Library
Grade 3: - £17,682 - £19,133
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contract Duration: open ended/permanent
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 25-Feb-2020, 7:59:00 AM

Job Family: Community, Participation and Engagement Services

OUR CHARACTERISTICS: We are welcoming, collegiate and inclusive.

OUR VALUES: We are motivated, inquisitive, challenging, rigorous and innovative.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

• Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
• Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

Roles in this family provide an excellent stakeholder experience for our diverse and supportive community.

Overall family purpose

• Provide excellent student support services, development and extra-curricular activities.
• Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Respond to stakeholders at the point of service delivery, either in situ or remotely.
• Facilitate the development of excellent colleague and academic engagement.
• Provide a stakeholder focused service designed to increase widening participation and diversity.
• Promote the Durham reputation by establishing and broadening national and international community links to enhance the cultural and economic viability of the City and region.
• Enhance the Durham wider student experience by developing extra-curricular activities.
• Contribute to and enhance active, inclusive and supportive communities of stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
• Engage with suppliers, consultants and specialist professionals to deliver programmes and activities to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Engage and encourage outreach and participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.
• Engage and network with both internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and impact through local, national and international communities.

Link to key strategic plan

• An economically and environmentally sustainable approach to delivering stakeholder focused services across the University;
• A world-class student, alumni and donor experience;
• Focused on the needs of all users working together to deliver front-line services as part of the Wider Student Experience;
• Learn from and match best practice in the Wider Student Experience around the world;
• Opening up our world-class sporting facilities to local clubs and athletes;
• Support and facilitate activities as part of the Widening Student Experience at Durham;
• A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
• Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose    

In January 1833 Bishop William van Mildert donated 160 volumes to found the University Library, located on Palace Green. Today the University Library and Collections offers spaces, collections, expertise and services supporting education, research, the wider student experience and cultural and educational outreach. Collections and services operate across a wide estate of libraries, museums, galleries and exhibition spaces, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site on Palace Green. Our nationally and internationally recognised collections span early books, archives and manuscripts, museum objects and art, print and electronic materials and include a repository of digitised materials, research outputs and research data.

We are an ambitious and developing team with a focus on providing the best experience for our students, researchers and the wider community. We are valued partners working with students, professional services and academics across the University, and professionals and organisations regionally, nationally and internationally.

The University Library and Collections is made up of six sections: Collections; Customer Services; Education, Learning and Engagement; Research and Systems; Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions; and Finance and Administration. Staff work flexibly between the sections, enabled by cross-cutting groups, Education, Research, Collections and Engagement, and a Programme and Project Steering Group.

The Education, Learning and Engagement Team, under the leadership of the Head of Education, Learning and Engagement, have broad responsibility for our teaching and learning provision. We work with pre-school children, primary and secondary schools, undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers and the wider community. The team includes teaching and learning specialists and a liaison team who work directly with the four faculties of the University. The team work across our rich collections, bringing them to new audiences through face to face and digital engagement. They work in partnership with academic and professional services departments across the University and with external stakeholders, including schools and community groups.

In delivering skills development to a wide range of stakeholders from primary schools through to postgraduate students we are keen to embrace online learning as a way of delivering support offsite, 24/7 and at point of need. This role plays a key part in advancing our work in this area.

The postholder will deliver activities, workshops and sessions to a broad range of stakeholders.

Role activities would include:

• Delivery of outreach and engagement activities across Library and Collections venues for pre-school, primary and secondary school widening participation programmes.
• Provide support for administrative activities including bookings, collating invoice information and stocktaking teaching supplies.
• Provide feedback to wider Learning and Engagement Team on effectiveness of deliverable sessions.

Core responsibilities:

• Delegate tasks and monitor completion across the work team.
• Explain systems and procedures to new starters, providing hands on advice and guidance where required.
• Assist with the provision of ongoing training and/or coaching.
• Provide a highly responsive and/or front line service to stakeholders.
• Respond to service users logging and recording queries and information systematically in accordance with procedures.
• Operate a system to record, dispense and distribute resources and information as required.
• Apply skills and techniques to operate and use a range of everyday task or job specific equipment, tools and resources.
• Follow a set of pre-determined tasks and objectives, with some discretion for variation, referring to team members where necessary.
• Gather and collate data and information for others to use for evaluation and decision making.
• Contribute to the tidying, set-up and maintenance of facilities, equipment and resources.
• Liaise with representatives from other teams/service areas where necessary.
• Collaborate with team members to identify work flows, timescales and where support is required.

Role responsibilities:

• Deliver a front line service to stakeholders with team members within a defined service area for concentrated periods of time, focusing in particular on the delivery of fun activities, workshops and sessions to pre-school, primary and secondary school audiences.
• Operate a range of domestic, office, maintenance tools and equipment efficiently and effectively, including using the school booking system and maintaining a clean and safe classroom environment.
• Monitor and record changes to the working environment and service processes to ensure the safety, security and hygiene of service products and services.
• Follow University identification and security procedures when dealing with stakeholders new to a service area, including safety introductions to pupils, teachers, students and other external users of Library and Collections spaces.
• Provide direction to service users about the range of events and activities and how to access them.
• Complete necessary skills training to deliver a service in a library and collections environment.
• Apply manual dexterity, physical effort and/or sensory skills to carry out work in a defined space or service area including transporting of resources for outreach and setting up teaching spaces.
• Assist team members where necessary to review and update risk assessments.
• Respond to first-line queries from suppliers, stakeholders and contacts where necessary.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

Some evening and weekend working will be required according to service need. Bank Holiday working may also be required.

The post holder will hold a valid UK driving licence

A DBS enhanced check is required

Recruiting to this post 

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the criteria required for the role in the person specification (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’). 

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply 

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV
2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in relation to the job requirements
3. Examples of how you satisfy both the Person Specification and the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria. Please attached a Word document providing evidence and examples of how you meet each of the criteria.

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details 

For further information please contact; Ross Wilkinson, email: ross.wilkinson@durham.ac.uk, Tel 0191 3342993 or 0191 3345695.

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria:

Good oral and written communication skills.

Good IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.

Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).

Experience of delivering learning and engagement workshops and activities, preferably in a museum, archive, library or heritage setting.

Evidence of personal development to maintain skills. 

Experience of working as part of a team in a customer focussed service to ensure the delivery of high quality services.

Experience of managing time in order to meet deadlines. 

Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues.

Realising Your Potential Approach

USING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY - Making effective use of available resources including people, information, networks and budgets. Being aware of the financial and commercial aspects of the University. Considering cost benefit analysis implications of decisions.

PROVIDING EXCELLENT STUDENT SERVICES AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

• Providing the best quality service to all our students and customers.
• Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards and to  enhance their experience.
• Engaging positively with quality assessment processes.
• Support/supervise others to engage effectively with students, customers and other stakeholders.

FINDING SOLUTIONS

• Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically and with creativity to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions.
• Identifying opportunities for innovation.
• Identifying ways of resolving issues using own initiative.
• DBS Requirement: Please note that the succesful applicant will require DBS disclosure.