Senior Library Manager (Academic Liaison and STEM) Working in Education Cheryl Coveney Senior Library Manager (Academic Liaison and STEM) The Open University
Are you ready for a career in education? Close your eyes………….
Are you ready for a career in Education? Could you…. Negotiate with a maths academic, complete with socks and sandals to convince him that resources with Words in might be a helpful thing for their students? Explain to a 17 year old that using an A Level Psychology text book to keep their chicken and chips warm is not a good thing? Run a Manga club for 10 year olds? (After you’ve finished your day’s work that is? If you can answer Yes ~ to any of the above ~ then ‘You’re hired!’
Tell me more! School Libraries Further Education Libraries ( aka Learning Centres, Learning Resource Centres ) Higher Education
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…. Salary scales vary depending on the sector you choose to work in, and what you choose to do when you’re there. Schools often part-time, term-time only ~ hence lower salaries Further Education Universities, tend to have higher salaries than the other sectors, and greater potential for growing a career within
This means….. One job ~ all the roles or One role and a choice of many jobs
School Librarians are the….. Library Manager Chief negotiator Finance Manager and budget holder Systems specialist Acquisitions lead Cataloguer Customer Services Manager Teacher, Referee, Library accommodation design specialist, expert in children’s and teenage literature, club leader………………………
Further Education Librarians are the……….. Learning Centre Manager Finance Manager and Budget holder Liaison with teaching staff Customer Services Manager Depending on the size of your team you may also be or manage Systems specialist Acquisitions lead Cataloguer
University Library staff can be the …. Research Outputs Manager…. or the Systems Librarian…. or the Electronic and Data Services Librarian….. or the Metadata, Discovery and Analytics Co-ordinator….or the Librarian….or the Subject Librarian (many variations of this job title)… or the Senior Associate Director…or the Eresources Manager Digital Preservation Manager
Or the ………… Academic Support Librarian…. Or the… Head of collections & resource description (acquisitions, cataloguing and electronic resources)
What skills and knowledge do I need? Communications
Soft skills Team working Negotiating Advocacy Organisational and prioritisation skills Problem solving Flexibility Innovative ‘A genuine desire to help students’ Leadership
Knowledge IT ~ especially MS Office Library software: Library Management Systems, Resource Discovery Tools, reading list software, authentication protocols. Data literacy Metadata standards (AACR2, MARC21, Dublin Core…) Budgetary and financial management Managing people Relationship management
And do keep up to date… A commitment to ongoing professional development and training Knowledge of current developments and issues in…..