Staff Development Weekly Update

ALN Staff Development Update #90 – 11 February 2026

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

ALN Events

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

March 2026

** New ** EDInspiration – Be inspired by ALN EDI Innovation Fund Projects
Hosted by: EDI Action Group
Date: Thursday 5 March 2026
Time: 2.00 – 3.30pm
Platform: Online via Teams

Introduction to Critical Appraisal for Librarians
Hosted by: Leeds Trinity University 
Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026
Time: 10.00 – 12.30pm (followed by optional LTU tour and lunch)
Location: Leeds Trinity University

** New ** ALN EDI Ideas Bazaar
Hosted by: EDI Action Group
Date: Tuesday 17 March 2026
Time: 11.00 – 12.00pm
Platform: Online via Teams

** Change of date ** Exploring personal and team resilience 
Hosted by: Lancaster & LJMU 
Date: Thursday 19 March 2026
Time: 10.00 – 12.30pm
Platform: Online via Teams
If you booked onto the original date and can still attend the new date, you don’t need to
do anything! Your booking will automatically transferred.

May 2026

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

Call for Contributions

** New ** ALN Data Showcase
Hosted by: Service Engagement & Impact Group
Date: June TBC
Time: 10.00 – 3.00pm
Platform: Online via Teams

This event will be an opportunity to showcase what people are doing with data collection, data handling, data analysis and dashboards, sharing best practice, outlining how they handle a data problem, how they engage with data and the impact of it.

• Format: Lightning talks and case studies from member institutions.
• Aim: To share practical solutions and highlight the small actions that have had a big impact!

If you feel you have something to contribute to the event, please get in touch: academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk. We’ll confirm the date of the event as soon as possible.

** New ** Setting up EDI Working Groups
Hosted by: ALN EDI Action Group
Date: Thursday 25 June 2026
Time: TBC
Platform: Online via Teams

We are hoping that this event will provide you with the opportunity to hear the experiences of colleagues in other ALN institutions who have set up EDI Working Groups at their home libraries. They will share the good, the bad and the ugly of creating and maintaining these groups.

We’re likely to have 3 or 4 short presentations and an opportunity for Q&A/group discussions.

Please contact us at academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk if you could contribute your experiences to the event – we’d love to hear from you!

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 have already run two sessions this year and have some more topic ideas 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

Our next forum of 2025/26 is taking place on Wednesday 25 March 2026, 10.00 – 11.30am. We will confirm the theme and how you can get involved as soon as we can.

About the Forum

The Frontline Forum is an 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.

The provisional date for the rest of the year are as follows and we’ll be confirming the topic in the weeks leading up to it:

• Tuesday 2 June 2026, 2.00 – 3.30

ALN Conference 2026

Our Call for Papers is now open! The deadline for submissions is Friday 13 March 2026. Find out more information on the submission process and how we can help support you through it on the conference webpage.

The theme of our conference is ‘Reimagining Openness in Academic Libraries’ and will be looking at what “open” really means in academic libraries today.

Dates for your diary:

Online Day – Wednesday 24 June 2026 – we’re delighted to announce that Professor Stephen Pinfield, Professor of Information Services Management at the University of Sheffield, will be our keynote speaker at our online day.

In-person Day – Monday 6 July 2026 (Dalton Building, Manchester Metropolitan University) – we’re also delighted to announce that Caroline Ball, Community Engagement Lead for the Open Book Collective (OBC), will be our keynote speaker at our in-person day.

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

ALN EDI Innovation Fund 2026

We will be launching our EDI Innovation Fund for 2026 soon so, in the meantime, get your thinking caps on for a potential project for which you could apply for funding.

The fund aims to provide small grants to ALN institutions (up to a max of £1000) to support a project, event or activity which will improve, enhance or develop approaches to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

Bids should ideally be submitted in collaboration with another ALN member or ALN group, to help support the collaborative ethos of ALN. Lone bids are also welcome if valid justifications or evidence attesting to their relevance to the ALN EDI mission can be provided.

