Assistant Subject Librarian

Advert

Assistant Subject Librarian

Cardiff University Library Service (ULS) is looking for an enthusiastic, flexible and highly motivated individual to join our friendly team of Subject Librarians providing library services to the College of Arts and Humanities (AHSS).

The post of Assistant Subject Librarian is a key member of the AHSS Library team with specific responsibility for supporting and delivering services to the College.

Key areas of service to the College include but are not limited to: liaison with staff and students, assistance in collection management (electronic and physical), development and delivery of information literacy training sessions (F2F and virtual), support for research and OA initiatives, and the creation and management of reading lists via Leganto software.

You will have the opportunity to join cross ULS Project Teams and/or Task & Finish groups to progress our service development in a wide range of areas. e.g. collections, education, library spaces, library systems, research and many others. You will work alongside colleagues from other ULS teams and the wider University.

The University Library Service looks forward to welcoming applications for this part time, permanent post. You will be educated to degree level or equivalent, with a library qualification or equivalent experience in an HE library environment and will have excellent communication and customer service skills.

If you would like an informal conversation to learn more about this role, please contact Martha Ashford ([email protected] ).

The post is full time, 35 hours per week, and fixed term until 31st July 2023 to cover for an existing member of staff on secondment.

Specific working pattern to be confirmed with successful candidate.

Salary: £28,762 to £33,314 per annum (Grade 5)

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 37 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pro rata for part time staff, local pension scheme, blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

You will work as part of a team of University Library Service (ULS) staff delivering information services to support education and research activities in the School(s) within a College, providing advice, guidance, and support within this area. You will work with colleagues in the College Team in ensuring that the library services:

• are delivered in a customer friendly and customer focussed way, in line with the library service’s Customer Care Promise;
• are responsive to the changing needs of University staff, students and those of our partner NHS Health Board/Trusts; 
• support the University’s teaching, learning and research programmes;
• support the University’s “Way Forward” strategy (http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/thewayforward ).

You will engage and uphold the University Library Service’s values and behaviours. (See additional information).

Date advert posted: Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Closing date: Friday, 7 October 2022

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

Key Duties:

• respond to subject enquiries from library users in a timely and effective manner;
• instruct and guide University Library Service (ULS) users in the effective use of information resources, producing guidelines and documentation as required;
• assist with queries arising from the use of software applications (e.g. Endnote);
• develop and deliver information literacy training to support the School(s)/College;
• collaborate with Subject Librarians within a College Liaison Team to deliver information services and provide professional advice and guidance to the agreed School(s)/College, ensuring complex and conceptual issues are understood;
• establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels, developing appropriate communication links with the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required;
• support Schools in populating the research publications repository, adopting the University Open Access Publications Policy;
• ensure that the provision of library and information support is delivered to the institution, proactively changing the delivery according to customer requirements;
• collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures;
• participate in or lead specific project and working groups with colleagues across the library service to achieve library objectives;
• undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the team and department;
• gather and analyse data to inform management decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate;
• instruct and guide other colleagues across ULS, including making presentations, as required;
• assist with the acquisition of information resources and assist in managing School library allocations;
• work in partnership with other (Assistant) Subject Librarians across the service providing support and cover where necessary;
• contribute to the development of collection development plans;
• represent ULS at relevant committees including student staff panels;
• undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance;
• ensure that the ULS Regulations are observed;
• actively contribute to the provision of outstanding/excellent customer service in line with the University Library Service’s Customer Care Promise and Customer Service Excellence Award.

Training and support will be provided.

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

You may be required to work in more than one library site during the course of your employment.

Person Specification

Important notice:

• It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable.
• As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.
• Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below.
• Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for 15142BR

Essential Criteria

An Undergraduate or Postgraduate Library/Information Science qualification, or equivalent qualification, or equivalent experience.

Substantial experience of working within a library service, preferably within Higher Education (HE).

Evidence of ability to deliver digital and information literacy training and professional presentations.

Able to demonstrate professional knowledge of the current and future information environment within a specialist discipline, along with competencies in information searching.

Knowledge of current research support activities within an HE environment.

Ability to communicate conceptually detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people.

Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality customer focussed service is delivered.

Evidence of ability to solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions and resolving problems with a range of potential outcomes.

Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning and setting priorities for own work and monitoring progress.

Demonstrable commitment to CPD with a willingness to participate in training activities, including IT.

Desirable Criteria

CILIP Chartership or an equivalent professional qualification.

Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.

Successful completion of the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) or equivalent.

Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

Additional Information

ULS Values and Behaviours

Listening

• We encourage feedback from our customers
• We treat customers and colleagues with respect
• We are solution-focused
• We listen to staff at all levels

Delivering

• We work effectively together to deliver professional services
• We are consistent, fair and approachable
• We value honest, transparent and clear communication
• We take pride in delivering excellence
• We encourage and support our staff to achieve their full potential

Improving

• We anticipate future needs
• We embrace change and innovate
• We review our performance to drive change
• We put the customer at the heart of the improvements
• We learn from and share best practice

The University Library Service is one of number of departments within Cardiff University’s Professional Services.

The University Library Service is part of the University’s Department of Academic and Student Support Services.

The University Library Service consists of multiple libraries across Cardiff University, providing access to 1.1 million printed books, access to more than 1.5 million online books, journals and resources, and an extensive range of rare and historical books and archives. Each library operates in close co-operation with its academic schools to ensure that the services they offer continue to meet the needs of all teaching, learning and research groups. The University Library Service also delivers services to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Velindre University NHS Trust, and the NHS Wales Library and Knowledge Service Partnership.

As well as housing printed and electronic books and journals, the libraries also offer many services to enable specialist research, including the SURE team of systematic reviewers and unique research collections such as Special Collections and Archives, the European Documentation Centre, and other archive facilities.

The online library catalogue provides easy access to library services, including locating resources, checking library borrowing, and requesting items.

The University Library Service is committed to excellent customer service. The Library Service has been awarded the ‘kitemark’ of the UK Government’s national Customer Service Excellence ® standard, which recognises that customer service is at the centre of our services.  We are committed to providing a service which is friendly, helpful and responsive to the needs of our customers and do everything reasonably possible to ensure the reliability of our services.

In addition, Cardiff University is one of the largest organisations in Wales to be awarded Investors in People accreditation.

Job Category

Library Services, Management & Executive