Senior Library Specialist - University Library

Senior Library Specialist - University Library

Hiring Department: University Library

Location:  Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1041679

FTE: 1

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30AM - 4:30PM

Shift: Days

# of Positions: 1

Workplace Type:  Hybrid  

Posting Close Date:  July 6, 2026

Salary Range (commensurate with experience): $31.20 - 33.11 / Hourly Wage

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The Senior Library Specialist (SLS) serves as a resource for complex acquisitions and cataloging functions, including electronic monographs and serials. Responsibilities include ordering and payment processing, copy cataloging using various metadata standards and classification schemes, identifying and correcting cataloging problems in the global (OCLC) database, providing access, and performing local record maintenance. The Senior Library Specialist responds to inquiries from Daley and LHS library staff, provides training and consultation, and independently researches and resolves complex bibliographic and acquisitions problems.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Acquisition Functions

• Perform pre-order searching of electronic orders for bibliographic verification prior to regular and highly complex ordering and receipt of monographic and serial electronic resources.
• Input, update, and maintain highly complex electronic and foreign acquisitions data in Library databases, as well as simple routine domestic acquisitions data. Activate links to make electronic resources available to users.
• Assist with managing the workflow of ordering, renewing, and payment for resources, foreign and complex domestic orders, including the creation of purchase orders and invoices for acquisitions within the library acquisitions system.
• Assist with the annual renewal of electronic serials with EBSCO and works with selectors to coordinate timely, accurate placement of orders.
• Analyze and respond to complex queries internally as well as with foreign and domestic vendors, and delegate questions to staff as appropriate.
• Analyze status reports from vendors for foreign and domestic orders.
• Identify new titles, title changes, titles without order records for renewals or processing.

Cataloging and Database Maintenance Functions

• Create brief bibliographic records for electronic resources for eventual overlay in record loads.
• Make complex adaptations to bibliographic data available in the OCLC database to create local records for all formats, including materials in foreign languages.
• Verify bibliographic accuracy of Shelf Ready titles that have been imported into the local database. Identify, correct and update problem records.
• Search the authority files of OCLC for subject, name and series titles verification.
• Interpret and apply metadata standards, including Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) codes, OCLC Bibliographic
• Formats and Standards, Resource Description and Access (RDA), and the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR).
• Monitor electronic resources listserv and troubleshooting queries.
• Perform other complex related duties and participates in special projects as