Staff Development Weekly Update

ALN Staff Development Update #79 – 24 September 2025

This weekly update is intended to keep you up to date on ALN’s staff development programme; to highlight interesting initiatives being undertaken by ALN or its members; and to promote job opportunities in our member libraries. If you have any queries or any content you’d like to include, please get in touch at: academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk

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ALN Events

We’re busy on the new programme for 2025/26 and are excited to share with you those events already planned.

September 2025

Introduction to the Frontline Forum for supervisors and managers
Date: Wednesday 24 September 2025
Time: 1.00 – 1.45pm

Following the pilot of the Frontline Forum throughout 2024/25, we are inviting managers, team leaders and supervisors to a short online information session about how the forum can support staff development and CPD.

The Frontline Forum is an online community for library staff who work directly with users, whether that is delivering services, helpdesks or buildings. Developed from community feedback, it provides a space to connect with colleagues from other institutions, share best practice and develop skills.

Join our information session to discover how the Frontline Forum can benefit you and your team by:

Fostering a network of peers to share experiences and solutions.

Providing opportunities for professional development, service models and initiatives from ALN.

Offering a supportive environment for open discussions.

Support the development of key skills for colleagues.

This session is an opportunity to learn more about the forum, ask any questions and understand how you and your team can get involved. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

November 2025

Skill Up with ALN – Introduction to Special Collections & Archives
Date: Tuesday 11 November 2025
Time: 2.00 – 3.00pm
Platform: Online via Teams

 

December 2025

Skill Up with ALN — Introduction to Academic Skills
Date: Monday 8 December 2025
Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm
Platform: Online via Teams

 

May 2026

Systematic Review Event (sponsored by Covidence)
Date: Thursday 14 May 2026
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm (TBC)
Location: Newcastle University

We are excited to announce that we are planning on hosting a Systematic Review event, sponsored by Covidence. This event will be an opportunity to share knowledge and network with fellow professionals.

We are currently seeking members who are interested in attending, presenting and/or assisting with its organisation. If you have an interest or knowledge in systematic reviews or related areas, we would love to hear from you.

If you are interested in attending, please complete this online form. If you are interested in presenting or helping to organise the event, please get in touch with Lorna Smith: lorna.smith@ncl.ac.uk.

Initially we will be limiting attendance to two members from each ALN institution.

 

Call for Contributions

Solo specialists/single point of expertise
Date: November 2025 (date TBC)
Time: 90-120 mins TBC
Platform: Online via Teams

We are planning an online event for the middle/end of November 2025 and are looking for people interested in sharing their experiences of being a solo specialist (eg copyright officer, digital preservation manager, RDM advisor, business data analyst etc) in an academic library. We’re interested in hearing from people who have managed to advocate for the support they need, build communities around themselves both within their institution and beyond, or any other advice that could help others in similar positions. We’d also like to hear from managers about their experiences of supporting staff with unique portfolios.

If you would are interested in being involved please fill in this form.

If you have any questions about the event please contact Kate O’Neill or Neil Sprunt. Full details of the event, including how to register to attend, will be announced soon.

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Resource

Did you know that ALN has a Mental Health & Wellbeing Advocacy Resource, packed full of useful information, case studies and links to resources? A project team drawn from across ALN has worked together to create the resource to support library work around mental health and wellbeing. The resource consists of explanatory text and links to resources relating to this emerging agenda and case studies contributed by ALN libraries, so that we can learn from each other. We’d love more people to make use of the resource – and, if you have been working in this area, we would love to add your case study to our collection.

ALN Skill Up Series

New series – Skill Up with ALN!
Have you seen that we introduced a new series last academic year called Skill Up with ALN? These hour long sessions offer an opportunity to learn about different roles and areas of library life and aim to demystify areas of the library service. We already have some topics for the 2024/25 academic year but if you have any ideas, please do share them with us.

ALN SD Offer Infographic

Do you think you know all that ALN offers to support your staff development? Why not check out our Staff Development Infographic to see the full list of activities. Let us know how you got on. Did you get all of them?

