Staff Development Weekly Update
ALN Staff Development Update #54 – 15 January 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
Events
January 2025
Transforming Library Spaces: a journey through User Experience and Impact
Hosts: ALN UX CoP, Learning Spaces SIG and Service Engagement & Impact SIG
Date: Thursday 23 January 2025, 10.00-4.00
Format: Online via Teams
Please note: registration closes on Wednesday 15.01.25 at 4pm
Frontline Forum 2: Handling frontline enquiries
Date: Wednesday 29 January 2025, 2.30-4.00
Format: Online via Teams
See below for further info
February 2025
ALN Innovation Fund 2024 Celebration
Hosts: ALN EDI Action Group
Date: Thursday 6 February 2025, 10.00-11.30
Format: Online via Teams
Skill up with ALN! - An Introduction to Partnerships Work
Hosts: Partnership Development CoP Co-Chairs
Date: Thursday 13 February 2025
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am
This is the first in our new series 'Skill up with ALN' - look out for further events coming soon.
The library and wellbeing
Hosts: ALN Mental Health & Wellbeing Advocacy Resource team
Date: Tuesday 18th February 2025
Time: 12.00 noon - 1.30pm
See below call for contributions
March 2025
** New ** Skill up with ALN - Introduction to Research Support
Hosts: Research Support Group Co-Chairs
Date: Tuesday 4 March 2025
Time: 11.00 - 12.00
This is the second in our new series 'Skill up with ALN' - look out for further events coming soon.
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Call for Contributions
The library and wellbeing event
It is a difficult time for higher education. It is stressful for everyone. Libraries continue to play a key role in promoting wellbeing and mental health, for both students at staff.
Could you contribute?
Are you doing something novel or very successful to promote mental health and wellbeing? Could you share your experience with the wider ALN community? You can choose to speak about your experiences however suits you best - with slides or without, for 5 mins or 20 etc.
Please get in touch with the group, outlining your contribution idea, via academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk.
Who is the event aimed at?
It will be of interest to all staff with an interest in or responsibility for mental health and wellbeing.
The event will be recorded (with the permission of our speakers) so if you are interested but can't attend on the day, please register and we will make sure you receive the recording.
You can find more information about the ALN Mental Health & Wellbeing Advocacy Resource here:
https://www.academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/mental-health-wellbeing-advocacy-resource
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ALN Frontline Forum 2
The Frontline Forum is a new online discussion and development space for teams working directly with students and users. The forums will be 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 second Frontline Forum will be held online on Wednesday 29 January 2025, 2.30-4.00. Register for your place here. The theme of this forum will be Handling frontline enquiries, with the following discussion ideas for you to think about:
- How does your university deliver frontline services?
- What do you include as part of your frontline service?
- When do you offer services?
- Where do you offer from physically and online?
There is no limit to the number of staff from your institution who can attend the forum. You can all sit in one room and join the Teams meeting together or you can be in separate spaces - it's your choice entirely. We would appreciate it if everyone would register though, so we can ensure you all have the joining links.
There is more information on the plan for the afternoon on the booking page and you can find a list of FAQs on our Frontline Forum page on the ALN website. If you can't find the answer to your question, please get in touch - academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk.
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Job Opportunities
Learning Developer
Location: University of Manchester
Salary: £36,924 to £45,163 per annum, depending on relevant experience
Employment type: Permanent
Closing Date: Thursday 16 January 2025
The University of Manchester Library is one of only five National Research Libraries and the third largest academic library in the UK. Our vast and rich collections (both print and digital) help us to deliver a world class library and information service for the University of Manchester. We sit at the heart of the University experience for both learning and research and are fully committed to widening access to our expertise, collections and services to individual researchers, local schools, and others in the community.
A key role of the Library is supporting students and staff at the University of Manchester and in the wider community to access, analyse and explore its collections, resources and expertise. The Teaching, Learning and Students team leads the way on Library teaching activity and student support and is the home of the My Learning Essentials, Specialist Library Support and Widening Access programmes. The TLS team is part of the Directorate for Education, Experience and Strategic Insights and works closely with colleagues in Customer Services and Engagement, in addition to teaching staff throughout the Library and University.
We are looking to appoint a Learning Developer to work within the TLS team. This post focuses on teaching and student support, with an emphasis on academic and information literacy skills. Any successful applicant for the post will be expected to evidence and demonstrate their ability to teach, develop teaching materials and work as part of a collective and collaborative culture, using our inclusive and accessible guidance and teaching and learning principles.
Information Assistant
Location: University of York
Salary: £25,138 - £27,181 per year
Grade: Grade 3
Closing Date: Friday 17 January 2025
The Library is seeking to recruit 3 Information Assistants to join its Customer Services and Content & Open Research teams. The Customer Services team is responsible for the daily operational delivery of the Library’s core frontline services, and our Help Desk offers support in person and virtually for library and IT queries. The Content & Open Research team is responsible for the acquisition and ongoing management of information resources and library collections, and for supporting researchers to make their research outputs as visible and openly available as possible.
The Library’s core values of customer focus, collaboration and continuous improvement are central to our supportive and empowering working culture, and we take great pride in the high quality services we deliver to our user communities.
Roles are available as follows:
We have 1 x full-time Information Assistant role available that will work across both Content & Open Research and Customer Services.
We also have 2 x part-time (4 days per week) roles available that will work solely in Customer Services.
All roles involve supporting the delivery of services within a busy, fast-paced and continually changing working environment, through a range of administrative tasks.
