Information Specialist (Librarian) - Vega School

Job Purpose:

• To assist in providing comprehensive information service on a complex and advanced level, developing information centres’ collections to meet the needs of the staff and students, both on and off campus of individual faculties, and the development and delivery of research workshops, and a range of literacy programs.
• In line with The IIE-Vega School’s academic strategy, the successful incumbent will be responsible for designing, planning, organising and managing of all information and research support services to cater for the needs of students, the academic team and researchers according to the research strategies and policies.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent communication skills and presentation skills particularly in English, both verbal and written, including the ability to communicate to a range of audiences clearly, concise, specific, and accurate and accessible to the target audience
• Excellent academic writing skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills characterised by tact and diplomacy and an ongoing ability to participate effectively in a team that is spread across the country.

• High delivery ability demonstrated capacity to organise own work and work against tight deadlines
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Understanding of the research process
• Excellent general knowledge, knowledge of online database usage (e.g Library Management System, preferably Sirsi Dynix Symphony, Ebscohost, Emerald, Sabinet, OERs etc.) and academic writing.
• Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc
• Innovative and energetic
• Information and digital skills including multiliteracy skills
• Commitment to excellent customer service

Work Experience:

• Minimum 3 years' experience in managing an academic library, academic compliance and functions/ activities within a higher education environment
• Demonstrated capacity to manage services preferably in an academic library
• Experience in assisting students in academic writing skills
• Must be a LIASA member

Key Performance Areas:

Planning, Administrating and Organising Operations of the information centre's services and supporting delivery

• Create a space conducive to learning in the information centre and monitor student conduct while in the information centre
• Create good working relationships with campus management, colleagues and students, as well as external stakeholders such as suppliers
• Problem solve and feedback promptly until the issue has been resolved
• Action directives received from the Information Centres' Manager and Vice Principal Academic promptly within the set deadlines.
• Assist with managing all auxiliary services such as copying, reproduction and digitisation
• Supervise student assistants
• Maintain an effective record keeping
• Compile and distribute accurate reports including monthly statistical reports, with analyses and comments on trends and present as required
• Assist with stocktaking and report back to campus Vice Principal Academic and the Information Centres' Manager
• Assist with editing new materials on the library management system (Sirsi Dynix) to enable circulation

 Postgraduate research support and services:

• Assist students and researchers in the use of plagiarism prevention and research and reference tools such as Safe Assign
• Assist and create researcher profiles and conduct selective dissemination of information (SDIs)
• Process interlibrary loans for information requests that are not accessible inhouse, using the OCLC interlibrary loans management system, on behalf of students and researchers

Marketing, Awareness and Dissemination of Information Services Communication

• Promote and implement campus information centre marketing plans
• Actively take part in academic forums to create awareness of the value chain of information centre's services within teaching and learning.

Teaching and Learning Support, Information and all Academic Literacies

• Assist monitor rollout of higher-level information and research support, including academic writing skills to students and staff e.g plan and deliver interactive sessions on writing skills, databases usage, referencing, plagiarism avoidance, SafeAssign etc.
• Undertake effective reference interview to better understand users' needs for accurate information support
• Display an excellent level of digital literacies and eResources knowledge e.g. EBSCOhost and other sources functionality, and transfer these skills to students and researchers
• Present workshops on academic writing, academic integrity, plagiarism prevention and referencing techniques
• Deliver embedded library services on the Blackboard Learning Management System.

Policy and Standards Compliance

• Monitor adherence to all the information centre-related policies and report progress or anomalies to the campus Vice Principal Academic and Information Centres' Manager
• Ensure copyright and trademarks compliance
• Promote academic ethics and intellectual integrity according to the IIE policies.
• Provide feedback to the Information Centres' Manager and campus Vice Principal Academic on all information centre-related issues

Education:

• Honours degree in Library Science.
• A Master's degree in library & Information Science will be an added advantage. An English major will be an advantage.