USDA-FS Communications and Outreach Fellowship, National Forest Service Library

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) library branch, located in Ft. Collins, Colorado. There will be no travel involved with this opportunity, but email and virtual meeting correspondence. Some remote participation may be considered.

At the heart of the USDA Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.

The National Forest Service Library provides high quality scientific and technical information services to all employees of the USDA Forest Service. Primary customers are scientists and natural resource professionals. The library’s headquarters is in Fort Collins, Colorado with specialized branches in Madison, Wisconsin and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Research Project: The Communications and Outreach fellow will engage in relationship building, collaboration and outreach efforts on behalf of the National Forest Service Library program. The project will involve identifying points of contact with all units for liaison purposes and helping to create communication resources for the library program, including surveys, subject guides and training outputs. Additionally, the Fellow will attend meetings with partners and the library team concerning the development of the NFSL website and intranet development to advise about needs identified for library outreach in that vein. The aim of the project is to connect with U.S. Forest Service stakeholders, identify groups (and establish contacts) who are underserved / unaware of library resources available to them, and help identify potential outreach methods for sustainable communications as well as identify library resources or services which are lacking.

Learning Objectives: The ORISE Fellow will familiarize themselves with the current library services and outreach offered by the 3 library branches of the NFSL. They will learn to identify the various entities of the Forest Service and establish connections, identifying a liaison for the library program. They will learn about USDA/F.S. standards and procedures, such as 508 compliance. They will learn how to create training video and research outputs, such as Camtasia, for example, and will engage in product co-production, outreach, and training at every stage of the project. They will gain feedback from project partners on their research methods, program design product development, and meeting project objectives. The Fellow will learn to support outreach activities that promote research results and collaborations.

Specific learning objectives related to the project will include:

• Facilitating a series of stakeholder meetings with various units to identify relevant indicators.
• Contributing to the development of outreach initiatives and subject matter outputs.
• Contributing to the development of the web/intranet modernization.
• Outreach related to the use of the prototype tools to regional users, as identified during the stakeholder meetings.
• Contributing to training manual development and workshop facilitation and trainings targeted at State, Private and Tribal foresters, Hubs, private industry, Extension, and other relevant audiences to facilitate use and expansion to other regions and indicator types.
• Contributing to outreach initiatives, as identified.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Carrie Smith (carrie.smith2@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor. The Fellow will report out to the Library Director for decision making and projects.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: March 2025, or as soon as possible. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation. Foreign national candidates may have a mandatory in-person requirement depending on visa status.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.RMRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:

• Strong interest in scientific research and communications, ability to create communications outputs (videos, scripts, subject guides), familiarity with research libraries.
• Experience with Sharepoint, Drupal, MS Office/365, Constant Contact, data visualization desired.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, demonstrate creativity and teamwork, and solid organizational skills, as the project can be demanding with competing priorities.
• This fellowship is an excellent opportunity for those starting out in the Forest Service and interested in scientific librarianship and communications, education and outreach.