Librarian (Quillen College of Medicine)

Job Summary 
             

The Medical Library at ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine is seeking an early-to-mid-career full-time medical librarian to provide information services supporting students, researchers, and faculty. This position will work closely with the senior faculty librarian team to provide instruction, support, and conduct research, plan and execute events, and support outreach activities. The position will also be expected to provide college and university service by joining appropriate committees or working groups.  

This is a new position being created due to an increased demand for support for medical student research and a newly increased medical student class size (100). The ideal candidate will already have professional experience and knowledge suited for assisting with those needs; these abilities will be further developed with support from the senior librarian team. Specific skills with PubMed, citation management, critical appraisal of evidence, conduct of research, active instruction, event planning, social media management, and/or project management would be highly desirable and will be expected to be further developed.  

The successful candidate must be able to work cooperatively and collegially with a wide variety of professionals and students. They must be able to communicate professionally and productively, with patience and respect for others.  

About the Institution and Location: 

The Medical Library and the Quillen College of Medicine are located on the beautiful and historic Mountain Home VA campus in Johnson City, TN. Quillen College of Medicine educates medical students, residents, and biomedical sciences graduate students. The College was founded in 1974 with a mission to train primary care physicians and to increase the number of doctors in rural communities. Johnson City, with a population of around 72,000, sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and serves as a hub for regional outdoor adventures. In 2025, East Tennessee State University joined the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll.  The university provides a variety of engaging cultural and other activities, including Broadway shows, independent film screenings, musical performances, art exhibitions, a fitness center, outdoor equipment rentals, and an annual Festival of Ideas.  

Essential Functions

Duties for this position may include:

• Developing active instruction sessions for synchronous teaching as well as asynchronous instructional materials in a variety of media for dissemination to students, faculty, and others. Supporting others’ instruction as needed. 
• Conducting annual new resident orientations for several specialties. 
• Conducting research and scholarly activities examining issues related to information-seeking, library activities and services, evidence-based healthcare, and other issues broadly related to health sciences librarianship, as well as disseminating findings via publications, professional conference presentations, and other methods.
• Supporting medical student research through activities such as PubMed training, citation management instruction, guidance on general aspects of research, and connecting students to other research supports. 
• Working cooperatively with members of the IRB, research office, and other relevant teams to holistically support student research. 
• Contributing service to the college and university as appropriate for a faculty member by serving on committees or working groups. 
• Conducting expert searches of the biomedical literature to aid clinicians, faculty instructors, residents, and others. Carefully documents searches for the purpose of service statistics tracking, scoping or systematic reviews, contracted services, or other projects/needs. 
• Aiding in planning and execution of other library events related to wellness, outreach, community-building, or other activities. 
• Supporting library social media channels with content ideas and execution; responsible for posts under the direction of the library director. 
• Providing customer service at the library’s central service desk as needed. 
• Developing book exhibit ideas and associated programming. 
• Contributing to library outreach activities such as consumer/community health efforts, including planning and attending events (which may be outside of typical work hours). 
• Contributing to the development of new educational, research, student support, and outreach services and programs, and carrying out those planned services. 
• Developing strong professional relationships with students, faculty, and staff to support their needs and inform library activities. 

• Providing mentorship to less experienced library team members, including support staff, student workers, library interns, or others.

     

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Strong communication skills with a commitment to respect, empathy, and professionalism. 
• Fosters teamwork across multiple settings and goals; functions well in a team. 
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Demonstrable competency with PubMed, including advanced search techniques using MeSH. 
• Able to develop and deliver education with active learning methods and identifiable goals to fulfill educational objectives; responsiveness to feedback. 
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to the library’s scholarly output, including research idea development, survey and qualitative research methods, publications, presentations, and support of colleagues in the same.
• General knowledge of the conduct and ethics of research. 
• Able to successfully complete and renew CITI Biomedical Research training, HIPAA training, and any other required professional development. 
• Knowledge of and careful attention to ethical, privacy, and compliance issues such as patron confidentiality, research data storage, HIPAA, ethical conduct of research, and grants compliance.
• Able to provide high-level customer service at the library’s service/circulation desk. 
• Willingness to be adaptable in responsibilities as needs for the library, college, and university change over time. 
• High level of attention to detail and ability to balance many competing priorities successfully while ensuring deadlines are met. Proactive in seeking support when needed for prioritization, time management, and skills development.
• Able to occasionally travel for professional events and outreach, including some nights/weekends.

• Able to meet the requirements to be appointed as faculty at the Assistant Professor rank and pursue future faculty rank promotion.  

   

Required Qualifications 

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science 
• At least three years of experience in an academic medical or health sciences library 

  • Demonstrated experience in research and dissemination, instruction, and program support  

      

Compensation & Benefits 

• Job Family – Academic Faculty 4
• Salary – Based upon experience
• Benefits: For more information regarding benefits, please visit Employee Benefits

Application Instructions   

• Exempt positions are only required to be posted for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. The closing date for this posting is subject to change without notice to applicants. 
• Employment is contingent on a satisfactory background check.  
• Please attach the following documents: Cover Letter, CV, and Copy of Transcripts 

ETSU is an Equal Opportunity Employer

University Overview

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is an institution with over 14,000 diverse students highly ranked graduate and undergraduate programs. Located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Tennessee, ETSU serves as a hub for community, discovery, and service. Aligned with the institution's mission, we value efforts to engage in teaching, scholarship, creative activities, and service that involve community partners and address significant societal needs in our region and beyond. Recognized in 2024 as a Great College to Work For, recent strategic initiatives prioritize the institution’s focus on community engagement.

Disclaimer: The Job Summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work individuals perform in this classification. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Management reserves the right to revise the job or require different tasks to be performed as assigned to reflect changes in the position. Employees must be able to perform the position's essential functions satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations.