 25 programs in North America.
SLIS faculty research interests include digital libraries;
information retrieval; human-computer interaction; user interface design; video
retrieval; history of small presses and related publishing; electronic
publishing; culturally diverse populations; education for library and
information studies; analysis of large data sets; bibliometrics; library history;
scholarly communication; corporate culture in academic library management;
social conception of knowledge through cultural evolution; k-12 education
policy; role of classification for collaborative organization of web resources;
health librarianship and informatics; and social disconnects in information
technology, access, and design. Creative activities focus on collaboration
between letterpress printer, author, artist, and hand bookbinder; and materials
and techniques of historic bookbinding structures.
Tuscaloosa is ideally located in the Southeast convenient to
Birmingham, Atlanta, Mobile and the Gulf Coast, New Orleans, Memphis,
Nashville, and Chattanooga. The area offers out-door activities year-round, a
vibrant arts community, the cultural benefits of a major university, and
services befitting a larger community. Living is good in Tuscaloosa!
For those attending ALISE and wishing to meet with
representatives of the program, please contact Elizabeth Aversa ([log in to unmask]) by Monday, January
11, with contact information.
Other inquiries regarding the positions should be directed
to Prof. Gordy Coleman, Search Committee Chair, School of Library &
Information Studies, The University of Alabama, Box 870252, Tuscaloosa, AL
35487-0252. Inquirers will be sent formal application instructions as these
positions become available online in the University’s system.
The University of Alabama is an Equal Opportunity
Affirmative Action Employer.
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
January 7, 2010
Elizabeth
Aversa
Director &
Professor
School of
Library & Information Studies
The University
of Alabama
Box 870252,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0252
Telephone
205-348-4610
Fax 205-348-3746