Job Description

Job Title:

User Services Librarian (Librarian I/II; Contractually-Limited Term Appointment)

Date Posted:

10/09/2025

Closing Date:

11/09/2025

Req ID:

45416

Job Category:

Librarian - Contractually Limited Term Appointment

Faculty/Division:

Library

Department:

User Services - Research & Education

Campus:

St. George (Downtown Toronto)



Are you looking for challenging, meaningful work in a supportive and diverse environment? Are you looking for a career at one of Canada's top employers? Work where the world comes to think, discover and learn. Consider a career at the University of Toronto.

About the University of Toronto Libraries

The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked in the top five among peer institutions in North America. The system comprises 40 libraries located across three university campuses: St.George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This diverse and extensive network of college libraries, special collections, and specialized information centres plays a pivotal role in supporting the teaching, scholarly, and research needs of nearly 100,000 students enrolled in a wide array of graduate, professional, and undergraduate programs.



The library system provides access to millions of resources in various formats, including electronic, print, audio-visual, data and geospatial materials. UTL also boasts impressive holdings of archival material and substantial digital collections, securely preserved in the libraries' data centre. The staff at UTL are integral to the academic and scholarly enterprise, working closely with faculty and students to support their teaching, learning, and research requirements. They are subject matter experts; they are skilled in research data management, collections, statistics, GIS, metadata, digital preservation, scholarly communications, copyright, teaching, knowledge synthesis, open access and much more. Our work is grounded in our commitment to support equity, diversity, and inclusion. UTL continuously evolves to meet the changing academic priorities and pressures at the University and within the broader landscape of higher education.

The Opportunity

The University of Toronto Libraries seeks a proactive and collaborative librarian to both deliver and facilitate research and teaching support to our user communities for an 18-month term to cover a leave.



Reporting to the Assistant Head of User Services at John P. Robarts Library, the User Services Librarian will engage students and faculty at the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work--including the Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency program--and the Department of Sociology on the St George Campus. These programs comprise of a diverse student body with a curricular emphasis on social justice and critical praxis. This work will involve teaching research and related skills, consulting with users about their research projects, and assuming collection development responsibilities to support the teaching and research needs of the faculties. Additionally, the librarian will support social science researchers with methods-driven reviews as a consultant and may also work with research teams as a co-author through the Systematic and Scoping Review Collaboration.



As a member of the Research & Education team, the User Services Librarian will also lead UTL's contribution to Ask a Librarian chat through mentorship, training, scheduling, documentation, resource development, and targeted communication. Ask a Librarian chat is a consortial chat reference service staffed by colleagues throughout UTL and other Ontario university libraries coordinated through OCUL/Scholars Portal. Student casual workers staff this and other research help services in the unit. Participating in hiring, training, and ongoing supervision with an anti-oppressive management style is critical to success in the role.



Responsibilities



Serve as the liaison librarian to the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work, including the Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency program, and the Department of Sociology through community engagement, teaching, research support and collaboration, and collection development Coordinate U of T Library's contribution to Ask a Librarian chat service including serving on OCUL/Scholars Portal committees like the Chatbot Beta Tester Working Group, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reference Working Group, and the Virtual Reference Steering Committee Consult with social science researchers on methods-driven reviews, with possible opportunities for co-authorship through the Systematic and Scoping Review Collaboration Participate in student casual employee supervision, hiring, and training Deliver in-depth research support through chat, email, and by appointment Participate in the strategic and operational work of the Research & Education Team within the User Services Department of the John P. of Robarts Library

Required Qualifications

Master's degree in library, archival or information science from an accredited institution Demonstrated commitment to the values of inclusivity, diversity, equity, anti-racism and accessibility Demonstrated understanding of the role of technology in library services and resources and the impact on diverse user communities Excellent oral and written communication skills including intercultural communication Proven ability to establish and grow professional relationships Outstanding commitment to user-focused service Track record of successful collaboration and consensus building Strong organizational and problem-solving skills An understanding of the diverse experiences of Indigenous Peoples and communities Curiosity and openness to emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence Aptitude for complex, analytical work Knowledge of Information Literacy teaching best practices and approaches

Preferred Qualifications

Work experience in an academic library Teaching experience Public service and research support experience Experience supporting learners in critically engaging with AI tools and concepts Experience managing or training staff members in a unionized environment Experience developing and managing collections Lived experience or experience working with Indigenous Peoples and communities Familiarity with methods-driven reviews methodology Experience designing, conducting, and documenting comprehensive literature searches An educational background in social work, sociology, or another social science discipline

Salary and Terms of Appointment:

This is a 1.5 year Contractually-Limited Term Appointment.

It is anticipated that this position will be filled at the Librarian I/II level, subject to review and experience. Minimum salary: LIB I: $81,054; LIB II: $84,573 (Salary is dependent on rank at hire and qualifications). This appointment is for eighteen months as a parental leave replacement with an anticipated start date of February 2, 2026.



Benefits: We offer generous benefits packages to all employees. Additional information is available at: https://people.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/

Additional information:

Librarians at the University of Toronto are members of the University of Toronto Faculty Association.

How to Apply:

Application Materials Required: A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references of which at least two have supervised your work. Please attach a single electronic file into the "Resume" Field. (MS Word or pdf) with a file name convention of Surname, FirstName, 45416.



The University of Toronto Libraries thanks all applicants but will only contact applicants selected for an interview.



University of Toronto Library System: http://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/


University of Toronto: https://people.utoronto.ca/


Policies for librarians: https://people.utoronto.ca/policies/



This search aligns with the University's commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.

University of Toronto Libraries' Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Statement:

https://library.utoronto.ca/policy/anti-racism-and-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

University of Toronto Libraries' Anti-Racism Statement:

https://library.utoronto.ca/policy/anti-racism-and-diversity-equity-and-inclusion