Technical Services Librarian

Introduction

The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament and plays a crucial role in examining bills, questioning government action, and investigating public policy. The Library’s objective is to be the essential source of impartial knowledge, information and expertise to support and strengthen the work of the House of Lords.

While primarily a working Library focusing on its core user group of some 600 active Members, it also serves the needs of House of Lords staff and Members’ researchers. In addition, it manages and safeguards the Library collections, comprising a wide range of online resources and around 80,000 printed titles, including special collections of national significance.

The Library is looking to appoint a Technical Services Librarian, due to the current post-holder moving to another role internally. It’s an exciting time to join the team and you will be taking a leading role in reviewing and developing our technical services to ensure that they remain fit-for-purpose, including reviewing internal practices for cataloguing, acquisitions and indexing and taking forward re-procurement and enhancements to our Library Management System.

The Role

• Line management of a team of five: four Senior Assistant Librarians and the Systems Librarian.
• Specific budgetary responsibilities include invoice approvals and the oversight of expenditure administration for publications.
• Reviewing and developing technical services policies, practices, processes and systems, including managing the distribution of responsibilities within the team effectively.
• Routine quality assurance for acquisitions, journals management, cataloguing, classification, indexing and systems administration tasks; reviewing quality standards for indexing and cataloguing, benchmarking as appropriate.
• Helping to ensure that rules governing deposited papers are enforced and kept up-to-date through liaison with internal and external stakeholders.   
• Representing the Library in procurements, as required; managing the operation of existing specified contracts.  
• Cataloguing and system administration using Koha, as well as oversight of these workflows.
• Participating as a proactive member of relevant library and/or parliamentary working groups and undertaking general library duties, as required, which may include ad hoc customer services.

Skills and Experience

• Technical library experience:  Knowledge of and experience working with Library Management Systems and cataloguing using RDA or AACR2, together with an awareness of library systems developments
• Management: Line management experience or equivalent, including setting expectations and supporting development. 

• Teamwork: Ability to work well within a team to deliver agreed outcomes

• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills

• Personal effectiveness: Proven ability to manage competing priorities to deliver agreed outcomes, including through use of own initiative

• Current awareness: Knowledge of, or a demonstrable interest in, government and parliament, and the information needs of a parliamentary library, with an ability to remain politically impartial

• Supply chain management: Experience of contract or supplier management

• Systems experience: Experience administering the Koha LMS

Why Join?

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service Pension scheme.
• Access to a range of flexible working options, where possible
• A suite of learning and development opportunities
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan