Scholarly Communications Librarian

Description

 LAC Federal is seeking an experienced Scholarly Communication Librarian to support a major federal library in advancing research integrity, open science, and public access to federally funded research. The position provides expert guidance and operational support across scholarly publishing, journal evaluation, copyright and licensing, open access compliance, and research impact reporting. The role directly supports scientific integrity priorities and gold-standard science initiatives through trusted journal management, AGRICOLA indexing, stakeholder training, and analytics reporting. 

This position may be performed remotely or onsite in Beltsville, Maryland, depending on project needs.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate journal inclusion requests using documented suitability and integrity criteria.
• Identify predatory or hijacked journals and document evaluation outcomes.
• Maintain workflows for Trust Journal List including documentation, and monthly updates to stakeholders.
• Communicate clear, professional decisions and rationale. 
• Assess journals for inclusion in research database based on relevance, peer review, and abstract availability.
• Execute indexing approvals within Alma and maintain accurate holdings alignment.
• Coordinate with the Selection Committee and document decisions and trends.
• Publish and maintain monthly indexed-journal updates. 
• Develop and deliver training aligned with the Agency’s Scientific Integrity policy and scholarly communication best practices.
• Address emerging issues such as AI in publishing, retractions, and predatory journals.
• Ensure Section 508 accessibility compliance and document assessment outcomes. 
• Define and operationalize indicators such as peer-review status, funder attribution, and altmetrics.
• Produce analytics and reproducible reports using approved data sources.
• Deliver timely responses to research data calls and maintain full documentation. 
• Submit biweekly status reports and participate in project review meetings.
• Support monthly Selection Committee meetings and stakeholder coordination.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science OR minimum five years of scholarly publishing or scholarly communication experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in journal publishing workflows, editorial standards, identifiers (DOI/ISSN/ISBN), and citation technologies.
• Knowledge of open access mandates, copyright/licensing, metadata standards, and discovery tools.
• Experience delivering professional training and conducting research analytics in agriculture, food, or related sciences.
• Familiarity with library systems, metadata, digitization, and access management platforms.
• Deliver accurate, timely, and standards-compliant outputs with minimal revision.
• Maintain documentation, reproducibility, and version control across workflows and reporting.
• Produce Section 508-compliant training and analytics aligned with USDA scientific integrity requirements.

• Primarily sedentary work requiring extended periods of sitting and regular use of a computer and standard office equipment.
• Ability to communicate effectively and review information in written, digital, and virtual formats.
• Occasional movement within the work environment and light lifting of up to 10 pounds.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Training & Development

EEO Statement

The company and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring/hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Nothing in this job specification restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 

Critical features of this job are described under various headings above. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. The above statements are strictly intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this position.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. 

To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. 

Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.