Audiovisual & XR Studios Manager

University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, AR

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Audiovisual & XR Studios Manager, under general direction of the experiential learning department director, will coordinate the day-to-day operational activities of the University Libraries’ AR Creation Studios audiovisual, information visualization, and XR (extended reality) studios and labs. Providing technical support and instruction to users, facilitating access to spaces and equipment, scheduling staff, directing the work of employees, and carrying out inventory along with basic maintenance and repair to equipment are key functions of this role. This position is to serve as a backup manager for the Makerspace in the Makerspace manager’s absence. As a leader in the department, staffing of service points, resolving patron disputes, and providing courteous and professional services to patrons throughout service areas is expected of this role. Occasional evening and/or weekend shifts may be required to support departmental services and events held outside of the standard work schedule. This is an in-person, on site position. The Audiovisual & XR Studios Manager reports to the Director of Experiential Learning.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
• At least two years providing public-facing customer service in a professional work setting
• At least two years of supervisory or leadership experience

Nice To Haves

• More than 2 years working in a library setting
• More than three years of direct supervisory experience, including training, delegation of duties, and cross-training staff to create a team environment
• Professional/educational experience and/or familiarity with related creative technology (augmented/virtual reality; audio and video creation; and information visualization) hardware and software
• Experience in providing training, documentation, and resources to a user community in an educational or library setting
• Experience providing hands-on, inquiry-based programming, workshops, events, or instruction to a variety of audiences
• Experience evaluating and implementing emerging technologies in educational environments

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations for the AR Creation Studios’ Podcast Studios, Video Recording Studio, Audio Recording Studio, Kaufman Augmented and Virtual Reality Studios, Digital Media Lab, and the Visualization Lab, ensuring high-quality access and support for the university community.
• Coordinate and maintain systems for scheduling and maintenance of studios and labs.
• Provide guidance and oversight to users on use, policy, and procedures.
• Hire, supervise, evaluate, and direct the work of student and part-time employees.
• Train employees to aid patrons working with creative technologies hardware and software.
• Guide, mentor, and encourage the professional development of staff, ensuring excellent customer service to the community.
• Provides leadership including solving problems and making non-routine decisions using sound judgment.
• Assist students, faculty, and staff with creative technologies (augmented/virtual reality; audio and video creation; and information visualization) hardware and software in the AR Creation Studios labs and studios to support coursework and knowledge creation.
• Develop expertise with software and hardware used in the studios and labs and perform basic troubleshooting.
• Provide consultative support, in partnership with the Experiential Learning Librarian, to faculty seeking to explore and implement creative technologies their instruction.
• Coordinate engagements, activities, and programs to educate UARK faculty, students, and staff about software and equipment in AR Creation Studios, alongside the Experiential Learning Librarian as appropriate.
• Oversee the hardware, software, and facility resources.
• Prepare and maintain inventory of all equipment, software, and other materials/resources.
• Closely communicate with Library IT to address complex technical issues and planning for equipment upgrades or enhancements.
• Assist in evaluating software and equipment for purchase, retention, or elimination and identifying potential new technologies for supporting the department’s mission and goals.
• Prepare documentation and training materials for user support.
• Draft and maintain current and complete documentation of all studio/lab and equipment procedures and processes.
• Ensures appropriate webpages and LibGuides are updated and maintained.
• Monitor departmental communication channels.
• Respond to email, phone and in-person inquiries from faculty, staff, students, and researchers, professionally and in a timely manner.
• Escalate inquiries to supervisor when appropriate.
• Maintain relationships with other units.
• Attend departmental and organizational meetings as well as meetings with campus and community partners.
• Assemble and prepare statistics for reporting purposes, including annual reports and performance indicators.
• Design and implement assessment tools to gather user feedback to help inform future planning discussions.

Benefits

• university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance
• tuition waivers for employees and their families
• 12 official holidays
• immediate leave accrual
• a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level