Description

Humanities Librarian 

(African American Studies and English Literature)

Assistant or Associate Professor, University Library

University of Illinois Library Urbana-Champaign

Position Available: This position is available as soon as possible. There is the possibility of a hybrid work schedule for faculty, determined through conversation and approval by the faculty supervisor based on unit needs, but as a residential campus all faculty are expected to have an on-site presence. This is a 100%-time, permanent, twelve-month tenure stream faculty position in the University Library.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Statement and EEO Statement: The University Library of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign values diversity of thought, perspective, experience, and people, and is actively committed to a culture of inclusion and respect. We are dedicated to the practices of social justice, diversity, and equality, and we strive to overcome historical and divisive biases in our society and embrace diverse points of view as assets to the fabric of our community. All positions will be called on to contribute to building this environment in the Library and throughout the campus community, and we encourage candidates who share these values to apply. Additional information can be found on the Library’s DEIA webpage: https://www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/deia/.

Position Summary: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks a knowledgeable and dynamic individual to provide library services for African American Studies and global English Literatures and Language. The Humanities Librarian will be responsible for library collections and services in support of research, teaching, and learning, and for community outreach and engagement. The primary focus for African American Studies is Black history and culture in the United States, with a secondary focus on the broader western hemisphere African diaspora. For English Literatures and Language, the focus is on world literatures in English and translation, Creative Writing, and Writing Studies.

As a subject specialist in the Arts and Humanities Division, the Humanities Librarian will report to the Head of the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library (HPNL) and work in close collaboration with the Literatures and Languages Library (LLL). The position will serve as the Library’s liaison to the Department of English and the Department of African American Studies, as well as to affiliated and interdisciplinary faculty and students. The Humanities Librarian will collaborate with colleagues in the Library’s Arts and Humanities Division, Special Collections Division, and International and Area Studies Division on collections and programming related to African American Studies and English Literature. The librarian will also contribute subject expertise to library-wide diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) initiatives such as changes to cataloging metadata. In collaboration with library colleagues in Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support (TLAS), the librarian will contribute to Library outreach and programming focused on student success to the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center.

Subject specialists at the University of Illinois build strong relationships with the faculty and students of the departments and programs they support. They provide virtual and in-person reference and research consultations and instruction sessions, promotion of library resources and services, develop online subject guides and instructional material, and work with departmental faculty to integrate information literacy concepts and skills programmatically into the curriculum. They build and curate collections in all relevant formats to serve the research, teaching and learning needs of the University community. They are expected to maintain a high level of expertise in their subject area(s) and to work closely with colleagues in related areas on collection development, exhibitions and other public programming, and in advocating the use of primary sources in the curriculum.

As a land grant institution, the University of Illinois has a deep-rooted commitment to community outreach and engagement. The Humanities Librarian will be supported and encouraged in initiatives that strengthen collaboration between the community and the University and promote community access to and engagement with the resources of the University Library. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

•        Serves as the University Library’s subject specialist for African American Studies;
•        Serves as the University Library’s subject specialist for world literatures in English and in translation, Creative Writing, and Writing Studies;
•        Serves as a liaison to the Department of African American Studies and the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center; 
•        Serves as a liaison to the Department of English and related interdisciplinary programs;
•        Depending on qualifications and Library/unit needs, may serve as the Library’s liaison/subject specialist for an additional subject area in the humanities
•        Develops and manages collections in all formats in areas of responsibility, and work closely with faculty to establish collection priorities and to develop collections in all formats relevant to the subject areas;
•        Develops, promotes, and provides in-depth, subject-based reference, research, and instruction services to faculty and students in liaison areas, including office hours; integrates library instruction into the curriculum;
•        Develops and maintains research guides, web sites, and instructional materials;
•        Works with colleagues to develop both campus- and community-focused programming related to African American Studies and other subject responsibilities;
•        Keeps current with theoretical, methodological, and topical trends in subject areas of responsibilities;
•        Contributes to the national and international reputation of the University Library through professional research, service, and collaboration with national colleagues, organizations, and consortia.

