Description

Middle East & Islamic Studies Librarian
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio

Department:
Libraries | Special Collections and Area Studies

The Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian is a tenure-track faculty position within The Ohio State University Libraries. The Libraries supports one of the nation’s leading public research institutions, Ohio State University, a Carnegie R1 university recognized for excellence in research, teaching, and global engagement. Ohio State’s Area Studies Centers are nationally prominent and play a vital role in advancing interdisciplinary scholarship and outreach.

At Ohio State, this role is positioned as a next-generation area studies librarianship—a scholarly connector and catalyst who links collections, people, and ideas to generate new research. As a large public, land-grant institution, the Libraries’ strength lies in activating and connecting resources across collections, disciplines, and communities.

The Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian serves as the primary liaison to the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures (NESA) and the Middle East Studies Center (MESC), and works closely with colleagues across International and Area Studies, including East Asian, South Asian, African, Slavic, East European and Eurasian, and Latin American Studies.

The position supports interdisciplinary research and teaching related to the Middle East and broader global and transregional contexts, with particular emphasis on discovery, access, emerging research practices, strategic collection development, faculty engagement, and collaborative program-building. In addition to longstanding partnerships within the Office of International Affairs (OIA), the librarian is expected to cultivate and strengthen relationships with evolving campus initiatives involving global studies, world languages and cultures, interdisciplinary learning, community engagement, and career-connected education.

As a faculty member, the successful candidate will develop an independent research agenda and contribute to the profession and the University through scholarship, teaching, and service.

Responsibilities

Scholarly Engagement, Research Support, and Instruction

• Provide research consultations and course-integrated instruction across all levels.
• Act as a scholarly partner to faculty, graduate students, and visiting scholars, while also supporting undergraduate learning and research development.

Discovery, Access, and Research Enablement

• Lead efforts to enhance the discoverability, accessibility, and interpretive use of collections.
• Advance user-centered approaches to navigating complex, multilingual, and global information environments.
• Engage with digital scholarship, data-informed, and AI-assisted research practices.
• Collaborate across library units to improve access and usability of resources.
• Stay abreast with scholarship in the disciplines themselves, maintain current awareness of developments in relevant scholarly and cultural content, and use this knowledge to respond to departmental needs.

Collection Strategy and Curation

• Provide strategic oversight of collection development in Middle East and Islamic Studies.
• Align priorities with research and curricular needs while evaluating and building upon institutional strengths to advance the role of collections in globally engaged scholarship and teaching.
• Identify opportunities to connect local and external resources.
• Promote the use of distinctive and underutilized materials.

Integration of Special and General Collections

• Collaborate with colleagues in Special Collections and Area Studies to integrate special and general collections into teaching, research support, and programmatic initiatives, advancing their visibility and use.

Program Development, Outreach, and Partnerships

• Identify, develop, initiate, and support programmatic initiatives that advance engagement with collections and research services.
• Collaborate with NESA, MESC, and Area Studies and libraries colleagues to design and implement programs, events, and projects.
• Strengthen the visibility and impact of Area Studies across campus and beyond.
• Build interdisciplinary and cross-institutional partnerships that support research and programmatic initiatives
• Representing the Libraries in forums such as the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA), and other relevant organizations.
• Support and engage in fundraising, grant writing, marketing and outreach that strengthen the libraries’ programs, in partnership with the libraries’ Office of Advancement, the Middle East Studies Center, among others.

Digital Scholarship and Research Visibility

• Support the visibility and impact of collections through digital platforms and scholarly communication.
• Maintain research guides and discovery tools (e.g., LibGuides), ensuring accuracy and usability.
• Contribute to digital projects and online resource environments.
• Develop occasional public content highlighting collections and research pathways.

Assessment and Strategic Contributions

• Track and assess the impact of consultations, instruction, and programmatic initiatives.
• Maintain and analyze statistics on consultations, instruction, and outreach.
• Contribute data for reporting and planning.
• Use assessment to inform service development.

Faculty Responsibilities: Research, Service, and Professional Development

• Develop and sustain an active program of research, scholarship, and/or creative activity appropriate to a tenure-track appointment. This includes peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and may include grants, major exhibitions, or other scholarly contributions. Participate in library, university, and professional service, and engage in ongoing professional development.

University Libraries’ faculty and staff embrace Ohio State’s Shared Values and strive to enact the behaviors guided by those values in all that we do. This position is dedicated to advancing the culture of University Libraries and the work of the Special Collections and Area Studies unit. All other duties as assigned. 

Required qualifications:

• An ALA-accredited master’s degree, or a comparable graduate degree from a non-U. S. university (reviewed on a case-by-case basis), or a relevant terminal degree in a closely related field (such as a PhD in Middle East and Islamic Studies).
• Strong academic grounding in Middle East and Islamic Studies, including knowledge of research trends and scholarly communication.
• Experience supporting or conducting advanced research (e.g., graduate-level work, digital humanities, or scholarly projects).
• Demonstrated ability to conduct or support interdisciplinary research, including the capacity to work across disciplinary, linguistic, and methodological boundaries.
• Strong proficiency in Arabic, including the ability to read and input Arabic script in digital environments.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in collaborative, team-based environments and support broad and varied research communities.
• Evidence of potential for research, scholarship, and professional contribution consistent with a tenure-track appointment.

Desired qualifications:

• PhD in Middle East and Islamic Studies or a closely related field.
• Additional language proficiency (e.g., Persian, Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Urdu, Hebrew, or others relevant to the region).
• Experience with or demonstrated interest in digital scholarship, data-informed, or AI-assisted research practices.
• Experience in collection strategy, curation, or resource development.
• Experience working with special collections or rare materials.
• Experience developing or contributing to collaborative programs or initiatives.
• Familiarity with scholarly publishing and research dissemination practices.
• Experience in using bibliographic utilities and databases to search non-Roman scripts.
• Ability to identify and work with materials in other languages relevant to Middle East Studies, and Islamic Studies.

Additional Information:

The budget for this position is $75,000 to $85,000. The offer for this position will be based on internal equity and the candidate's qualifications.

Ohio State will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Ohio State provides access to a depth and breadth of opportunities and resources. Starting your first day, Ohio State offers you a comprehensive benefits package.

Application Instructions
To apply, please visit https://osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/job/Columbus-Campus/Middle-East---Islamic-Studies-Librarian_R157231-2

To be considered, please submit your application electronically. Application materials must include Cover letter and Curriculum Vita (CV) or Resume. Application closes on September 13, 2026.

The university is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability.