Information Assistant - Academic Services - 34518Z23 - Grade 4

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Part time

Job description

Position Details

Academic Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £27,166 to £28,768, with potential progression once in post to £32,145

Grade: 4

Part Time (18 working hours per week)

Fixed Term contract up to April 2026

Closing date: 17th April 2025

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high-quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The Collection Management and Metadata team has responsibility for managing the life cycle of the library’s printed collections, including their cataloguing and classification, storage, review, relegation and disposal. The team also oversees the implementation and maintenance of appropriate metadata standards across the library’s print and electronic collections, to optimise their discoverability and use.

Role Summary

Collection Management and Metadata Information Assistants will have responsibility for duties relating to the management of the library’s printed collections, audio-visual materials and updating eBook records. This will include fetching, cataloguing, editing of holdings and item records, and reshelving.

In addition, Information Assistants will work from printed pull lists (mainly Excel) and will be expected to be able to edit these lists.

Main Duties

The post holder will undertake a selection of duties from the list below.

Collection Management and Metadata Team:

Collating and updating information to aid the continuous review of library collections, both monographs and periodicals, through:

• Searches of external databases (e.g., Library Hub Discover, WorldCat, various Library of Congress sites) to check other library holdings.
• Accurately update records and manipulate datasets via the use of specialised applications such as ALMA.
• Accurately collate information concerning monographs and serials from multiple sources to inform the identification of items for stock movement, transfer, or disposal in accordance with agreed policies.
• Acting as a key point of communication for Library Services colleagues in relation to the Research Reserve collections, answering enquiries and handling issues from initial contact to resolution.

Ongoing physical library collection management work by:

• Conducting accurate measurements and item counts of physical stock to plan and deliver stock movements, transfers or disposal and subsequently shelving materials.
• Accurately update item records utilising the Library Management system, ensuring quality and consistency is maintained and resolving any inaccuracies.
• Identifying problems which may have significant or wider impact on the collections/service, resolving issues and on occasions referring to colleagues.
• Producing and affixing spine information for reclassified items.

Selecting or creating catalogue records for new material or for retrospective cataloguing, by:

• Checking specialist bibliographic databases and vendor platforms to search for and select high quality records.
• Using judgement, knowledge and experience to compare and evaluate any records found.
• Create new catalogue records in accordance with the relevant standard.
• Reclassification using Excel spreadsheets to find the correct reclassification shelf mark to assign books and updating the item record on the Library Management System.
• Identifying and resolving without referral to others inaccuracies on the catalogue, using judgement to decide which problems may have wider impact and need to be referred to appropriate colleagues.
• Conversion of eBook records into Alma.

All Information Assistants

• Assist with the training of new members of the team or other library services colleagues and supervising casual staff as required.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade to support colleagues across Library Services.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• 2 A-Levels or equivalent qualification or substantial relevant experience

Skills and Experience

• Numeracy, literacy, classification skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to understand and use complex and specialist systems e.g., ALMA, external library holdings databases, in-house IT applications for stock management
• Level of IT literacy, and a willingness to further develop skills in this area
• Ability to work with accuracy to required standards and deadlines and demonstrate attention to detail
• Ability to work independently to required standards and deadlines in using complex and specialist library systems, processes, and databases
• Organisational skills
• Demonstrable ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work reliably and flexibly in a busy environment
• Excellent and demonstrable customer service skills
• Experience of receiving and resolving customer enquiries and the ability and willingness to adopt a friendly customer-oriented approach in a busy service environment.

Knowledge

• Knowledge or experience of library work, the book trade or publishing industry
• Knowledge and substantial practical experience of using specialist processes, IT systems (e.g., ALMA), applications and databases (e.g. Library Hub Discover) or equivalent to provide access to resources

Planning and Organising

Advice is available but most work is done independently. The post holder will be expected to manage their own time, anticipating and prioritising their own workload to meet deadlines and ensure both the required standard and continuity of service. As part of this, they will balance the need for accurate and professional work against the need to meet targets.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Without reference to others:

• Post holders will be expected to handle regular queries from Library Services colleagues or from University staff, students and external library users in relation to the normal duties of the post.
• Assess and analyse problems and identifies solutions from experience, precedent or training, for example, sorting equipment problems by liaising with colleagues in other parts of the University as appropriate.
• Post holders would be expected to keep their line managers informed of decisions that required judgement (normally based on past practice or precedent) taken in their absence.
• Where post holders are working without the immediate supervision of their line manager, they would be expected to take responsibility for sorting out minor equipment problems and for liaising with colleagues in other parts of the University as appropriate.

After consulting others:

• Dealing with complex issues without received practice or precedent which need the assistance of a more experienced or professionally qualified team member.
• Where post holders have suggestions for improvement or amendment to work of Collection Management and Development, they would be expected to discuss with their line manager and, if appropriate, they could then assist with its implementation.

Or that would be referred to someone else:

• Changes in policy in any of the above procedures.

Internal and External Relationships

The post holder will establish and maintain constructive working relationships with other team members and colleagues across Library Services. They will communicate effectively and professionally with colleagues at all levels. The post holder may also be expected to communicate effectively and professionally with university staff, students, external library users and library suppliers.

Informal enquiries to Edward Tavner, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.