Frontline Forum 2025/26

The Frontline Forum is a pilot online discussion and development space for teams working directly with students and users. The forums are an opportunity to share best practice, engage with other ALN activities and learn about different service models and delivery types offered by different universities. The forum is aimed at staff who work on frontline desks and provide the first line of support to students and other library users.

We have run 4 forum sessions over the 2024-25 academic year, in November, January, March and May. We hope you managed to come along to at least one.

We are hoping to run the Frontline Forums again next academic year – the provisional dates (subject to change) are:

• Tuesday 18 November 2025, 10.00 – 11.30
• Thursday 22 January 2026, 2.00 – 3.30
• Wednesday 25 March 2026,  10.00 – 11.30
• Tuesday 2 June 2026, 2.00 – 3.30

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External Events

 

Wider Professionals Talk Series – Prison Libraries
Date: Friday 14 November 2025
Time: 2.00 – 3.00pm

The last of the LIHNN/ CILIP NW Wider Professionals Talks for 2025 will focus on prison librarianship. Pamela Berry (Forest Bank Education Librarian – Justice Services) and Bridget McKeown (Library Manager, HMP Manchester) will talk about their respective roles in prison and justice library services. LIHNN/ CILIP NW have got plans for more sessions in 2026.

 

CDS Survey – AI Applications in Libraries – Bodleian Libraries
The survey is conducted by the Centre for Digital Scholarship at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford is inviting you to participate in an expert survey on AI Applications in Libraries. The results of this research will inform the Bodleian Libraries’ decisions and will also be shared with the wider library community. They are seeking input from library professionals across a wide range of institutions and technical backgrounds. All experiences with Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Language Models (LM) in libraries are valuable—from extensive engagement to no direct experience. They are especially interested in insights into how library professionals are approaching, experiencing, and viewing the application of AI and LMs in conducting, supplementing, or supporting institutional library work. The survey should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, and responses will be anonymised and aggregated before internal analysis. Any published materials will include only anonymised findings, unless explicit consent is obtained separately.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the project researcher, Charlotte Oertel (charlotte.oertel@tss.ox.ac.uk), or Megan Gooch (megan.gooch@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).

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Job Opportunities

Head of Experience and Learning Spaces
Location: Teesside University
Salary: £43,482 – £56,535
Contract: Full time (37 hours) Permanent
Closing date: Wednesday 24 September 2025
Interview date: Friday 24 October 2025

Are you passionate about shaping an outstanding student experience within a vibrant library and student services setting?

Student and Library Services (SLS) are seeking an exceptional leader to take up the role of Head of Experience and Learning Spaces within our newly restructured Learning, Teaching and Research (LTR) Team.

This exciting new role has a specific remit for leading the development and delivery of high quality front of house services and learning spaces, ensuring engagement with the rich service portfolio delivered by our Library and Student Life Service.

As a member of our LTR Extended Leadership Team you will work collectively with our LTR Heads of Service to lead and manage the LTR Team and work closely with wider SLS teams, to proactively achieve University priorities.

 

Library and Learning Adviser
Location: York St John University
Salary: £27,319 to £29,588 per annum pro rata
Closing Date: Thursday 25 September 2025
Interview Date: Thursday 16 October 2025

Introduction to YSJ University

Situated in the heart of the historic city of York, and with the addition of our London Campus, York St John University has a long and proud tradition as a distinguished higher education provider.

Our success is founded on the quality of academic teaching and research, our thriving campus environments, our professional and pastoral support, and our values of an inclusive, innovative and ambitious community with a strong sense of belonging.

The Team

The Library Advice team provide first line library support and signposting to all our customers, including staff and students. Located in the Fountains Learning Centre, the team handles a wide breadth of library and learning queries from a range of sources. Including in person, via telephone and via email.

The role

We are looking for people who are passionate about delivering excellent customer service in a university library setting and who will help us maintain and enhance our high standards of support for students, staff and external users.