Environment: The University of Illinois is a predominantly residential university. Therefore, it is understood that most employees, including both academic and classified personnel, will maintain an onsite presence to effectively meet institutional and operational needs. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library is a leader in the delivery of user services, and active programs in information, instructional, access, and scholarly services that help the Library to maintain its place at the intellectual heart of the campus. Considered among the preeminent research libraries in the world, the University Library curates and provides access to over 15-million print and digital volumes and 23-million manuscripts, maps, and other resources to students, faculty, and scholars on campus and across the State of Illinois. The Library is committed to maintaining the strongest collections and service programs possible, and to engaging in research, development, and scholarly practice - all of which support the University's missions of teaching, research, and public engagement. The Library employs approximately 90 faculty members, and more than 300 academic professionals, staff, and graduate assistants. For more information, see: http://www.library.illinois.edu/ .

The Library holds outstanding collections in African American Studies, including the literary archive of Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, a collection of works by African American printmaker Amos Kennedy Jr., relevant materials in the Student Life and Culture Archives, and a strong general collection of primary and secondary source materials. In addition to serving the faculty and students of the University, the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library is also a destination for community members researching local and family history, and hosts the Illinois Newspaper Project, which has an ongoing commitment to digitizing African American newspapers published in Illinois. The Literatures and Language Library is dedicated to the study of literatures and languages from Classical Antiquity to the present and covers North and South America, Western Europe, the British Commonwealth, and Francophone world as well as cinema studies, comparative and world literature, translation studies and linguistics. The Library's roughly 93,000 books and journals are housed in the Library's historic Reading Room and adjacent room 225.

The Department of English is the largest humanities department at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with more than 50 faculty members, offering undergraduate minors in English and Creative Writing, MA/PhD programs Writing Studies and Literary Studies, and an MFA in Creative Writing. The University of Illinois has a strong history of support for African American Studies. An interdisciplinary African American Studies and Research Program was established in 1974, and became a Department of African American Studies in 2008. The department offers an undergraduate major and minor, as well as a graduate concentration and a graduate minor. Twelve core faculty members and more than thirty faculty affiliates from throughout the University participate in the department's activities. 

Salary and Rank:  The budgeted salary range for this open-rank faculty position is $65,000 to $85,000 and will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The University of Illinois Library is committed to competitive salaries and attending to equity in compensation within the organization.

Librarians have faculty rank, and must demonstrate excellence in librarianship, research, and university/professional/community service in order to meet university standards for tenure and promotion. Library faculty have an obligation to remain professionally informed, to pursue the discovery of new knowledge related to their field of expertise, to disseminate the results of their scholarly work, and to seek opportunities for service to the Library, campus, state, nation and profession. Library faculty are governed by University statements on review and promotion found in Article IX of the Statutes, and in Provost’s Communication No. 9 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-9-promotion-and-tenure/ and Provost’s Communication No. 13 https://provost.illinois.edu/policies/provosts-communications/communication-13-review-of-faculty-in-year-three-of-the-probationary-period/. For more information on library tenure and promotion, see https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/promotion-and-tenure-advisory-committee.

Terms of Appointment: Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.

Campus and Community: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 2,848 faculty members who serve more than 34,000 undergraduates and 21,000 graduate and professional students. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 207,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 125 miles west of Indianapolis, and 180 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: https://illinois.edu or https://www.champaigncounty.org. 

Application Procedures & Deadline Information: Apply for these positions using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. To ensure full consideration, all required application materials must be received by 6:00pm (CST) on November 30, 2025. Please create your candidate profile, upload a cover letter, your curriculum vitae, and the names and email addresses of four professional references by the close date. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered.

For questions about this position, please contact the Search Coordinator, Aneitre Johnson at 217-265-0244. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

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The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .

Requirements

Qualifications

Required:

•        ALA-accredited MS-LIS or equivalent, or a PhD in a relevant field (completed by start date) combined with at least two years of professional work experience in an academic library.
•        Demonstrated knowledge of African American history and culture. 
•        Knowledge of trends, issues, and resources in humanities research.
•        Excellent oral and written communications skills.
•        Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively to manage multiple tasks effectively in a team environment
•        Experience working with a diverse community
•        Evidence of the ability to do research, publication, and service consonant with University standards for tenure and promotion.

Preferred 

•        Coursework in English literature.
•        Experience with, or coursework in collection development and management.
•        Teaching experience or coursework in classroom instruction.