Timeline 2026 

We will be opening the application process soon. These are the provisional dates for 2026:

• EDInspiration Event (sharing and celebrating 2025 projects): Thursday 5 March 2026, 2.00 – 3.30pm
• Ideas Bazaar (bring your ideas and find a collaboration partner): Tuesday 17 March 2026, 11.00 – 12.00
• Deadline for bids: Thursday 2 April 2026
• Successful bids informed by: Friday 24 April 2026
• Projects start: May 2026
• Projects duration: 9-12 months

Successful projects will be expected to share information about their projects at the end of the project period in the form of, for example, a report, a conference presentation or an online resource. We run an event at the end of the projects to celebrate the successes, share information on the type of projects that were funded and to give inspiration to those hoping for funding for their project.

Criteria for funding

The following criteria are used to assess the bids:

• Is it a collaborative project including 2 or more ALN members? Or does it outline how the work of the project will enable collaboration?
• Does it outline what the expected impact of the project will be?
• Does it demonstrate how the outputs and learning of the project will be shared and disseminated across the breadth of the ALN community, e.g. a conference presentation, an online resource etc?
• Are the costs of the project up to £1000 and does it outline how the money will be spent?

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.

To mark Blue Monday the team from the ALN Mental Health and Wellbeing Resource ran an event to discuss how libraries can best support student and staff wellbeing.

Two presentations kicked off the discussions – click on the links below:

• Rebecca Humphreys talked about her study of wellbeing collections.
• Rachel Huskisson reported on her survey of FE college provision.

External Opportunities

Controlled Digital Lending webinar
Date: 12 February 2026
Join colleagues from SCONUL, RLUK and Jisc to find out how controlled digital lending can support access to content not otherwise available in digital format, enabling libraries to provide accessible and inclusive readings to students, provide remote access to special collections or to supply out of commerce works. The session will hear from Jane Secker and Chris Morrison, authors of the report Controlled digital lending in UK higher education: a landscape review which offers a follow-up to the briefing paper published by Jisc, SCONUL and RLUK in 2024 Controlled digital lending (CDL) in UK higher education: a Jisc briefing for libraries. The webinar will take place on Zoom.

Information Literacy Group New Professionals Committee – Randomised Coffee Trials

In January 2026, the Information Literacy Group New Professionals Committee is launching another Randomised Coffee Trial for new professionals to meet and share Information Literacy experiences. This is available for any current students or recent graduates of library courses, apprenticeships or anyone new to a Library job (less than 5 years experience) in all library sectors.

What is a Randomised Coffee Trial?
A Randomised Coffee Trial is a way of meeting new people and networking in an informal way through a 1-1 or a small group. You’ll be matched with someone else from a different sector to arrange a virtual catch up at a time to suit you both. There will be some ‘conversation starters’ provided as well as some guidance but you can discuss whatever you want – the point is to share experiences, views on information literacy and get to know each other better.

Why should I sign up?
If you’re new to the library profession, this is a perfect way of meeting others who are in the same boat as you. You can share experiences, learn about different sectors and receive support. People who have attended a Randomised Coffee Trial before have enjoyed meeting new people and have been able to share ideas and best practice that they can take back to their organisation.

You can sign up by filling in this form by 14 February 2026. You’ll then be informed who your RCT partner is and how to take part at the beginning of March. If you’d like to hear more about the upcoming events and projects by the ILG’s sub-committee for new professionals please sign up for the newsletter or contact ilgnewprof@googlemail.com.

Open Research Week 2026
Date: Monday 2 to Friday 6 March 2026
The schedule and registration for Open Research Week 2026 has been announced. Open Research Week is a series of events that discusses new, developing and current practice in all things Open Research. It is organised by Edge Hill University, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Essex. All events are free, and you can register for each one individually. All sessions (except the Friday Fika) will be recorded, so if you cannot attend, please sign up and these recordings will be sent out in due course. As a specific call to action, please feel free to share with your colleagues, contacts and comrades that are interested in Open Research. All are welcome.

The organising group would like to thank all speakers for sharing their time and expertise as part of Open Research Week 2026, in particular, colleagues from the University of Leeds/ALN who will be joining for a discussion on global knowledge in one of Thursday’s sessions and colleagues from the University of Manchester and their Open Research Days last summer that inspired an invite to Wednesday’s talk! You can see a list of the events here.

