Library and Cultural Services
Library and Cultural Services provides high quality, innovative and user-centred support for research, learning and teaching across the University. We work in partnership with academic departments, professional services, Students’ Union, students and staff, and external partners, to ensure we provide excellent services and support for our researchers, students and staff, at every stage of their Essex journey. We have a commitment to customer service excellence and continuous improvement, and were shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Award ‘Outstanding Library Team’ in 2021. This is an exciting time to join us as we implement our new Library Supporting Strategy to 2025.
Duties of the Role
Working closely with the Assistant Director - Academic and Research Services, the Open Research Development Librarian is responsible for the management, development and delivery of the Library’s services in open research publishing and research visibility development. This includes the management of the Library Open Research team, which consists of a Co-ordinator and Student Journal Editor. The post leads on three key services areas, and priorities of the Library Supporting Strategy: 1) building the knowledge, skills and digital capabilities of staff and students in open research publishing across the University; 2) the development of Library-led open publishing initiatives, linked to the needs of education and research; and 3) the improvement of research output visibility, linked to citations. The post holder will be a member of both the Library Management Team and the Academic and Research Services Senior Team, managing and contributing to cross-service workstreams and projects. The post involves a high-level of collaboration, engagement, and partnership, with both internal and external stakeholders (including senior staff), to ensure that both the University and the Library are maximising the potential and opportunities of open research.
This a permanent, full-time post based at our Colchester campus however partial home-working can be accommodated.Skills and qualifications required
The post holder will be educated to degree level or equivalent qualification and hold a relevant professional qualification in librarianship/information science, or have equivalent and relevant experience in a professional level role in an academic library. They will have excellent knowledge of, and expertise in, open research/open access publishing, research visibility and bibliometrics, and the ability to communicate this across the University to staff and students of all levels. They will be skilled in developing impactful relationships with staff, researchers, and senior leaders, as well as being experienced in designing and delivering training, teaching and specialist guidance to University students and staff. They will have excellent team and project management skills, well-developed digital skills, and a commitment to customer service excellence.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please contact resourcing@essex.ac.uk
*More information: Working at the University