In this role, you will be a key part of the front-line team in our library space, helping learners and staff access the resources, spaces, and support they need to succeed. You’ll provide fast, accurate, and friendly assistance with library enquiries, digital systems, and study skills, while also helping to maintain an inclusive and welcoming environment.

You’ll work closely with colleagues to support the day-to-day running of the library, including managing study spaces, maintaining collections, and contributing to learner engagement activities. You’ll also play a role in supporting learners with accessibility needs and ensuring our services are inclusive and responsive.

This is a varied and rewarding role for someone who enjoys working with people, solving problems, and making a positive impact on the student experience.

Library and Learning Advisers also:

answer phone calls and emails
register and maintain library user records
determine priorities of incidents and service requests
assist with issues related to equipment and online resource access for students and staff
assist students with their searches for books, journals, and other resources
assist with maintenance and control of library stock, including shelf checking and shelving
rove the buildings to assist students, staff and other users of the service

The role is:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

10am – 8pm (with 1 hour unpaid break)

Total of 27 hours.

Required skills and experience

The successful candidate will thrive working in fast paced customer focused environment, and will be able to display experience of:

supporting customers with empathy
a desire to provide a continually excellent service
excellent communication and interpersonal skills
experience and familiarity with IT systems
ability to work using own initiative
flexibility to accommodate changing needs
library experience is also a bonus

 

Collections and Engagement Officer
Location: University of Salford
Contract Type: Permanent, Full time
Salary: 33,951 – £37,694
Closing date: Sunday 28 September 2025
Proposed Interview Dates: Friday 10 October 2025

This is an exciting opportunity to join a small but dynamic team who are passionate about contemporary arts and culture and the difference it can make to individuals, communities and society both now and in the future. We’re looking for a self motivated museums professional who cares about maintaining Museums Accreditation and Spectrum standards. With a meticulous eye for detail, you are a team player with excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), and the energy and enthusiasm to see projects through from start to end. You will embrace equity, diversity and inclusion across and enjoy working with artists and audiences from a variety of lived experiences.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the University Curator you will support all aspects of:

Caring for and developing a museum collection including art handling, basic conservation and cleaning, environmental monitoring, art handling, coordinating loans, managing the Art Store facility, maintaining equipment, responding to enquiries, digital preservation
Ensuring administration, data management and reporting are up to date and accurate – records and CMS management, copyright and GDPR, artist files, financial administration, documentation,
Access and Engagement including supporting planning and delivery of exhibitions, events, and student/research visits, and public engagement opportunities

Communications – contribute to development and delivery of interpretation, audience development plans, newsletters, website and social media content and management, and developing our online collection catalogue.

Please note that this opportunity may close earlier than the advertised deadline, should we receive a high volume of applications.

 

Space & Facilities Assistant Grade 3 (Part-time) (2 posts)
Location: University of Liverpool
Salary: £23,061 – £25,804 pa (pro rata)
Closing date: Monday 29 September 2025

It is an exciting time to join Libraries, Museums and Galleries as we are recruiting for our Customer Experience Team in the Libraries.

As Space and Facilities Assistant, you will join a welcoming, high-performing team to provide a customer focused, high-quality service and environment to library users. This is a key, hands-on role undertaking a range of duties to maintain a safe and comfortable environment in our library buildings. You will play an active part in contributing to the development of student focused services and spaces as part of our front-line team.

Responsibilities and duties include:

Provide excellent customer service and support responding to building and maintenance issues from colleagues and library users.
Contribute to the development of all library spaces to enhance the user experience and maintain a safe environment.
Communicate effectively with all colleagues across various shift patterns to ensure a consistent service delivery and a safe working environment and facilities.
Participate in relevant training including Manual Handling, First Aid and Fire Warden responsibilities.
Patrol all public areas of the library to ensure appropriate use of facilities and equipment, follow-up building and maintenance issues and help to maintain a safe, clean and tidy environment.
Monitor the safety of the building and facilities, reporting any health and safety issues.
Act as a point of contact for external contractors to support building works.
Prepare spaces and furniture in preparation for meetings and events.
Respond to and act on fire alarm and exit activations, taking appropriate action.
Carry out fire system tests, maintain fire records and carry out appropriate checks on fire doors, emergency lighting and fire alarms.
Open and close library buildings, when necessary, ensuring appropriate alarm systems are set.
Liaise with other departments and external agencies to help maintain safety and security in library buildings.
Monitor printers / photocopiers responding to any issues including checking stock of paper.

