Description

Department Description:
The CSU Libraries supports the academic mission of Colorado State University by striving to provide equitable access to knowledges that empower expansive learning, intellectual growth, and joyful discovery for a sustainable, thriving planet and flourishing communities.  We partner with people on their journey to academic success, community engagement, and excellence in research, creative artistry, and scholarship. Together, we navigate and evaluate information and knowledge systems, illuminate varied lived experiences, discover possibilities, and labor toward a more equitable and just society.

As part of the Research Support & Open Scholarship unit, the Research Data Librarian will have the exciting opportunity to design fundamental and experimental library services and engage with a dynamic research community. With CSU's research expenditures of $622 million in 2025, this is an incredible time to join a team addressing some of the biggest challenges affecting our community and the world.

With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and open scholarship, the Research Support and Open Scholarship (RSOS) team leads the university community in providing information, knowledge support, and services for CSU researchers, including faculty, graduate students, research associates, post-docs, and CSU Extension. RSOS Librarians provide research library services while partnering with faculty, graduate students, and researchers to support open access, research impact, artificial intelligence, data visualization, data management, and reproducible research practices.

Position Summary:
The Research Data Librarian provides leadership and expertise in research data management (RDM), data curation, and open research practices in support of Colorado State University’s research mission. The position collaborates with colleagues in Research Support and Open Scholarship, as well as campus partners, to develop and deliver services, instructional programs, and infrastructure that support responsible data stewardship throughout the research lifecycle.

The Research Data Librarian builds and maintains relationships with academic departments and research centers to coordinate and scale research data services across campus. Key areas of support include supporting compliance with funder and institutional data policies and advancing ethical and inclusive data practices through the application of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) Principles. The position works proactively with researchers on data-intensive projects, providing guidance on data quality, documentation, sharing, and long-term stewardship.

The Research Data Librarian contributes to scholarly communication initiatives such as open data and reproducible research, including considerations of data quality, ethics, transparency, and governance, as well as tools related to data management. This role is well-suited to individuals with experience managing or analyzing research data in at least one academic discipline; a degree in library science is beneficial but not required.

At Colorado State University Libraries, Rams take care of Rams, and we work as a team collaborating with campus partners to solve problems, learn new skills, and support one another’s work. The Libraries is committed to lifelong learning and faculty development, and the Research Data Librarian has the opportunity and support to expand their expertise and explore emerging tools and technologies that will strengthen the research community.

Full Consideration Date:
Please apply by April 15th, 2026, 11:59pm (MT) for full consideration.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with principal investigators to develop compliant data management and data sharing plans aligned with funder requirements, institutional policies, and research data best practices.
• Support researchers in curating, depositing, and sharing research data, including use of Dryad and appropriate disciplinary repositories, in accordance with national and international standards.
• Provide instruction, workshops, outreach, and individualized research support for faculty, researchers, and graduate students.
• Collaborate with campus partners to deliver consulting services related to data management, data use and reuse, reproducible research practices, and computational tools and methods.
• Engage with researchers to assess and support data-intensive research needs, including data and code sharing, compliance with funder and publisher requirements, data discovery and citation, and open scholarship practices.
• Monitor emerging trends in research data services and evaluate new tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance library services.
   

Essential Job Duties: 
Data Management Consultation and Services (35%):

• Supports data management planning with principal investigators and researchers prior to grant submissions or before the research data is collected or created.
• Works with researchers to facilitate the curation and sharing of data in the Dryad data repository via CSU’s institutional membership, or in an appropriate subject repository, adhering to local policies and national and international standards and best practices.
• Offers practical support and reusable resources—including templates, examples, and documentation—to assist researchers with data management and data sharing requirements.

Librarianship: Instruction, Outreach, and Partnership (35%):

• Serves as a resource to researchers, librarians, and the university community on data management issues and services.
• Develops and delivers training on data curation, provides guidance and instruction on discovery, acquisition, and use of research data.
• Works with researchers, including faculty, graduate and post-doc students, academic and administrative units, and research centers to enable best practices management of their archive and share their research data.

Data Management Policy and Strategy Development (20%):

• Designs, develops, and evaluates data management services to CSU faculty, researchers, and students.
• Partners with the Office of Research for compliance with open data mandates and support for researchers, and keeps related university policies, guidelines, and procedures up-to-date.
• Stays current in the field by pursuing professional development and integrating outcomes and learning into duties.

Service (10%):

• Engages in service activities in support of the CSU Libraries, the University, and/or relevant regional and national professional organizations.
• Promotes advancements in the field of librarianship or archives.
   

Requirements

Required Job Qualifications:
Candidates must have one of the following degrees (completed by the start date of the position):

Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program or international equivalent
OR

PhD in a related field, or
An advanced degree in a data-intensive field.
 

In addition, candidates must demonstrate:

• Experience managing, curating, or preserving research data.
• Ability to clearly explain complex concepts to audiences from diverse disciplinary, technical, and cultural backgrounds.
• Familiarity with federal funder requirements for research data management and data sharing.
• Knowledge of the research data lifecycle, including emerging standards and technologies; storage and preservation practices; disciplinary and institutional repositories; and persistent identifiers.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team-based environment.
   

Preferred Job Qualifications:
Evidence of the following will strengthen an application:

• Advanced education or specialized experience in a data-intensive field, including an advanced degree or substantial applied experience.
• Experience supporting research data services—such as data management, curation, analytics, or related research support—in higher education, government, or non-profit settings.
• Experience developing and delivering instruction or technical training, including workshops or programs such as Software Carpentry or Data Carpentry.
• Knowledge of responsible AI or data ethics frameworks.
• An understanding of the American Library Association’s Core Values of Librarianship and their relevance to the mission and work of the CSU Libraries.
   

*Applicants for this position should include a cover letter and a resume or curriculum vitae. We encourage you to communicate how your skills and experiences transfer to the qualifications in ways that may not be obvious.

In the cover letter, you should explain how your unique combination of experience, skills, and expertise aligns with the job, addressing each required qualification. Relevant experience can come from various contexts, including professional roles (inside or outside libraries), coursework, and more.

Preferred qualifications are not required but provide an opportunity for you to highlight additional skills and experiences that may be relevant to the position. While addressing them in your letter is optional, doing so allows you to showcase strengths that could be valuable to the search committee.

All applications will be reviewed by human readers, not AI software.

Salary Range:
Open rank salary range: $70,000- $75,000 for Assistant Professor, $75,000- $82,000 for Associate Professor, and $83,000- $90,000 for Full Professor