University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Evidence Synthesis and Clinical Librarian

Job Profile Title

Librarian C

Job Description Summary

The Evidence Synthesis and Clinical Librarian develops and coordinates the Penn Libraries’ Evidence Synthesis service. Based at the Holman Biotech Commons, this position will work collaboratively with colleagues representing health, physical, and social sciences, as well as humanities, provisioning campus-wide support for systematic reviews and other high-level review publications. The position also serves as Holman's primary liaison to Penn Medicine’s clinical community, identifying opportunities for clinical partnerships.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

+ Leads, manages, and develops a programmatic approach for evidence synthesis services for faculty and researchers. This includes developing policies and procedures for the management of the services, training a team of librarians to provide the services with exceptional quality, delegating and tracking staff participation in projects, as well as reporting on activities and their assessment

+ Negotiates service requests with Principal Investigators. Brings projects covered by grants to the attention of the Business Office so that librarian salaries can be considered

+ Collaborates with clinical and research teams, frequently multi-institutional, to conduct systematic reviews and other high-level reviews for dissemination and publication

+ Collaborates with clinical and research colleagues at Penn Medicine, particularly the Center for Evidence-Based Practice (CEP), participating in regular meetings and ongoing research projects. In addition, serves on Penn Medicine nursing committees as needed

+ Offers educational sessions in evidence-based healthcare to faculty, staff, interns/residents, and students within Penn Medicine, PSOM and SON, expanding curriculum integration. For example, consults with medical students on evidence-based medicine throughout the four-year curriculum, guest lectures within master’s degree programs’ courses, and presents at workshops for faculty professional development

+ Serves as a full member of the Holman Biotech Commons’ Information Services Team, providing consultation, instruction, information literacy programs, and reference and instructional services, in person and virtually. Participates in long-range planning of information services. Work a flexible schedule on rare occasions, which includes weekend and holiday hours working reference remotely

+ Works closely with the Coordinating Bibliographer for the Health Sciences Libraries in clinical collection development including both print and electronic resources. Monitors the landscape of evidence-based and point-of-care clinical resources and reports back to the Holman’s Library Director and Coordinating Bibliographer

+ Maintains comprehensive knowledge of guidelines and practices of evidence synthesis, and expert searching. Explores emerging tools and methods for evidence synthesis, such as text and data mining, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Represents the Health Sciences Libraries on campus, local, regional, and national committees and at conferences, particularly in regard to evidence-based healthcare, clinical librarianship, and evidence synthesis services

+ Perform additional duties as assigned ​

Qualifications

+ A LA accredited MLS/MLIS/MSLIS degree or related field, and 3 to 5 years of professional experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, are required.

+ Experience in developing, conducting, and updating systematic search strategies as demonstrated by co-authorship in publications or manuscript acknowledgments. Knowledge of health and life sciences databases such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and UpToDate.

+ Understanding of the evidence-based process within health sciences fields. Familiarity with the research lifecycle in health and life sciences and, in particular, knowledge of research methods and study designs.

+ Knowledge of documentation and reporting standards for systematic reviews (e.g., PRISMA) and review management software and tools (e.g., Covidence).

+ Ability to initiate and develop working relationships leading to thriving collaborations.

+ Strong organizational, project, and time management skills to lead or coordinate multiple projects. Ability to work independently and as a collaborative team member.

+ Excellent oral and written communication as well as listening and problem-solving skills.

+ Experience providing instructional services including the development and delivery of both in-person and virtual classes.

Preferred

+ Knowledge of academic library trends within higher education.

+ Working knowledge and understanding of research impact metrics such as citation counts, publication counts, journal metrics, h-index, altmetrics, etc

+ Experience working in an academic library or health sciences library setting.

+ Experience writing and obtaining research grant funding.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Application Requirement A Cover Letter and Resume/CV are required to be considered for this position. Please upload your Cover Letter where it asks you to upload your Resume/CV; multiple documents are allowed

Department / School

University Library

Pay Range

$51,824.00 - $88,774.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.

Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

​

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay