George Mason University Libraries is seeking a dynamic, innovative, and service-oriented individual to lead efforts in scholarly communication, copyright, and open access publishing for Mason Publishing and the George Mason University Press. Reporting to the director of Mason Publishing/George Mason University Press, the Scholarly Communication/Open Access Publishing Lead provides guidance and compliance assistance on copyright and fair use issues, including copyright use in classroom teaching and technology, online courses, Mason Publishing supported journals, and university press publications. The position administers Mason’s open access publishing fund, provides guidance on open access publishing, promotes awareness of and assists in the development of open educational resources.
George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.
The Mason Publishing Group (http://publishing.gmu.edu/) unites the George Mason University Libraries’ digital publishing activities with the George Mason University Press to form a set of publishing services for the university.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Serves as the university’s primary resource on fair use and other copyright issues, assists faculty, staff and students to understand copyright issues regarding their research and publications; advises library staff, faculty, staff and students on how to apply appropriate “fair use” and educational uses of copyrighted material;
- Works with faculty, administrators, and library staff to promote awareness and development of open educational resources (OERs) in Mason’s curriculum, both traditional and online;
- Administers and promotes the open access publishing fund, and educates faculty, students, and library staff about open access publishing issues;
- Provides editorial assistance for the George Mason University Press, in aspects of acquisitions and peer review, copyright and permissions, and editing;
- Works with the institutional repository (MARS) lead to devise strategies for populating and promoting use of the repository and explore opportunities to facilitate alternative publication opportunities for Mason researchers; and
- Represents George Mason University in Virginia statewide higher education initiatives regarding open access, scholarly communication, and open educational resources.
Required Qualifications
- MLIS, MLS, or equivalent from an ALA-accredited institution; or master’s degree in a related field such as publishing, English, journalism, or social sciences;
- Significant (three to five years is preferred) demonstrated experience with copyright educational compliance; scholarly publishing; scholarly communication; outreach, or editorial;
- Strong analytical and organizational skills as well as effective interpersonal, collegial and communication skills (both oral and written); and
- Experience in a publishing environment or as a leader in scholarly communication initiatives in an academic library (at least three years is preferred)
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with OJS publishing software and D-Space platform;
- Familiarity with Adobe InDesign or publishing platforms and software; and
- Formal educational training in copyright compliance/intellectual property.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of the publishing landscape across academia; issues related to open access and open educational resources; emerging trends in digital scholarship; intellectual property issues and related U.S. copyright law; and the dissemination of publications, research, and data across various platforms;
- Ability to work both independently and collegially, and to collaborate effectively;
- Familiarity with the technologies and standards associated with digital scholarly publishing, open access, and institutional repositories;
- Experience developing outreach materials and services, such as publications, training materials, workshops, conferences, and other tools relevant to scholarly communication;
- Ability to set and adjust priorities and work flows in a dynamic and changing environment and accept new challenges to realize departmental and library goals;
- Knowledge of editorial processes, including acquisitions, peer review, and developmental and/or copy editing; and
- Demonstrated commitment to professional development and growth
Appointment/Benefits/To Apply:
Twelve-month professional faculty appointment, with or without librarian rank, dependent upon academic qualifications; health plan options and paid life insurance; several retirement plans, including TIAA-CREF; 24 vacation days and 12 paid holidays; and tuition waiver for self.
The George Mason University library system, comprised of a large central library and four other distinctive libraries, is located on three campuses in the Northern Virginia-metropolitan Washington, D.C., region. One of Virginia’s leading academic research libraries, the Mason Libraries continues to gain steadily in national stature as it undergoes extensive transformation in all areas that are key to a 21st century research library—innovative technologies and services, expert library faculty and skilled staff members, growing collections, publishing, modern facilities, and transformational partnerships. Visit us at library.gmu.edu for more information.
George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.
All applications for this position (FA129z) MUST be submitted online at George Mason’s employment page (https://jobs.gmu.edu/). Applicants must submit letter of application, resume, and the names, addresses (including e-mail) and phone numbers of three current references. Questions should be directed to Renee Prokop (rprokop@gmu.edu), Human Resources Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Libraries. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2017.