Role title:Acquisitions Librarian

Reporting to:Monographs & MediaManager

Salary:Band 4 £19,160 -£21,632 (subject to change pending the pay and grading review)

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Role Purpose:

  • To enhance the Library’s collections through the effective administration of the library’s policies and procedures for acquiring material through purchase, donation and Legal Deposit;
  • To provide knowledge and experience in specific aspects of library acquisitions, such as purchasing, Legal Deposit, Government publishing;
  • To support the Monographs & Media Manager and ensure that standards and procedures are consistently applied;
  • To work within the corporate framework and in collaboration with other colleagues to help deliver organisational goals.

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Duties and responsibilities

  • Checking selections for the Library’s collections against holdings, suppliers’ lists and out-of-print services;
  • Instigating and checking claims for publications through Legal Deposit;
  • Selecting suppliers and creating orders for the purchase of material for the Library’s collections;
  • Liaising with agents, donors and suppliers;
  • Adding data on suppliers and donors to the library’s databases;
  • Entering and editing data in the library’s acquisitions systems to facilitate and monitor requests, orders, claims and receipts;
  • Accessioning library materials;
  • Receiving and unpacking Library materials and checking contents against relevant advice, as required;
  • Answering enquiries related to the job;
  • Providing knowledge and expertise in aspects of acquisitions such as purchasing, Government publishing, Legal deposit;
  • Advising the Monographs & Media Manager and Senior Acquisitions Librarians, and offering solutions, on matters related to the job;
  • Sorting, arranging and organizing Library materials for acquisition, distribution and description;
  • Assigning shelf-marks and ownership stamps to Library materials, as required;
  • Delivering guidance and instruction to staff related to the job;
  • Liaising and co-operating with other staff to ensure that team and divisional priorities are met;
  • Participating in staff development and training;
  • Participating in projects, working groups, internal and external forums as appropriate and in accordance with agreed working plans;
  • Attending staff meetings, and taking minutes, as required;
  • Meeting regularly with the Monographs & MediaManager to review personal performance and discuss issues of mutual interest and concern;
  • Contributing to the continuous improvement of procedures, service standards and documentation;
  • Contributing to the development of team and divisional plans and strategies.

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Person specification: Acquisitions Librarian

Skills, abilities and knowledge

Essential

  • Problem solving - ability to identify problems and to evaluate and select methods to resolve them;
  • Literacy - ability to understand, interpret and present verbal and written information;
  • Numeracy – ability to understand, interpret and present numerical information;
  • Teamwork and collaboration - ability to work with others to achieve shared goals and recognise the value of diverse perspectives;
  • Hardware - ability to use computers, peripherals, mobile devices, and standard office equipment;
  • Software - ability to use software, social media, mobile applications and library management systems;
  • Applied learning - knowledge and skill to apply formal training, education, or experience to accomplishing work;
  • Professional knowledge – knowledge and application of the corpus of knowledge of librarianship and the publishing industry;
  • Customer focus - understand and, within our capability, meet actual and potential internal and external customers’ needs.

Desirable

  • Languages – ability to work with languages other than English;
  • Professional knowledge – knowledge of official publishing, particularly the Scottish and UK parliamentary output.

Personal qualities

Essential

  • Attention to detail - ability to be thorough and accurate when performing work;
  • Flexibility - ability to change and adapt behaviour or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles;
  • Interpersonal skills - ability to show respect, concern, and empathy for others;
  • Self-management - ability to set well-defined and realistic work objectives, display; initiative, and demonstrate responsible behaviour;
  • Delivering results - take personal responsibility for achieving the right results for the Library.

Experience

Essential

  • Collection acquisitions – recent experience of library acquisitions policies and procedures.

Desirable

  • Professional knowledge – recent experience of working with official publications.

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Further information

Status: The post is permanent.

Hours:Full-time- 37 hours per week, excluding lunch breaks. The flexible working hours system will apply to this post. The postholder must be prepared to work flexibly as reasonably required.

Applications:Applicants are asked to provide a written statement saying how their skills match the person specification and demonstrating the value and relevance of their experience to the post. All applications should reach the Human Resources Division byTuesday 19th November 2013

Selection

Procedure:The applicants who meet the criteria based on the job description and person specification will be selected for interview. Selection will be by a formal board interview.