You should have 3 GCSEs at Grade C or above (or equivalent), including English and Maths.

There are two permanent posts available:
– 1 post x 21 hours per week: Sunday – Tuesday 2pm – 10pm
– 1 post x 24 hours per week: Friday – Monday 8am – 3pm

If you thrive on working as part of a team and want to play a key role in delivering a great customer experience, then please apply.

Please state the hours of the role you are interested in being considered for when submitting your application.

 

Library Assistant
Location: Newcastle University
Contract Type: Open Ended, Part Time
Salary: £25,249 to £26,707 per annum (pro rata)
Closing date: Monday 29 September 2025

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

The Role

As a member of the Library’s Customer Services team, to assist in providing high quality information enquiry and circulation services to support University teaching and research, by providing help and advice on a range of library enquiries, registering library users, and issuing smartcards to staff, students and other users of the University Library service.

You will possess a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C or above or equivalent and have an awareness of the use of IT in library services. Possession of a City and Guilds Library Assistant’s Certificate and/or an NVQ Level 2 or equivalent qualification would be desirable.

This post is part time, for 35 hours a week. The usual schedule for this post will be Monday to Friday daytime shifts with one evening until 8 pm. Some weekend and evening work, including bank holidays and University closure days, will be required. You may work at any Library site but you can expect to work mainly between the Philip Robinson and Walton Libraries.

Informal enquiries to Anne Middleton, anne.middleton@ncl.ac.uk, 0191 208 5180

Principal Library Assistant Grade 5 (Part-time)
Location: University of Liverpool
Salary: £29,588 – £33,951 pa (pro-rata)
Closing date: Tuesday 30 September 2025

The University of Liverpool is seeking a pro-active and organised Principal Library Assistant to join our skilled Open Research team. This role is crucial to supporting open access developments and ensuring the accessibility of the Universitys research output.

You will focus on delivering an efficient, high-quality service to both academic and professional services colleagues that enables the most effective use of open access (OA) publishing options.
You will have a strong attention to detail and the ability to record and analyse data to a high degree of accuracy.
Your work will directly enable open access publishing, and the data collected will inform decisions on where best to employ our OA funds.
You will provide support by acting as a point of contact for colleagues across the university for enquiries relating to open access publishing options.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a valued team within Libraries, Museums and Galleries.

The team provide the vital support services that allow our researchers to take advantage of open access publishing.

Working hours: Part time, 17.5 hours per week. The expectation for this role would be to work weekday afternoons with at least 40% on campus.

The final working hours pattern will be finalised with the successful candidate.

You should have a minimum of three GCSE or equivalent qualification, at grade C or above, including English and Maths.

Contact Liz Roberts (Open Access Manager) eroberts@liverpool.ac.uk for more information.

Interviews are anticipated to take place week commencing Monday 20 October 2025, subject to change.

 

Customer Support Advisor 
Location: University of Huddersfield
Salary: Grade 4 (£24,827 – £26,959 per annum)
Contract: Full time, Fixed term for 12 months
Closing date: Tuesday 30 September 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Customer Support Advisor to join our iPoint team which delivers a broad range of first line Student Support and front-line Reception services on a face-to-face basis, via the telephone and electronically.

You will be able to demonstrate experience of dealing with customers in a pressurised environment and a commitment to providing a high standard of customer service.

You will have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade 4/C including English and Mathematics (or equivalent qualification), and you will have good IT skills. You will also be able to work effectively as part of a team and possess good interpersonal and communication skills.

