Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Communication
•    Provide an approachable and welcoming point of contact to all users 
•    Work as part of a team
•    Provide advice, inductions and training to library users (in person and via phone, email and post)
•    Physically and digitally market and promote services and campaigns
•    Show excellent customer care skills at all times 
•    Contact users to provide clinical and non-clinical evidence 
•    Use active listening and effective questioning to fully establish the user’s requirements 

2. Analytical / Judgemental Skills
•    Resolve common issues e.g. equipment faults, first line troubleshooting
•    Use judgement in handling enquiries, identifying when it’s appropriate to refer enquiries on
•    Use initiative when working alone in the library

3. Planning / Organisational Skills 
•    Plan own tasks and day-to-day priorities 
•    Ensure all work is completed within relevant deadlines and to required standard
•    Provide administrative support to other members of the team 
•    Handover to other team members efficiently and effectively

4. Responsibility for Patients
•    Minimal contact with patients 

5. Policy / Service Responsibilities 
•    Update or create relevant policies and procedures
•    Follow procedures and implement policies 
•    Feed in to service development through assisting with surveys, contributing to team meetings etc

6. Financial / Physical Resource Responsibilities
•    Handle cash for photocopying, lost books etc
•    Use equipment safely e.g. photocopier, laminator, label maker, self-service machine 
•    Order library stationery and consumables 
•    Receive and process new library books and other materials 
•    Monitor the physical environment, ensuring facilities are in good working order; report problems to relevant department / company 
•    Open up and/or close down the library staff area 
•    Ensure leaflets and guides are topped up
•    Liaise with users to recover long overdue / missing stock 
•    Shelve and tidy stock and assist with annual stock take 
•    Create displays

7. Staff Responsibilities
•    Train users in how to access and use databases and other resources 
•    Undertake self development / CPD, including mandatory learning 
•    Provide advice, guidance and training to new staff members and work experience students
 
8. Information Responsibilities
•    Process article, book and other information requests promptly and accurately
•    Input data to the Library Management System 
•    Add new items to the Library Management System
•    Maintain files or systems e.g. records relating to inter-library loans 
•    Undertake circulation tasks e.g. issuing, returning, renewing loans 
•    Undertake basic literature searches 
•    Advise users where to locate materials and resources 
•    Assist in removal and disposal of old stock
•    Abide by legal requirements e.g. copyright, data protection etc
•    Create and update relevant documents, spreadsheets, posters etc
•    Carry out any other required duties in line with the post’s banding 

9. Research / Development Responsibilities
•    Collect and collate statistics on usage and activities 
•    Collect user feedback 
•    Assist in audit / quality improvement exercises 

10. Freedom to Act
•    Report any data breaches or near misses using appropriate systems 
•    Report any safeguarding concerns using appropriate procedure 

Additional Information

Physical Skills and Effort: 
•    Lift and move books and other materials, in line with manual handling guidance
•    Lift and move boxes containing paper etc, in line with manual handling guidance
•    Use standard keyboard skills 
•    May need to use steps to reach shelving
•    The Library is located on the first floor, which is only accessible by stairs

Mental Skills and Effort:
•    Concentrate on data input
•    Check information  
•    Change task at short notice e.g. when interrupted, to assist users
•    Lateral thinking can be required, in order to interpret user requests 

Emotional Skills and Effort:
•    Handle materials with graphic images or potentially distressing subject matter
•    Emotional intelligence can be required, to support users experiencing stress e.g. exam stress

Working Conditions: 
•    Work alone at times
•    Use a VDU for the majority of the working day
•    Work in dusty conditions when accessing the Trust archive