Assistant Librarian

Job overview

We are seeking a professionally qualified librarian to join our integrated NHS/University Health Library team. Our team is committed to providing excellent customer service, and we are looking for a flexible and enthusiastic individual to contribute to an effective and responsive library service.

As an Assistant Librarian based at Royal Stoke University Hospital, you will play a key role in supporting NHS staff and students on placement. If you are looking for a challenge, this varied position offers plenty of scope for innovation and development, making it an exciting opportunity for a motivated professional.

This is a part-time role requiring 15 hours per week, with on-site presence at Royal Stoke University Hospital. There may be occasional opportunities for remote working.

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a qualified librarian who has expertise in training and teaching with some previous experience in Health or academic libraries in the UK. The focus of the role will be to:

• Develop and enhance outreach services on-site by proactively marketing and promoting the service and engaging with departments and specialties.
• Deliver inductions and presentations to individuals and staff groups, promoting library services and resources.
• Collaborate with colleagues to design and deliver training sessions on Health Literacy Awareness, search skills, and the use of library resources for NHS staff and students on placement.
• Provide professional assistance to library users, including NHS and university staff and students.
• Support the day-to-day running of the library, ensuring a high standard of service delivery.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to advocate confidently for library services along with strong IT skills and familiarity with library systems and resources. The successful candidate will have a proactive and flexible approach to work demonstrating the ability to collaborate effectively as part of a team as well as work independently using initiative with a willingness to travel to other venues when required.

If you are passionate about delivering high-quality library services and supporting the development of healthcare professionals, we would love to hear from you.

Working for our organisation

We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.

In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co-created by or staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be required to:

• Take a leading role in proactively marketing and promoting the service to current and potential library users; exploiting opportunities to promote and raise the profile of the service outside of library service points to include the development of outreach in clinical and non clinical areas across the Royal Stoke site using a range of communication channels.
• Provide inductions for new library members, students on placement etc. in groups or individually, with support from library assistants.
• Teach library users techniques for effective literature searching using a range of different databases and electronic resources. This includes working with Library Trainers to: plan, design, publicise and deliver training events to small groups and provide ad-hoc training to individuals, face to face or online, in order that NHS staff and students on placement can acquire the independent skills they need to use available electronic journals and databases etc. for healthcare.
• Deliver a national programme of Health Literacy Awareness training to groups of staff from UHNM and partner organisations either online or face to face.
• Provide technical information to users e.g. how to use a variety of electronic journals, training in use of databases & catalogues to include groups or one to one sessions
• Assist with the practical management of the library collections, including evaluation and suggestions for stock, weeding old stock and producing reports and statistics.
• Undertake library front line desk and enquiry duties as required following relevant procedures to support the information needs of NHS staff, students on placement and undergraduate students at Keele University from related Schools.
• Develop working practices and policies within own work area and make recommendations on service development.
• Keep appropriate statistics, initiate and participate in evaluation/impact studies of service in your area of responsibility.
• Contribute to the maintenance and update the of library pages on the Trust Internet/Intranet and similar.
• Contribute to evidence collection to support compliance with NHS England’s quality assurance measures.
• Work with local and national partnerships and agencies to deliver and develop services as and when required.
• Act in accordance with relevant legislation and information governance requirements, advising Trust staff when required, e.g. on copyright law
• Conduct cash transactions in the library to include monies raised through photocopy/print charges, fines, purchase of stationery.
• Contact with patients is incidental
• Some physical effort, for example lifting and shelving books, carrying equipment for training or displays, using kick-steps.
• Frequent need to concentrate, with occasional interruptions.
• Occasional indirect emotional effort, for example handling materials with graphic or distressing content

• To take every reasonable opportunity to maintain and improve your professional knowledge and competence
• To participate in personal objective setting and review, including the creation of a personal development plan and the Trust’s appraisal process.

Person specification

Shortlisting

• Degree or postgraduate qualification in library and information
• Experience of working in UK health or academic library
• Experience of delivering training to groups
• Excellent communication skills
• IT expertise
• Good team member

shortlisting

• IT qualification
• Training qualification
• literature searching experience

1. All correspondence will be sent to you via the email address you applied from. Please ensure you check your emails regularly.
2. References - please ensure you provide email addresses for all referees for the last three years of employment.
3. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from everyone regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, faith or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
4. Flexible working will be considered in line with Trust policies
5. New recruits are required to pay for their Disclosure and Barring Service check (and admin fee) prior to starting if the role requires a DBS check.
6. We work with ‘trac.jobs’ to support out recruitment process. If you have any queries regarding this please read this privacy notice.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has been awarded the Gold Award for proudly supporting those who serve. We actively encourage applications from the Armed Forces community.

We will communicate with you regarding your job application via email. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee the security of any emails sent/received via non encrypted format.

If you would like support completing an application form, please contact the recruitment department on 01782 675533 where one of our trained assistants will be able to help

At UHNM we are fortunate to receive a high volume of applications for many of our roles, on this occasion we would reserve the right to close any advert early, therefore please apply without delay!

If you obtained your qualifications overseas, you will be required to provide an official government translation through ECCTIS (formerly known as NARIC). Please note, this is in addition to any professional registration requirements and not a replacement for your qualifications.

If you are currently in the UK on a visa, you must have at least six months remaining on your visa at the time of application to ensure sufficient time for the recruitment and training process associated with the role. The requirement of at least six months remaining on your visa does not apply to a Skilled Worker Visa, as a new Skilled Worker Visa would be required for a new role.