Collection Management and Engagement Librarian

We have an exciting opportunity for a user-focused, and innovative individual to serve as a Collections Management and Engagement (CME) Librarian within Library and Learning Resources (L&LR) at Birmingham City University.

Reporting to the Head of Collection Management and Engagement alongside five other CME librarians this role will be responsible for the development and management of the University’s resource collections, supporting the Business, Law and Social Sciences (BLSS) faculty.

The successful candidate will engage with academic staff to source, select and purchase books, journals, databases and other resources to align collections with reading lists to meet students’ needs.

The post-holder will manage all aspects of L&LR collections from acquisition to disposal.

A key part of the role is responsibility for the development and implementation of academic engagement strategies with the faculty, including representation at appropriate faculty committees and course validation programmes. The post-holder will plan and deliver promotional and outreach activities, both individually and as part of teams, so that academic staff and students are aware of the full range of services provided and how to access them. More broadly, the role involves contributing to the strategic development and implementation of policies, procedures and services in the specific areas with a view to delivering the highest quality services and maximising their effectiveness. With the opportunity to lead on specific areas within the CME team such as transnational education or reading lists.

The role sits within the Collection Management and Engagement Team, alongside CME librarians, a Special Collections Librarian and Transnational Education Partnership Librarian (until 30 April 2023). There is a generic job description for librarians within L&LR, with the focus for this role on Collection Management and Engagement (CME); other teams within L&LR cover Library Systems and Resource Administration (LRSA), Customer Services (CS), Learning, Teaching and Research Services (LTRS) and the General Office. (GO).

Skills and Experience

• The post holder should have a degree or a postgraduate qualification in librarianship (or equivalent).
• Experience of resource management, preferably within the higher education library sector.
• Demonstrable understanding of the resource management landscape, and commitment to meeting the needs of stakeholders effectively.
• Experience of managing teams.
• Experience in contributing to decision making.
• Knowledge of developments in the higher education sector.
• The ability to cope with an environment of change.
• The ability to innovate.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• A high degree of organisational ability.
• Excellent negotiating skills.

For informal enquiries please contact Victoria Wreghitt, Acting Head of Collection Management and Engagement victoria.wreghitt@bcu.ac.uk

Interviews will be in person and are expected to be held on, or around 23 March 2023.

Our goal in Library and Learning Resources is to inspire all our users on their academic journey through the provision of appropriate resources, information and digital literacy skills embedded in the curriculum, and support at the point of need, and via a variety of study environments.

We are currently in the process of scaling up our digital resources and further expanding our blended delivery of learning to support accessible and on demand learning. Student Support and achievement is at the centre of everything we do.

Our staff and student community is defined by our core values, which outline who we are as a University and how we will work with each other. Our core values are, we create opportunity, we think differently, and we build community.