Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor - Artificial Intelligence in LIS

School/Department Name: School of Information

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $100,000 - $110,000.  Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 18, 2025

Application Deadline: November 12, 2024 - new date (Applications accepted until filled or closed).


Position Description

The School of Information at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for an Assistant Professor - Artificial Intelligence (AI) in LIS, beginning in August 2025, for our Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) and Bachelor of Information Science and Data Analytics (BSISDA) programs. The position will focus on AI and library & information science - a critical area of need and a high priority area for San José State University. Duties will include assisting with the design, development, and release of a new interdisciplinary minor in AI for undergraduates, as well as a new 4+1 accelerated program (a 4 year undergraduate program combining 1 year of graduate work to emerge with both a bachelors and a masters degree), and helping lead the iSchool in the AI LIS teaching and research areas.

San José State University’s School of Information (SJSU - School of Information - Information Science School) prepares individuals for careers as information professionals, offering a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees programs, doctoral partnership programs, certification and credentials programs. Graduates work in diverse areas of the information profession, such as user experience design, digital asset management, information architecture, electronic records management, information governance, digital preservation, and librarianship. Our school has awarded graduate degrees to information professionals for more than 55 years. Based in Silicon Valley, our vibrant community continues to inspire innovation in the library and information science field worldwide.

The School of Information, housed within the College of Information, Data, and Society and San José State University values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

• An earned doctorate by the start of appointment.
• A record of scholarly and professional achievement. 
• Evidence of potential for teaching effectiveness. 
• 100% online teaching experience is strongly preferred.
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Teaching capabilities in the following areas:
  • LIS contexts for AI deployments.
  • Challenges and critical success factors of AI technologies in library practice.
  • Management of AI systems, programs, and evaluation in libraries.
  • Best practices in the use of AI in library practice.
  • Performance measures that contribute to the effective design of library and information services that deploy artificial intelligence or intelligent agents.
  • Connections between AI and informatics or data analytics. 
  • Equity-focused and humanistic study of AI.

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in the design, development, and release of a new interdisciplinary minor in AI for undergraduates, as well as a new 4+1 accelerated program (a 4 year undergraduate program combining 1 year of graduate work to emerge with both a bachelors and a masters degree).
• Conduct research in at least one of the following areas:
  • Social studies of AI in library contexts.
  • Library systems and the impact of AI on the information professions.
  • Challenges and critical success factors of AI technologies in library practice.
  • Strategic long term management and daily challenges involved in leading and supporting AI-focused library initiatives.
  • Professional application of AI in specific LIS organizational contexts (eg. data services, scholar support, records description and management, classification, ect.).
  • AI-centered policy-making, governance, and oversight.
  • Bias in AI and analytics.
  • AI and LIS education.
  • Informatics or analytics-focused AI.
    
    
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy
• research plans
• At least three letters of reference with contact information by November 12, 2024.

Inquiries may be directed to the Search Committee Chair: Dr. Kristen Radsliff Rebmann, kristen.rebmann@sjsu.edu.

Conditional Offer

This is a position for which work may be conducted remotely or out of state. Employees are expected to perform their duties during regular business hours in the Pacific Time Zone.  Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.