OBC Collective Development Fund Grant Programme: 2026 Call & Guidance
Deadline for submissions: Saturday 7 March 2026
Apply now! The Open Book Collective has opened their Collection Development Fund for new applications. The fund is open to applications that will:
• Create and support infrastructures and/or workflows for the distribution, cataloguing and/or preservation of OA scholarly books
• Build and sustain networks and advocacy for the support of OA scholarly books and infrastructure
• Build capacity for scholarly OA book publishing
More detail, including keys dates, application form and templates, is available on the OBC website. Details about how to book to attend the conference will be available in due course. If you have any queries, please email cilip.northeast@gmail.com.

AI Skills for Librarians: the journey from AI literacy to AI fluency webinar 
Date: Friday 13 March 2026, 1.30pm to 3.00pm
SCONUL’s AI working group is hosting a webinar looking at skills and competencies for library teams working on the adoption, integration, and development of AI tools. We will be exploring core competencies for the library teams and discussing how we can support our teams to move from being AI literate to AI fluent. We will be joined by Jason Coleman, Academic Services Librarian at Kansas State University and Keven Jeffrey, Librarian at Kansas State University, who co-chaired the ACRL AI Competencies for Library Workers Task Force which has produced an insightful and helpful guide into AI competencies: https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ai focused on library teams.

Sponsored Places for UKSG Annual Conference
Date: Monday 30 March – Wednesday 1 April 2026
UKSG is offering ten free places to attend the UKSG Annual Conference and Exhibition in Glasgow, United Kingdom . These awards cover the cost of attendance at the conference, including all meals, entertainment and accommodation.

Those who can apply include:

• Early career practitioners with up to five years’ experience in any sector of the scholarly information community. (We will also consider applications where an applicant’s career has changed significantly.)
• Individuals who identify as having a voice or perspective that is underrepresented within the sector. This underrepresentation may be experienced within a local context (at your organisation) or be more pervasive within the scholarly information community.
• Individuals from the scholarly information community who have not attended the UKSG conference before.

UKSG Annual Conference is a key meeting, benefits of attending include: learning about the newest developments in scholarly communications from librarians, publishers and intermediaries. discovering some of the latest products and services available to information professionals networking and sharing experiences with colleagues from the global scholarly communications sector and participating in social events, from the “Newcomers Reception” to the Conference Dinner.

Job Opportunities

LIS Customer Services Team Leader – Warrington 
Location: University of Chester
Salary: £28,778 to £31,236
Post Type: Full Time; Fixed Term until 31 July 2027
Closing Date: Thursday 12 February 2026

Are you passionate about delivering outstanding customer service and enhancing the student experience? We’re looking for a proactive and people‑focused Customer Services Team Leader to play a key role within Learning and Information Services (LIS) at the University of Chester.

In this dynamic role, you’ll have line management responsibilities and ensure excellent service delivery across all LIS touchpoints in Warrington. From supporting our 24/7 learning and IT spaces to coordinating staffing and day‑to‑day operations, you’ll help keep our facilities running smoothly seven days a week.

Working closely with the LIS Operational Lead (Student Experience), you’ll contribute to service improvements, gather user insights, and help shape welcoming, accessible and engaging library environments. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across multiple sites to support projects, enhance space usage, and champion student‑centred developments.

If you thrive in a busy environment, enjoy problem‑solving, and want to make a real impact on the student experience, this is the role for you. Occasional travel across university sites is required. This is a fixed term role of 24 months.

Join us and help deliver the exceptional service our students and staff deserve.

Library Support Assistant (Two Year Fixed Term, Grade 4)
Location: University of Liverpool
Salary: £25,804 – £28,788 pa
Closing Date: Friday 13 February 2026

This role is offered on a two-year fixed term basis. It will be based in the Sydney Jones Library, hybrid working arrangements also available.

You will play a vital role in the day-to-day operational effectiveness of the Libraries, Museums and Galleries (LMG) department, acting as a frontline contact for the department. You will provide support to colleagues, students and external stakeholders, and ensuring provision of financial and administrative services.

About you
We are seeking a Library Support Assistant, with an enthusiastic approach to work who is supportive and open to working with others to join a busy team overseeing the day-to-day operations of Libraries, Museums and Galleries. As a member of the LMG Planning and Resources team, you will engage in operational support to five other teams within the department (Customer Experience, Heritage, Learning Development and Academic Liaison, and Research, Content and Discovery), providing customer service, collating records and producing reports.

