*****Expired*****
Position: Assistant Librarian (Medicine, Health & Life Sciences), 20 hours per week
School/Department: Information Services
Reference: 14/103401
Closing Date: Thursday 21 August 2014
Salary: £30,728 – £40,046 pro rata, per annum (including contribution
points)
Anticipated Interview Date: Tuesday 9 September 2014
Duration: Two Years
JOB PURPOSE:
To be responsible to the Faculty Librarian (Medicine, Health and Life Sciences) for the development, delivery and promotion of the
University’s library and research support services for a designated group of academic staff and students. The hours for the post are
20 per week and the post is available for a two year period.
MAJOR DUTIES:
1. Work as part of a team to provide specialist/professional advice on resource exploitation to Schools and individual students and
academic staff in a designated subject area.
2. Develop, in consultation with academic staff, resources relevant to the teaching, research and professional needs of library
users in the area supported; play an ongoing role in stock management and relegation in designated areas.
3. Design and deliver specialist training programmes for academic staff and students in a designated subject area or general
information skills programmes for new staff and students.
4. Adopt a proactive approach to the identification and resolution of potential problem areas.
5. Adopt a proactive approach to the identification of opportunities for developing new services and service enhancements to meet
the needs of library users.
6. Meet quality service standards in the delivery of own and team work.
7. Ensure the effective maintenance of information and documentation, e.g. user documentation, teaching support materials, web
pages, etc.
8. Liaise with designated Schools in relation to resource development, subscription review and other service development and
student/user support issues.
9. Contribute to the development and monitoring of Divisional and team strategies and plans. Maintain an awareness of relevant
University strategies and plans.
10. Collect, analyse and present reports, statistics and results to inform decision making within relevant areas.
11. Provide specialist/professional advice, information and assistance to users to resolve problems and to maximise uptake and
exploitation of library services and resources.
12. Carry out any other duties which are appropriate to the post as may be reasonably requested by senior management.
Planning and Organising:
1. Plan own work over the short to medium term with an awareness of longer term issues, in response to manager’s general
instructions.
2. Organize short or medium term developments or process changes in own area of activity.
3. Contribute to larger projects as part of a project team.
4. Develop appropriate work schedules in order to meet targets and turnaround times.
5. Contribute to the planning and organisation of service changes with regard to their impact on the business of the University and
on external user groups.
Resource Management Responsibilities:
1. Assist in the planning of resources within the area of responsibility to ensure that they are effectively managed and monitored.
2. Delegated responsibility for book and journal budgets.
3. Assume delegated responsibilities as appropriate.
4. Manage staff where appropriate; monitoring and supporting the performance management and development of staff to ensure
that individual contributions are maximised.
Internal and External Relationships:
1. Attend internal and external meetings to ensure that relevant issues are appropriately represented and reported.
2. Liaise with key contacts in Schools and other support Directorates to ensure appropriate integration, collaboration and
understanding; Subject Librarians are expected to take a proactive role in offering support and training to their designated user
group.
3. Liaise with external suppliers and other third parties.
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
1. Candidates must be qualified librarians with a degree or a postgraduate qualification in librarianship, information studies or
information management.
2. A minimum of three years recent (i.e. in the last 5 years) library experience, including:
• Experience in the use of electronic and printed resources to support a defined user group.
• Experience in training/teaching small or large groups.
3. Detailed knowledge of a range of academic library operations and an understanding of trends in information management and
delivery.
4. Detailed operational knowledge of relevant systems – Library Management Systems; resource discovery and management
tools.
5. Analytical and problem solving skills.
6. Ability to plan and organise work activities.
7. Proven ability to use initiative and judgement to arrive at consistent decisions.
8. Well developed communication and interpersonal skills.
9. Must have a strong commitment to customer service and ongoing service development.
10. Must be committed to personal development.
11. Must have the ability to work as part of a team, understanding the impact that your work has on others.
12. Must be able to work quickly and accurately under pressure.
13. Flexibility in the hours/days worked may be necessary to cover training commitments.
14. This post will involve regular evening and weekend work.
DESIRABLE CRITERIA:
1. A diploma level or higher qualification in computing.
2. Recent (i.e. in the last five years) experience in a professional library post.
3. Recent (i.e. in the last five years) experience in an academic library.
4. Experience in a subject librarian post.
5. A background in supporting users in a science discipline.
6. Experience of using computer software to develop user support materials.
