Librarian (Biological & Medical Services)

Full Job Description

This position is located in Library Service at the VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) in Dallas, TX.

Library Service is an integral part of the health system (medical centers and clinics) and covers clinical and administrative staff as well as Veterans.

In order to qualify for this position, all applicants must meet one of the following Basic Requirements: 1) Completion of one (1) full academic year of graduate study in library science in an accredited college or university, in addition to completion of all work required for a bachelor's degree.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

~OR~ 2) A total of at least five (5) years of a combination of college-level education, training and experience.

NOTE: To qualify on this basis, you must establish conclusively that the education, training and experience provided a knowledge and understanding of the theories, principles and techniques of professional librarianship; knowledge of literature resources; and the knowledge and abilities essential for providing effective library and information services.

Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

~AND~ In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, to qualify for this position, you must meet one of the following: Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service that demonstrates the ability to perform, supervise or direct one or more of the functional areas of work covered by this series; to understand the concepts, theories, new developments and co-relationship of information in related fields; and to maintain up-to-date information on the state of the art.

Specialized experience: Experience serving as a medical, hospital or health sciences librarian (does not include public or school librarians).

~OR~ Education Substitution: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education in library science or a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in library science.

~OR~ Combination: An equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year and one-half) and specialized experience, as described above, which meets the total requirement for this grade level.

The education portion must include progressively higher-level graduate courses directly related to the work of this Librarian position (as described above).

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted by the closing of the announcement. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Education and Training Information Technology Research and Development Technical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Physical Requirements: The work involves regular and recurring physical exertion such as periods of standing, bending, stooping, and reaching into shelving areas; may require lifting; for example, heavy bound volumes, and sitting at a computer for extended periods of time.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** MAJOR DUTIES: Carries out complex searches providing accurate and reliable information that informs clinical and management decisions, provides context for research efforts and encourages the self-directed learning of VANTHCS staff.

Applies expertise to searching multiple health-related databases including, but not limited to MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psyclnfo, Cochrane Collaboration, UpToDate, as well as databases in affiliated fields such as business and the social sciences.

Applies knowledge of the terminology and practices of health care disciplines, including all fields of medicine and surgery, dentistry, nursing, mental health, health administration, pharmacy and allied health fields, to accurately interpret questions and complete reliable and comprehensive searches.

Performs critical evaluation of citations to identify those that are pertinent to a client's question.

Evaluates resources and references, both primary and secondary, for authoritativeness, timeliness, and relevance to specific information requests.

Ensures the accuracy and relevance of information provided.

Utilizes expertise in a wide range of information sources, including resources that are standard and non-standard in hospital libraries, in order to comprehensively answer varied and complex reference questions.

Utilizes the full range of available information, regardless of format or location.

Utilizes expertise to form judgments about the quality of search results and adjusts strategies accordingly to find the best information possible to answer complex (often clinical) questions.

Applies knowledge of interlibrary loan resources and procedures for hospital libraries to facilitate interlibrary cooperation and the smooth exchange of information in order to provide VANTHCS staff access to a wide range of resources beyond those owned by VANTHCS.

Coordinates the activities of a broad and varied document delivery/interlibrary loan system.

Applies expert knowledge of DOCLINE, OCLC, health sciences databases, and bibliographic control of medical journals to locate and retrieve journal articles, monographs, and audiovisual materials required by VANTHCS staff.

Reciprocates service by providing materials from VANTHCS collections requested by staff in other medical libraries.

Applies expert knowledge to design and maintain routing tables, accurate and complete holdings records, and resolves problems as they arise.

Provides oversight for Electronic Funds Transfer System for smooth functioning and required reporting.

evaluates the Library's collection to identify gaps in content, select authoritative resources to fill those gaps, and to proactively identify and remove outdated materials from the collection.

Coordinates with the Supervisory Librarian to ensure comprehensiveness to meet the specialized needs of staff in all locations of the Health Care System.

Applies extensive knowledge of hospital operations, the information needs of various health disciplines, and health sciences publishing to develop a targeted, highly relevant collection for clients.

Applies expert knowledge of medical vendors and the federal acquisitions process to the procurement of materials for the Library's collection.

Maintains records in accordance with required retention standards and for audit purposes. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved