Staff Development Weekly Update

ALN Staff Development Update #76 – 3 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

Events

Thank you to everyone who contributed, hosted or attended our events in 2024/2025. You support means a lot to us.

We’re busy working on the programme for 2025-26 and will be in touch with further details asap. In the meantime, we have a few dates already pencilled in:

ALN Skill Up Series

New series – Skill Up with ALN!
Have you seen that we have introduced a new series this 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

ALN Conference

Our online day took place on Wednesday 18 June 2025 and our in-person day was on Friday 11 July at the Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Content from the days are still being processed, videos will be available soon from many sessions, as will material from our lovely sponsored place attendees, but slides are available already from our presenters across both days.

We’re already thinking about next year and will return to Manchester for the in-person day, watch out for news soon about dates and themes!

If you have any queries about the conference, please contact alnconferenceteam@gmail.com.

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.

Neurodivergent Library & Information Staff Network

NLISN Workplace Adjustments Event

NLISN are holding an in person event on Monday 6^th October 10-3:30 at Leeds Beckett University on the topic of workplace adjustments for neurodivergent library and information staff.  Speakers come from a range of LIS backgrounds including academic libraries, school libraries, public libraries, and health libraries and recent LIS graduates, as well as also being involved in neurodiversity/accessibility groups and network within their organisations or externally. This is aimed at neurodivergent staff (including self-diagnoses), not neurotypical attendees.

To book your place via Eventbrite at a cost of £25 and to see further information about the event please visit Adjustments in the LIS Workplace for Neurodivergent Staff. The event is taking place in the Library at the Leeds Beckett Headingly campus which is in the James Graham Building, Church Wood Avenue, Leeds, LS6 3HF.

NLISN neurodivergent library staff survey
The neurodivergent library and information staff network (NLISN) is undertaking a survey to gauge the representation of neurodivergent staff within Higher Education library workplaces. If you are neurodivergent (with official- OR self-diagnosis) could you fill in this survey to help the network chairs find out more? It contains 10 tick-box questions and should take around 10 minutes to complete – (anonymous) results are expected to be available later this year. If you have any questions about this survey, please email  j.fitzpatrick2@lancaster.ac.uk. 

SCONUL Initiatives

Directors’ and deputy directors’ groups for neurodivergent members
SCONUL has established a new directors group and a new deputy directors group for those in these roles who are neurodivergent. These groups are self organising and self-directed and the aim is to provide a forum to share experiences and approaches as required. As for other SCONUL deputy director groups, this group is open to any members of a library’s leadership team. A mailing list has been set up for each. If you would like to subscribe to either list please do contact SitMui Ng at sitmui.ng@sconul.ac.uk. Membership of the lists is treated as fully confidential.

The modern library – technology-enhanced library spaces
SCONUL has launched a collection of case studies showcasing technology-enabled library spaces across the UK and Ireland. The spaces highlighted are innovative in design and execution, providing access to the latest equipment, hardware and software including green screens, 3D printing, photogrammetry and AR and VR equipment within media labs and makerspaces. The development of these spaces is aligned to the pedagogical mission of the host institutions, providing new approaches to knowledge creation, nurturing creativity, supporting the digital humanities, and fostering the development of digital literacy skills to support studies, research and future employability. The case studies were commissioned by the SCONUL Technology and Markets Group as part of its mission to develop and articulate a shared understanding of the development of library infrastructure with the library community and stakeholders based on member needs. It is hoped that the spaces highlighted will provide inspiration to those within and beyond the library community to consider supporting the development of such spaces to maximise the value that the library can bring to the life of the institution.

Job Opportunities

Head Of Library Content Services – Grade 8
Location: University of Liverpool
Salary: £47,389 – £59,966 pa
Closing date: Extended to 12th September 2025 

This is an exciting time to join Libraries, Museums and Galleries at the University of Liverpool. Welcoming over 1.5 million student visits to our libraries every academic year, our services and collections are well regarded, and our libraries are consistently rated amongst the highest in the Russell group in the National Student Survey.

Our departmental strategic plan, Reimagining Libraries, Museums and Galleries, sets out a bold vision for how we will build on our strengths and deliver excellent information, learning and cultural services to support the University’s Liverpool 2031 strategy. The efficient and effective supply of world leading research and learning content is integral to this mission, and the Head of Library Content Services will play a key role in realising our ambitions as educational and research infrastructure.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Research, Collections and Discovery, you will develop and lead content strategy and supporting activity and services across the department as we strive to deliver our strategic plan. As a senior manager, you will bring your expertise and energy to the department and actively contribute to departmental-wide discussions and decision making as member of its Senior Leadership Network. You will ensure that content and supporting services are managed and delivered in a timely and efficient manner in line with University policies, and to enable our teaching and research ambitions as an institution.

To perform this role, you will need to have experience and knowledge of:

Working in a Research Library or Information Institution
Content acquisitions, subscriptions and resource sharing

You should have a degree (or equivalent qualification) or significant relevant experience.
Interviews are anticipated to be held week commencing Monday 22 September.

Acquisitions and Digital Content Manager 
Location: Liverpool Hope University
Contract: Permanent, full time
Salary: £38,249 – £45,413 (Grade 7) per annum
Closing Date: Monday 15th September 2025 by 5.00 p.m.

Liverpool Hope University is seeking to appoint an Acquisitions and Digital Content Manager to join our Library Services team.

This role reports to the Head of Library Services and leads a team responsible for provision of Library content in all formats, working closely with a large number of external suppliers and the University Finance Office. You will also lead on collection, interpretation and reporting of analytics which drive our decision making on our collections. As a senior manager in the Library team you will also be expected to lead Library wide projects and initiatives which support the Library and University goals.

The successful candidate will have excellent management, IT and financial skills with strong detail orientation. In addition, we are looking for a confident communicator with a customer focused attitude.

You will be joining a university that takes pride in its values-driven approach and dedication to providing a high-quality student experience. At Liverpool Hope University, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse community where everyone is valued and supported. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

This post is based at The Sheppard-Worlock Library at Hope Park, but you may be required to work at different sites.

Following shortlisting, interviews are expected to take place at the end of September 2025.

Please note that applications will be capped at 40 and this advert may close earlier than the advertised date, i.e. once 40 applications are received.

This post is permanent, subject to the 12-month probationary period.