Information Assistant
Location: Leeds Trinity University, City Campus
Grade/Salary: Grade 3 - £21,899 - £23,581 per annum
Hours: Part-time (35 hours per week during 31 core weeks)
Closing Date: Sunday 19 January 2025
Interview dates: Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 February 2025
Leeds Trinity University Library is a dynamic and successful service, underpinned by a strong emphasis on supporting our users. In an exciting development, the Library at our new Leeds City Campus opened in Autumn 2024, complementing our existing facility at the Horsforth Campus.
This role is primarily based at the Leeds City Campus, where you will join our friendly team, but you may also be required to work at our Horsforth Campus. Reporting to the City Campus Library Manager & Liaison Librarian, the successful candidate will help to provide an effective Helpdesk service for Library users and to maintain support services essential for the day-to-day running of the Library.
They will provide a first line enquiry service via the Library Helpdesk, carry out circulation duties and shelving and shelf tidying tasks.
Applicants must have experience of providing service to users/customers, along with a good knowledge of Microsoft Office software. Previous recent experience of working in a library or information service, and of using a Library management system is desirable. Excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills are essential, as is accuracy and attention to detail.
Please send any informal enquiries to Sarah Dockray, City Campus Library Manager & Liaison Librarian - s.dockray@leedstrinity.ac.uk
Customer Service Team Leader (Evenings)
Location: University of Salford
Salary: £32,296 - £36,924
Employment type: Full time, permanent
Closing Date: Sunday 26 January 2025
The Library is a central location on campus as a student space and information service. We meet the demand from students by continuously improving our service – creating a student-led, vibrant, and engaging campus experience.
Student experience is at the heart of our work and we make every effort to drive this in a creative, flexible and innovative way, whilst anticipating, engaging and responding to the needs of our diverse student community.
The team provide high-quality learning spaces and excellent frontline support to students, aiming to create a sense of belonging at the University. We make every contact count: finding the right answers, connecting students to different services, and look for the best solutions to problems. We now wish to appoint a Team Leader who will strengthen our team .The skills and competencies required include exemplary supervisory and team working skills and the ability to work flexibly and effectively with key delivery partners.
The regular shift for this role is Monday - Friday, 1pm - 9pm, flexibility will be required in line with service requirements. This may require flexing to work the day shift or weekends.
Please contact the hiring manager with any questions, Jenni Roebuck - J.Roebuck@salford.ac.uk.
Customer Experience Manager - Service Excellence (Grade 7)
Location: University of Liverpool
Grade/Salary: Grade 7 - £39,105 - £45,163 pa
Employment type: Full time (35 hours per week), permanent
Closing Date: Tuesday 28 January 2025
This key role will oversee library services across multiple sites, ensuring consistent service delivery and excellent experiences for all users. You will lead a team of talented Customer Experience colleagues, and working alongside other managers, you will report to the Head of Customer Experience. You will have proven experience in service delivery environments, strong line management skills, and excellent communication abilities.
A degree or equivalent qualification, or relevant professional experience is required, alongside proficiency in IT applications. Alongside strong interpersonal skills, your expertise in data analysis and user feedback will drive informed decision-making.
Interviews are anticipated to take place week commencing 17th February 2025.
Leeds Presence Programme Support
Location: British Library (Leeds)
Salary: £24,413 per annum
Employment type: Full time – Fixed term until 31/03/2026
Closing Date: Friday 31 January 2025
Join our small team working to create a new home for the British Library in the heart of Leeds. The Leeds Presence programme will transform the Library’s impact in the North, opening-up our world-class resources to more people than ever before. Making an open, welcoming hub where people and ideas flow freely. A place for progress and creativity where anyone can connect with their heritage, with culture and with each other.
We’re looking for someone with practical experience of project delivery, who’s looking to expand their professional experience by supporting this capital project. You’ll have excellent organisation and communication skills, with the ability to work across a wide variety of stakeholders. In this wide-reaching role you’ll use your outstanding analytical, planning and organisational skills to provide high-level administrative support across the programme – tracking progress, maintaining documentation, managing risk reporting, and authoring reports to ensure effective governance. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop a wide range of skills, while delivering transformational change for the Library and the city of Leeds.
Director of Cultural Collections and Curatorial Practice
Location: University of Leeds
Salary: £69,757 to £83,079
Employment type: Full time
Closing Date: Friday 14 February 2025
The University of Leeds Libraries’ Cultural Collections are of international quality and underpin a wide range of teaching, research, and engagement activities across many disciplines. This is an opportunity for an exceptional individual to join the Library’s Executive Team to ensure the Collections contribute even more to the intellectual life of the Campus and help deliver the ambitious vision; Knowledge for all.
Recent major investments in physical spaces and digital infrastructure supports the University of Leeds Libraries’ ongoing journey to being globally significant, and the Cultural Collections are key to this. The approach to curatorial practice is modern and wide-ranging. It engages new audiences in collection and exhibition-based curation and is highlighted by impactful physical and digital spaces including two on-campus galleries and the Brotherton Research Centre.
The role of Director of Cultural Collections and Curatorial Practice also contributes to a shift that is positioning the Libraries as beacons of innovation and inclusivity. Therefore, the post-holder will lead staff to motivate and enable the achievement of their full potential and deliver against the Libraries’ vision and forward plans. This requires further development of ambitious strategic and operational goals, the capture of external funding and raising Cultural Collections’ profile through public engagement.
University of Leeds Libraries are seeking to appoint an accomplished senior leader who is comfortable operating in complex environments. They will have a strong understanding of the dynamics of managing a diverse Cultural Collection that has a public interface and demonstrating the impact it creates. This will include enhancement via acquisition (whether by purchase or gift), interpretation, teaching, research, partnerships, and engagement. This will be accompanied by sound communication skills, a demonstrable commitment to the University of Leeds’ values and the promotion/advancement of equity, diversity and inclusion.