Librarian Specialist

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board; Merthyr Tydfil; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

A prominent health board in Wales is seeking a qualified Specialist Librarian to provide library and knowledge services across two hospitals. This part-time role requires strong literature searching and communication skills as you support healthcare staff with evidence-based information. Your contributions will enhance patient care while interacting with nursing and healthcare students. Enjoy a supportive work environment with career development opportunities and a competitive salary.

Benefits

Flexible work hours

Professional development opportunities

Generous leave

Pension plan

Qualifications

• Qualified librarian with degree in library studies.
• Experience in healthcare library environment is preferred.
• Familiar with bibliographic databases for literature searching.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality enquiry service to staff and students.
• Support patient care through evidence-based information.
• Conduct complex literature searches and provide results.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Literature searching

Training delivery

Problem-solving skills

Education

Degree in library or information-related studies

Chartered Member of the Institute for Library & Information Professionals (CILIP)

ECDL or equivalent IT qualification

Teaching/training qualification

Tools

MS Office

Bibliographic databases

Web-based applications

Job description

Librarian Specialist

Closing date is 21 January 2026.

Opportunity for a Specialist Librarian working between Prince Charles (Merthyr Tydfil) and Royal Glamorgan (Llantrisant) Hospitals, South Wales.

Are you a qualified librarian with a passion for supporting quality healthcare within NHS Wales? Our Library & Knowledge Service is seeking a skilled Specialist Librarian (Band 6) to join our team. As part of our team, you'll be working across both sites to provide multidisciplinary resources, current awareness services, and training to healthcare staff and students. This is a permanent, part‑time post working 22.5 hours per week, over four days (Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri).

In this busy role, you'll have the chance to gain a wide range of experience in healthcare library provision, from user education and training to literature searching and promoting our library services. You'll also support nursing and healthcare students on placement from the University of South Wales and maintain positive relationships with the university. You will deputise as needed for the Library Services Managers.

To be successful in this role, you'll need to be a qualified librarian with experience using electronic information resources and outstanding information retrieval skills. You'll also be an excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills and enjoy working in a team on diverse tasks.

Main responsibilities as per attached job description/person specification.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work within occupational policies to assist the Library Services Manager in the delivery and management of a full range of high quality, proactive library and knowledge services.

CTM Library and Knowledge Service plays an important role in supporting evidence‑based healthcare, undergraduate and postgraduate education, clinical and managerial decision making and governance, quality and service improvement, continuing professional development and research. It provides services for staff based in the hospitals, and primary care in the area covered by the Health Board and funded students on placement. It facilitates high quality patient care throughout the Health Board and the wider healthcare community.

As the Specialist Librarian the main aims of the role are to provide a literature searching/evidence service, to lead and manage provision of current awareness services, to lead and manage onsite and outreach training and user support service and to lead and manage onsite and outreach promotion and marketing of service and resources. The post holder also deputises for the Library Services Managers (PCH and RGH).

About us

Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) University Health Board, part of NHS Wales, serves a large population across a diverse and beautiful region, steeped in history and heritage. With nearly 13,500 staff, our health board is one of Wales's largest employers.

Together, we are Team CTM; a workforce dedicated to offering excellent patient care and support to the 450,000 people across our three regions, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf. We operate three District General hospitals, several community hospitals, primary and community care facilities.

CTM's location offers the best of South Wales, just 20 minutes from Cardiff's vibrant city life, the natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons, and the serene coastline at Ogmore. Whether you enjoy lively urban amenities, peaceful countryside, or seaside escapes, our location makes an ideal setting for both work and personal life.

Our CTM 2030 Strategy—Our Health, Our Future—focuses on uniting our region around shared health and wellbeing goals. Our values guide us daily:

• We listen, learn, and improve
• We treat everyone with respect
• We work together as one team

CTM employees enjoy benefits including a leading pension, generous leave, flexible work, career growth, and access to ongoing learning and development.

At CTM, you'll find a welcoming, team‑oriented workplace that values diversity and compassion, where you can take pride in your work and the difference it makes.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Deliver a high quality general and reference enquiry service to members of the clinical and managerial teams, students on placement and other library users on request. (In person, by phone or email).
• Communicate with and guide users to suitable information sources to access the evidence they require.
• Analyse and interpret literature search requests from staff and students, to support patient care, research and education.
• Use expert technical and professional knowledge to undertake complex and comprehensive literature searches as requested, interpreting user information requirements to select appropriate databases, construct search strategies, present search results and liaise with users on appraisal of results.
• Use critical appraisal skills to select and evaluate relevant information to support evidence based practice.
• Support clinical and management decision‑making by providing relevant information.
• Deal with non‑routine enquiries from library users, signposting to use of library resources in catalogues, databases etc.
• Plan and lead on the provision of proactive, targeted and detailed current awareness services for individual users and departments.

Welsh Skills Desirable: This post is advertised as Welsh Desirable. This doesn’t mean essential; whilst the candidate doesn't need to have skills in Welsh, we'll consider it an advantage when short‑listing and selecting candidates. This isn’t fluency, just Speaking & Listening skills at Level 3 (equivalent to CEFR B2) or above. Level 3 means basic conversations with patients about their everyday health. For more information, see Welsh Language Guidance in the documents right at the bottom.

Person Specification

Qualifications and/or Knowledge

• Degree in library or information‑related studies or a postgraduate qualification in library or information studies.
• Chartered Member of the Institute for Library & Information Professionals (CILIP)
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Knowledge of the range of resources relevant to healthcare professionals
• ECDL or equivalent IT qualification
• Teaching/training qualification

Experience

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Recent library experience in a health, special or academic library including experience of enquiry work, information retrieval, and user education.
• Experience of delivering training / teaching
• Excellent level of computer literacy including MS Office, web based applications, email
• Experience of working in a health library environment
• Experience of web development
• Experience of literature searching using a variety of bibliographic databases
• Able to produce instructional and comprehensive training documents
• Excellent Organisational skills including problem solving and planning skills for complex issues.
• Experience in staff supervision.

Aptitude and Abilities

• An understanding of current information / library Developments
• Familiarity with current issues in health information
• Experience of providing a current awareness service using databases and/or using Knowledgeshare.
• Welsh Language Speaking/Listening Skills at Level 3 or above

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Compensation

£39,263 to £47,280 a year per annum pro rata

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board