The role requires flexibility and will be required to undertake occasional early morning, evening and weekend duties.

The University is deeply committed to equality and diversity for all its students and staff. We seek to be diverse and inclusive, supporting individuals and groups to fulfil their potential and nurture a sense of belonging. We strive to be an accessible, inclusive employer, removing barriers for all. Find out more about our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, including our commitments and accreditations as a Disability Confident Leader, Stonewall Gold Award holder and Top 100 Employer, Athena SWAN Bronze Award holder and Race Equality Charter Bronze Award holder.

Informal enquiries welcome to Charlotte Bartley, Customer Support Manager, via email: C.Bartley4@hud.ac.uk.

 

Library Services Coordinator
Location: Newcastle University
Contract Type: Open Ended, Part Time
Salary: £27,319 to £28,031 with progression to £29,588 per annum
Closing date: Friday 3 October 2025

The Role
Newcastle University Library is a multiple-award winning service. We are the only University Library in the UK to have received the Charter Mark five times and now hold the Customer Services Excellence award which replaced it. This award illustrates our dedication to delivering a friendly, professional and efficient service to all our customers and putting them at the heart of everything we do.

This will be a place-based role in a busy vibrant campus. You will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality frontline customer focused services across the Library’s extensive opening hours. We are looking for people who can co-ordinate and supervise colleagues as well as take responsibility for the secure operation of our Library services across all library sites.

There are two part-time posts available. Both will require some bank holiday working, and the hours for each post are expected to be as follows:

Post 1 (24 hpw)
Thursday 4 pm – Midnight
Friday 4 pm – Midnight
Saturday 4 pm – Midnight
(Midnight finishes will move forward to 10 pm during some University vacation periods)

Post 2 (24 hpw)
Wednesday 4 pm – Midnight
Thursday 4 pm – Midnight
Friday 4 pm – Midnight
(Midnight finishes will move forward to 10 pm during some University vacation periods)

To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and a letter of application (no more than one page) which outlines your fit for this role and any relevant experience to the key accountabilities listed below. Please note, you are only required to complete the mandatory application fields. In your letter of application, please indicate which post(s) you wish to be considered for.

Any queries, please contact Anne Middleton at Anne.Middleton@newcastle.ac.uk.

 

Information Support Assistant
Location: University of Salford
Contract Type: Permanent, Part time
Salary: £28,031 to £29,588 pro rata
Closing date: Sunday 5 October 2025
Proposed interview dates: Thurs 30 or Fri 31 October 2025

The University of Salford is seeking an exceptional candidate with the skills and personal attributes to deliver excellent customer service as part of the Library Services Team within the Library. This is a customer service–focused role, providing frontline support to library users to ensure they have a positive experience when accessing our spaces, services, and resources. As an Information Support Assistant, your responsibilities will include:

Responding to enquiries including making space bookings, access to print and electronic resources, and the loan and return of library laptops, including signposting users to services and resources provided by teams around the University.
Promoting library services and programmes to service users and assisting with outreach and engagement activities.

You will be expected to:

• Support students on their learning journey and make a difference to their life here at the University of Salford.
• Build relationships with students, anticipating and meeting their needs even where they cannot clearly articulate what these are.
• Be confident in dealing with challenging behaviour including but not limited to, inappropriate language, and non-compliance with library policies and procedures.
• Contribute to creating innovative and inclusive learning spaces that support the evolving ways students learn and are taught, while also taking part in collaborative projects as required.
• Champion equality and diversity by fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for both students and staff, in line with University policy.
• Flexibility and openness to different working patterns is encouraged, as this will support team coverage and service needs.

This is a permanent, part-time post working during term time only (32 weeks per year). The standard working pattern will be Monday to Thursday, 15:00 – 21:00, equating to 21.75 hours per week.

If you’ve got further questions, please contact the hiring managers, Shirley Bong (S.S.S.Bong@salford.ac.uk) or Thomas Edwards (T.Edwards4@salford.ac.uk) for an informal chat.