You will have:
Experience using initiative to identify problems and propose solutions, utilising dedicated IT systems
Outstanding organisational and prioritising skills
The ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders at all levels
Three GCSEs at Grade C or above (or equivalent) including English and maths, and/or evidence of continually developing personal and professional skills and knowledge

Interviews are anticipated to take place in February 2026, subject to change.

Director of Academic Services and Libraries (University Librarian) 
Location: Newcastle University
Contract Type: Open Ended, Full Time
Closing Date: Sunday 15 February 2026

Newcastle University is seeking an outstanding leader to join our Professional Services Leadership Team as Director of Academic Services and Libraries.

This is a pivotal senior role at the heart of the University, providing strategic and operational leadership for Library and Academic Services in support of education, research, engagement and the wider student experience. Leading a directorate of around 200 colleagues, the successful candidate will champion a positive, inclusive and student-centred service culture, delivering world-class information resources, distinctive special collections and archives, and expert support for academic and digital literacies.

Reporting to the Registrar, you will shape and deliver a compelling vision for the future of library and academic services, aligned to the University’s strategy for Next Generation Newcastle. You will lead our response to rapid digital change, advance open research and educational innovation, and ensure services remain agile, sustainable and future-focused. Working closely with academic and professional services colleagues, you will influence University strategy, foster strong partnerships, and represent Newcastle regionally, nationally and internationally.

We are looking for an experienced, credible leader with a strong track record of strategic delivery, collaborative working and inclusive people leadership, who is motivated by the opportunity to shape services that enable excellence and have lasting impact.

This appointment follows the forthcoming retirement of Jill Taylor-Roe and offers a rare opportunity to lead and further strengthen a highly regarded service at a research-intensive, globally connected university.

For an informal conversation in relation to this role please reach out to Colin Campbell, Registrar. Colin.campbell@newcastle.ac.uk or Jill Taylor-Roe, Director of Academic Services & University Librarian. jill.taylor-roe@newcastle.ac.uk.

Assessments and interviews will be held early March 2026.

Digital Experience Developer
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Salary: Grade 6 (£39,906 – £44,746)
Closing Date: Monday 16 February 2026

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to work with a range of university technologies and technology professionals? Have you got experience of Higher Education learning, library and research environments, including the technologies that underpin them?

Leeds Beckett University is seeking an enthusiastic, proactive, and motivated individual to work as a Digital Experience Developer within our Digital Experience Team, part of Library and Learning Services.

You’ll primarily develop software solutions for a range of learning, library and research technologies in alignment with University need. You’ll manage projects involving these developments, and develop relevant training sessions and guidance materials.

The successful candidate will: be a team player with an understanding of the higher education environment; be expert in using, supporting and developing relevant technologies; possess excellent customer service, problem-solving and communication skills; have experience of project management, delivering training and developing complementary training materials.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to help us make learning and research easier and more impactful by working both independently and collaboratively in a friendly, supportive team. As a valued member of the team, we would support your professional development.

If this sounds like the job for you, please read the application guidance and apply online.

The role holder will work at both Headingley and City Campuses, and this role is suitable for a mixture of on campus and hybrid working. Working arrangements are dependent on the job role, team and University requirements and will be discussed with candidates at interview.

To arrange an informal discussion about this post, please contact Debbie Morris at d.morris@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Information Advisory Service and Skills Coordinator
Location: University of Sheffield
Contract Type: Permanent, Part Time (On site)
Salary: £27,319 – £31,236
Closing Date: Monday 16 February 2026

Reporting to the Library Services Manager, and deputising for them where appropriate, this role will see you playing a significant role in the development and management of library services, while still being a key part in their practical delivery. You will provide senior support to staff working on service points, resolving customer queries, helping users access our physical and digital collections, support the use of library and university systems, and provide user education on areas such as information literacy wherever possible. You will plan staffing schedules, lead on service delivery and suggest and implement service improvements.

Main duties and responsibilities

Coordinate the provision of high-quality information advice services to library customers resolving a broad range of library enquiries both face to face and remotely (via email, chat, phone and text) through participation in service rotas across staffed service hours.

