| Description: The University of Houston (UH) Libraries seeks a collaborative, detail-oriented librarian to serve as E-Resources Licensing Librarian. This position provides expertise in negotiating, managing, and maintaining licenses for electronic resources that advance the Libraries’ academic and research mission. Reporting to the Head of Acquisitions and Resource Sharing, the E-Resources Licensing Librarian serves as the primary contact for licensing matters and works closely with vendors, publishers, consortia, and internal stakeholders to ensure favorable terms and compliance with institutional policies.
The E-Resources Licensing Librarian collaborates across departments to maintain accurate license data, support acquisitions workflows, and advise on acceptable use of licensed content. This position plays a key role in shaping licensing strategies that address emerging issues such as accessibility, privacy, text and data mining, and open access.
The E-Resources Licensing Librarian is a promotion-eligible librarian position. Librarians hold academic rank pursuant to the University of Houston Libraries’ Bylaws and are expected to develop a record of service, scholarship, and professional involvement. UH Libraries supports the ongoing professional development of librarians, and our goal is to recruit librarians committed to continuous learning.
Key Responsibilities
Licensing and Negotiation:
• Lead negotiation, execution, and management of electronic resource licenses in consultation with university and Libraries stakeholders.
• Prioritize favorable agreement terms addressing critical issues such as perpetual access, fair use, text and data mining, accessibility, privacy, AI usage, and open access.
• Maintain current knowledge of licensing trends, best practices, and emerging issues in scholarly communication.
Vendor and Contract Management:
• Establish and maintain relationships with publishers, vendors, and consortia.
• Coordinate submission of contracts and amendments for institutional review, including legal, financial, and information security compliance.
• Monitor vendor performance and ensure adherence to contractual obligations.
Data and Systems Management:
• Create and maintain accurate license records in the Libraries’ electronic resource management system (Ex Libris Alma), including terms of use and access entitlements, in coordination with e-resource and LSP management colleagues within UH Libraries and across the UH system.
• Collaborate with acquisitions and collections teams to ensure accurate financial, entitlement, and access data.
• Document and update licensing workflows, standards, and procedures.
Collaboration and Advisory:
• Serve as the primary resource for interpreting license terms and advising on acceptable use.
• Work with colleagues on projects such as system migrations, open access initiatives, and transformative agreements.
• Participate in departmental planning and contribute to continuous improvement of electronic resource management practices.
Qualifications
Required:
• Master’s degree from an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited program
• Experience with library acquisitions or collections management responsibilities
• Experience with library management systems or electronic resource management tools
• Experience navigating organizational compliance requirements with a high level of attention to detail
• Experience effectively collaborating on projects
• Experience managing sensitive information
Preferred:
• Experience in electronic resource licensing in an academic library setting
• Experience with Ex Libris Alma's acquisitions module, Oracle PeopleSoft ERP contracts and supplier management tools, and Adobe Acrobat PDF editing tools
• Experience negotiating and interpreting complex licensing agreements
• Experience with consortial agreements and collaborative purchasing models
• Articulated knowledge of current trends in scholarly publishing, open access, accessibility compliance, and licensing standards
Salary: Salary is dependent on qualifications and rank. The salary range is $65,000-$67,000 for Assistant Librarians and $72,000-$74,000 for Associate Librarians. We anticipate filling this position at the rank of Assistant Librarian. Comprehensive benefits package; choice of retirement programs including TIAA; tax-deferred annuity program available; release time to take a class up to 3 hours/week; no state or local income tax Salary is dependent on qualifications and rank.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Visit the UH Libraries Employment page for more information: http://libraries.uh.edu/about/employment/. Potential applicants seeking further information should contact Santi Thompson, Associate Dean for Librarian Affairs and Operations, at 713-743-9685 or sathompson3@uh.edu.
As part of their application, candidates should include contact information for three (3) professional references and an unofficial transcript of their ALA-accredited library/information science degree.
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