Academic Support Librarian

Heriot-Watt University; Kilmarnock; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave

9 buildings-closed days

Job summary

Heriot-Watt University invites applications for an Academic Support Librarian (Maternity Cover). This 1 FTE, 12-month fixed term role provides professional liaison support to staff and students through Information Services, delivering information literacy teaching, developing guides, and offering advanced enquiry services.

You will liaise with Schools and Academic Units, promote IS work, participate in committees, and contribute to the Directorate’s development within a dynamic, globally

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in librarianship or information science (BSc or MSc) or equivalent experience.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Teams and SharePoint; skilled in collaboration tools.
• Willingness to learn new digital skills relevant to the role.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with staff and students; experience delivering training or teaching.
• Ability to deliver presentations using standard AV equipment.
• Knowledge of legal, statutory and governance issues and applying them to practice.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills; proactive and responsive.
• Able to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a busy environment.
• Awareness of information sources in Schools' subjects; experience working with stakeholders.
• Ability to research, analyse and present complex information with attention to detail.
• Strong organisational skills; prioritising operational and strategic tasks.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with academic staff and students to inform IS resources for global teaching and research needs.
• Promote Information Services' work to Schools and Academic Units.
• Provide information skills and digital literacy teaching; create online resources; lectures and seminars.
• Offer advanced enquiry and advice service to students and staff, online and in person.
• Develop and maintain guides to information resources for subjects.
• Represent IS on School, University and external groups.
• Contribute to the development of the IS Directorate; lead working groups.
• Undertake other duties as required.

Skills

Librarianship qualification

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Teams

SharePoint

Communication

Training delivery

Digital literacy

Presentation skills

Customer service

Organisational skills

Education

BSc/MSc in Librarianship or Information Science

Equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Microsoft Teams

SharePoint

Job description

Description

Role: Academic Support Librarian (Maternity Cover)

Grade and Salary: Grade 7 (£37,694 - 46,049) per annum.

FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE (full-time - 35 hours per week) fixed term for 12 months.

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings-closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htmto see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

Purpose of Role

To provide professional and liaison support to staff and students in Schools and Academic Units on behalf of Information Services (IS).

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Liaise with academic staff and students to inform the development of Information Services’ resources, collections, facilities and services so that they support the global teaching, learning and research needs of Schools and Academic Units
• Promote the work of the Information Services Directorate to Schools and Academic Units
• Provide information skills and digital literacy teaching to reflect and satisfy Heriot-Watt University’s global need, creating online resources, advising colleagues and giving lectures, seminars and individual instruction to undergraduates, postgraduates and academic staff on the use of information resources and the wider digital literacy
• Provide an advanced enquiry and advice service to students, academic staff and other internal and external customers of Information Services (both online and in person) to help customers identify and locate useful information, and to assist in the resolution of issues
• Develop and maintain guides to information resources for academic subjects
• Represent Information Services on School, University and external groups and/or committees
• Contribute to the overall development of the Information Services Directorate and its services, including membership and/or leadership of Working Groups
• Undertake any other duties as may be required, consistent with this role

Essential

Essential & Desirable Criteria

• Professional qualification in librarianship or information science e.g., BSc or MSc, or equivalent experience
• Competent full use of the University standard productivity software such as: Microsoft Office Suite; Microsoft Teams and SharePoint for collaboration internally, nationally and internationally, Outlook for messaging and calendar
• Ability and willingness to learn new digital skills and capabilities appropriate to your role and how it evolves
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with individuals and/or groups of staff and students and experience of delivering training and/or teaching
• Confidently use standard audio-visual equipment to deliver professional presentations
• Good knowledge and understanding of relevant legal, statutory and governance applications and wider professional issues and turning them into good practice
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, able to understand and communicate complex issues effectively
• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach to excellent customer service
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment both independently and as part of a team
• General awareness of information sources required in Schools’ subjects to enable response to enquiries and experience of working closely with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation
• Ability to research, analyse and present complex information effectively with good attention to detail
• High level organisational skills with the ability to prioritise operational and strategic developments as appropriate to the role

Desirable

• Experience of work in a higher education library, preferably in a liaison, customer facing environment
• Experience of Higher Education and the research process
• A formally recognised teaching qualification, e.g., PGCAP/FHEA or similar
• Experience of course delivery via a VLE environment
• Information management skills
• Ability to create and maintain online content
• In-depth knowledge of information resources and services in Schools and Academic Units
• Demonstratable ability to use reporting and analysis tools and proven skills of analysing information relevant to the role

About The Team

Learner and Academic Services comprises teams of staff responsible for delivering a range of excellent academic and learner support services, at all campuses and for all students regardless of mode of study, to support delivery of Strategy 2025.Through the work of the LTES (Learning and Teaching Enhancement Services) teamLASdevelops, creates, coordinatesand deliver global enhancements of/to the online capabilities/digital knowledge/aptitudes in both our academics, professional services staffand students, resulting in enhanced digital resources and environments.Aligningtechnology, systems and spaces to support learning & teaching ambitions.

Teams Within LAS Comprise

• Integrated specialist services to supportHWU Digital Education ambitionscomprisinglearning technology design, IT training,effective learner advice,learningtechnologists, VLE development;AV support services,media production
• Student and staff skills development
• Academic librarian services/Effective learning services, including support for all campus libraries

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Equality and Diversity

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.