Use the library management system and other library systems to assign work across the team, overcoming any technical issues and liaising with other library sites to ensure that staffing resources are deployed effectively and that all rotas are covered.

Coordinate the organisation of day-to-day services, which may include stock retrieval, customer contact, quality assurance and UX data gathering provision.

Coordinate an area of work for your library site/team. This might include a physical service, such as inter-library fulfilment, requests, overdues etc. or an area of our digital offer, such as the development and maintenance of Library Help FAQs. Research new ways of delivering these services and make recommendations.

Manage a team of Library Shelvers, General Assistants, Information Assistants and Information Advisors. Monitor and review individual and team progress and performance, motivating and supporting staff to meet their objectives.

Support and advise Virtual Advisory and Help Service staff dealing with complex enquiries via email, chat, phone, text and social media.

Deliver Induction sessions, face to face and online, to students of all levels.

Liaise with specialist teams to raise and resolve issues, identify where long-term resolutions may be needed to support specific enquiries and disseminate this to appropriate teams.

Promote inclusive learning consistently across the library, working with LIAT colleagues and other library teams to share examples of best practice.

Demonstrate a commitment to continuing personal development, including development of specialist skills and knowledge required due to changes in any particular service/subject area.

You will be contracted to work 5 days in 7 on a shift basis that will include weekend and evening working. This will involve supporting University Open Days and other library events to promote the University, as required.

As a member of our Professional staff, you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to the professional behaviours set out in the Sheffield Professional Framework.

Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Digital Experience Developer
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Grade/Salary: Grade 6/£39,906 – £44,746
Closing Date: Monday 16 February 2026

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to work with a range of university technologies and technology professionals? Have you got experience of Higher Education learning, library and research environments, including the technologies that underpin them?

Leeds Beckett University is seeking an enthusiastic, proactive, and motivated individual to work as a Digital Experience Developer within our Digital Experience Team, part of Library and Learning Services.

You’ll primarily develop software solutions for a range of learning, library and research technologies in alignment with University need. You’ll manage projects involving these developments, and develop relevant training sessions and guidance materials.

The successful candidate will: be a team player with an understanding of the higher education environment; be expert in using, supporting and developing relevant technologies; possess excellent customer service, problem-solving and communication skills; have experience of project management, delivering training and developing complementary training materials.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to help us make learning and research easier and more impactful by working both independently and collaboratively in a friendly, supportive team. As a valued member of the team, we would support your professional development.

If this sounds like the job for you, please read the application guidance and apply online.

The role holder will work at both Headingley and City Campuses, and this role is suitable for a mixture of on campus and hybrid working. Working arrangements are dependent on the job role, team and University requirements and will be discussed with candidates at interview.

To arrange an informal discussion about this post, please contact Debbie Morris at d.morris@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Academic Skills Advisor (Part-time 0.6FTE)
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Salary: Grade 6 (£39,906 – £44,746 pro rata)
Closing Date: Tuesday 17 February 2026

Are you looking for an opportunity to make a real contribution to student success?

We are looking for an enthusiastic Academic Skills Advisor to join our new Skills Team, providing academic and digital skills support to students at Leeds Beckett University. The Team supports the development of a wide range of academic, information and digital skills and supports students to learn independently, become critical thinkers, develop IT and workplace skills, manage transitions, write assignments, find and use information and data, use AI appropriately and much more.

You will work with students to develop their skills through in-curriculum teaching, creating online learning resources and providing open workshops/webinars and one-to-one appointments. You will build strong partnerships with academic staff in the Schools to integrate academic and digital skills into the curriculum, also advising colleagues University-wide on best practice on these topics.

You should have excellent academic communication skills, the ability to create innovative teaching and learning experiences, both face to face and online, and experience within a Higher Education setting. You should be an excellent team worker, with a willingness to learn new skills and embrace change positively.

This role is campus-based, spending time at both our City and Headingley campuses, with limited home working a possibility.

Open Research Officer (1 x Full time, 1 x 0.5FTE)
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Salary: Grade 4 (£30,378 – £34,610) pro rata for part time
Closing Date: Tuesday 17 February 2026

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to work in library research services; with researchers, library professionals and research technologies? Have you got experience of Higher Education research and library environments, including the principles, technologies and processes that underpin them?

