​Senior Library Assistant – Afternoon / Evenings

East London

£17.48 per hour

36.5 hours a week

Start date – Monday 18th September 2023

3 Month Contract

About the company

We are presently recruiting for an Afternoon/Evening Senior Library Assistant for our Higher Education client based in East London.

The post holder will contribute to the services delivered by the Library team, as well as all Subject Liaison and Site Librarians, supporting students living and studying on campus by:

•       Overseeing all front line customer services provided between 17:00-21:00 Monday-Friday as the senior member of staff present on site

•       Providing first line academic liaison support for students including assistance with library skills training and enquiries.

What you will be doing

•       Supervise front line customer services during Monday-Friday evenings including Click & Collect loans, library membership and troubleshooting support for IT facilities, escalating any matters arising to the Deputy Library Manager.

•       Provide line management for the team of weekday afternoon/evening library assistants, undertaking probations and appraisals and ensuring that training needs are identified and met.

•       Be responsible for the safe operation and good order of the Library premises during Monday-Friday evenings, following documented procedures and liaising with facilities management and security as required.

•       Oversee closure of the Library at 21:00.

•       Respond to customer enquiries received in person, via the live chat service (LibChat), or by email using LibAnswers, referring complex enquiries to other colleagues and teams as required.

•       Provide first line advice and training on library resources available to students including bibliographic databases, reference management software, online books and journals.

•       Communicate requests for new library resources, and for advanced training support, to the relevant subject liaison or site librarian.

•       Participate in the preparation and delivery of library skills training for students undertaking academic programmes at the campus, including induction activities and timetabled sessions which may be delivered face-to-face or online. This will require liaison and collaboration with Library Skills staff.

•       Contribute to the creation of online guides and promotional resources for students.

•       Assist with the collection of data about use of the services provided at the Library.

Who you will be:

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

•       Educated to degree level. A Library qualification would be beneficial but not essential

•       Up-to-date relevant experience of library and information work

•       Experience of customer-facing work and delivering a high level of customer service, especially in a library environment

•       Experience of providing an enquiry service, knowing what steps to take to find the answer and when to refer an enquiry to someone else

•       Experience of supervising staff

Skills and abilities

•       Skills in finding, evaluating and presenting information from a variety of sources

•       Excellent interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy; able to relate to and co-operate with a wide range of colleagues and customers

•       Excellent written communication skills, able to convey information clearly for different audiences

•       A methodical approach to work, with good problem solving skills and the ability to work accurately with attention to detail and to deadlines

•       Responding to colleague, student and stakeholder needs with the intention to provide an excellent service

•       Innovating and sharing with new ways to work efficiently

•       Taking responsibility for your work