Leeds Beckett University is seeking enthusiastic, proactive, and motivated individuals to work as Open Research Officers within our Open Research Services Team, part of Library and Learning Services.

The team provides a comprehensive support service for the Library research services offering. You’ll respond to researchers’ queries, develop a range of guidance materials, participate in project work, assist with communications and training delivery, and support research workflows including Open Access, publishing outputs, electronic theses (eTheses) and REF (Research Excellent Framework) requirements.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to enhance your existing skills and to develop new skills by working both independently and collaboratively in a friendly, supportive team. As a valued member of the team, we would support your professional development.

The role will be based at Headingley Campus, and the role holder may be required to work at City Campus. This role is suitable for a mixture of on campus and hybrid working. Working arrangements are dependent on the job role, team and University requirements and will be discussed with candidates at interview.

To arrange an informal discussion about this post, please contact Ellie Clement – e.l.clement@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Teaching Collections Team Leader 
Location: University of Manchester
Salary: £32,080 – £36,636
Employment type: Permanent, 35 Hours (1 FTE)
Closing Date: Tuesday 17 February 2026

About the Role

The University of Manchester Library is looking for a Teaching Collections Team Leader to line manage our friendly team and ensure the provision of an efficient and effective service providing reading lists to support our academic staff and students

In this role, you will:

Line manage five Teaching Collections Assistants and one Teaching Collections Coordinator
Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Library to ensure the effective and efficient running of our Reading Lists Online Service
Liaise with external stakeholders to develop our systems
The role offers a mixture of on-campus and remote working with a requirement to work on campus a minimum two days per week.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing team committed to delivering the Library’s Reading List Strategy. You will support the Teaching Collections and eTextbook Programme Manager in the delivery of all services related to the provision of reading list resources.

Other requirements include

Working at any Library site as required
Carrying out such other duties as may reasonably be associated with the grade and a role of this nature
Being flexible in relation to hours of work as may be reasonably requested from time-to-time
For an informal discussion about the role, contact Helen Foster- Teaching Collections and eTextbook Programme Manager helen.foster@manchester.ac.uk.

Library Collections Platform Manager
Location: University of Manchester
Salary: £47,389 – £58,225 per annum
Closing Date: Wednesday 18 February 2026

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.

Are you ready to help us future-ready our digital Library platforms and open our world-class Library collections to researchers, students and the public?

Whilst leading your own team, you will also be collaborating cross-Library to coordinate the continual modernisation of our collection platforms. We can see the way students interact with digital information and Library services is changing. We aim to open up our Library’s teaching, research and special collections; from ancient manuscripts to the latest e-textbook. Can you help us make our platforms interoperable, reliable and a joy to use?

Can you help build the capabilities of Library teams to both understand and leverage AI-related technology as it diffuses across the digital Library?

Libraries are at the centre of the AI-revolution. Researchers, students and staff are using AI-tools in their daily practice, and our Library must adapt to keep pace with the changes. Can you help us responsibly deploy AI-solutions that enable researchers to make new collections-based discoveries and students to interact seamlessly with Library services. Can you help support Library colleagues to develop the skills and capabilities required to navigate our digital ecosystem as AI-features and functionalities are rolled out?

Are you ready to adopt a One University approach to collaboration, building the relationships we need to ensure the library’s digital platforms are secure, scalable and supportive of our Library’s Imagine2030 vision?

Our Library adopts cross-Library working matrices and encourages all colleagues to be ideas-led in their work. Can you build strong working relationships with colleagues across the library, with IT Services and our external partners? You will need to coordinate all parties to develop our Library platforms; from collection management systems to discovery interfaces and onto the emergent platforms and integrations we will need to continually keep our Library at the forefront of outstanding teaching, research and civic engagement.

If the provocations above sound interesting, please have a look at this job description, and apply following the instructions below. You will join the Library’s Directorate of Artificial Intelligence and Ideas Adoption (AIIA), and a supportive directorate management team. The University of Manchester Library has several locations across campus, including the John Rylands Library in central Manchester.

Customer Service Advisor (Full and part time roles available)
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Grade/Salary: Grade 3/£26,093 – £30,378 pro rata for part time
Closing Date: Monday 23 February 2026

If you’re naturally helpful, and have great IT and customer service skills, Library and Learning Services are now recruiting for Customer Service Advisors to join our busy frontline team in helping students get the best results they can. In this rewarding role you’ll be advising students on how to connect to university systems and accounts, use the university’s wifi and how to find the best library resources for their studies. You will also be supporting other services, ensuring that our resources are readily available to borrow, at the time our students need them. You don’t need to have worked in a University before, but you will need experience of advising customers in a busy service environment using your knowledge, ingenuity and IT skills.

There are 4.38 posts available where you will be working across both our City and Headingley Campus Libraries. You will be working a mixture of weekday and weekend hours between 8:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday and between 10:00 and 16:00 at weekends.

Library and Learning Services is a large department with a friendly feel. You’ll be working with people who provide student IT support, develop students’ skills, and who help run the online learning environment, as well as all the other services that you’d expect from a library. In your work, you’ll have opportunities to learn more about how the different teams make a difference to students during their time at Leeds Beckett University.

If you think you fit the bill, please apply by completing the short application form and uploading a CV plus a covering statement stating in no more than two sides how you meet the criteria in the Person Specification & Performance attributes section of the Candidate Pack.

To arrange an informal discussion about this post, please contact Sally Wheeler at S.L.Wheeler@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Learning Space Assistant (2 posts)
Location: University of Sheffield
Contract Type: Permanent, Part Time
Grade/Salary: Grade 3/£23,742 – £24,685
Closing Date: Monday 23 February 2026

Learning Space Assistants act as the first point of contact for library customers either on Welcome or Information desks. Work at these desks could involve responding to customers’ library information and IT enquiries, dealing with borrower account issues, building access or booking enquiries. You will also take on a variety of tasks to support the service, such as helping customers to use the Library’s self-service facilities, issuing requested items, or assisting with the work of the digital commons, plus tasks to support the circulation of library material to customers including: the retrieval of items to fulfil customer requests, and the sorting and shelving of books according to the library classification system.

Main duties and responsibilities

Act as the first point of contact for library customers at desks, whilst out in the library spaces and at open day events. Respond to a large range of library information and IT queries.

Support Library processes including:
Helping customers to use the Library self-service facilities and dealing with overdue or invoiced books
You will handle basic policy issues but refer more complex problems or queries to a more senior member of staff.
Use the library management system and other data storage systems for a wide range of basic tasks to support enquiry and information services. Areas of work may include; supporting memberships, allocating locker keys and the maintenance of customer records, for example resetting passwords.
Manage and monitor the building space and oversee library site safety.
Deal with any low level security issues, referring more serious problems on to the appropriate staff.
Carry out general housekeeping inside and outside the building including:
Facilitating the movement of Library blue boxes to and from different sites.
Move/rearrange furniture as required
Clear and secure the building when necessary
Assist in the carrying out of User Experience research as required, in order to inform service development.
Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Senior Library Assistant (Inter-Library Loans)
Location: Royal Northern College of Music
Salary: £26,093 to £28,778 (actual pro-rata salary £15,655.80 to £17,266.80)
Closing date: Wednesday 4 March 2026 (12 noon)
Interview date: Thursday 19 March 2026

Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is one of the world’s most progressive and dynamic conservatoires, educating musicians to the highest level in an environment that’s creatively stimulating and rich in opportunity. Placed in the Top 5 for music in the QS World University Subject Rankings and rated Gold in all areas of the most recent Teaching Excellence Framework, it is also a vibrant live music venue, offering unparalleled opportunities for students to perform to public audiences and to work alongside professional musicians and visiting artists.

The RNCM’s award-winning Library is looking to recruit to its small, dedicated team a part-time Senior Library Assistant (Inter-Library loans). The main duties for the successful applicant will be managing the RNCM’s Inter-library loan service, staffing the main service point, assisting users with enquiries and helping students with IT and other equipment. An excellent knowledge of classical music (preferably with a formal qualification), good communication, interpersonal and IT skills, as well as the ability to work under pressure, are essential requirements. Experience of working within a library or similar customer-service environment would be advantageous.