Schedule
Full-time
Date posted
March 13, 2025
Information Specialist
Description
- • To manage the smooth facilitation of textbook orders, subscription services, and print resources ensuring accurate record keeping of complex processes.
- • To provide informational services to users, such as Reference and Information Literacy workshops, ensuring excellent service standards are delivered to the GUST Community.
- • To assist with the daily operations of the library; maintaining facilities, resources, and environment.
Responsibilities
- Textbooks
- • Receive and process textbook orders from Faculty each semester. Liaise between the campus bookstore, publishers and faculty. Successfully troubleshoot any issues that arise with excellent customer service and record keeping.
- • Ensure Course Reserves are in alignment with textbook orders each semester.
- Digital Resource Management
- • Process the renewal of all subscription services, and ensure prompt payment to vendors and publishers.
- Prepare and adhere to a payment schedule. Prepare memos, purchase and payment orders to be sent to the finance dept, maintaining excellent record keeping.
- • Retrieve Counter 5 statistics from vendor admin accounts and prepare database usage reports.
- • Recommend new technologies and digital resources that enhance the library collection, improve library processes, or support the needs of the GUST Community. Coordinate trials with vendors.
- • Assist with LibGuide curation and maintenance.
- Print Resource Management
- • Prepare memos, purchase and payment orders to be sent to the finance dept, maintaining excellent record keeping.
- • Catalog and process Arabic and English print items according to LOC standards of classification. Supervise Library Assistants with bibliographic record-related tasks.
- • Create and update bibliographic, authority and item records on the Library Management System.
- • Assist with the annual inventory scan and weeding activities.
- • Make title recommendations for acquiring new print resources and collection development.
- Service and Supervisory Role
- • Source, retrieve and process document requests (document supply service), liaising with vendors when necessary. Document and log the item requests received.
- • Assist with training the Library Assistants, ensuring they successfully process or relay all user inquiries.
- • Troubleshoot technical and information requests as needed. Ensure a high level of service satisfaction is delivered to users.
- • Supervise patron management activities, including clearance, fine processing and circulation, ensuring they are successfully fulfilled by Library Assistants.
- Information Literacy
- • Research and prepare new content for information literacy instructional resources according to the ACRL Information Literacy Framework.
- • Deliver workshops to students and faculty within classrooms or virtual learning environments.
- Marketing, PR and Events
- • Prepare and assist with setting up Library events and activities in liaison with the other Library staff; EG: Book Fair, open access day, copyright day, vendor workshops, etc.
- Facilities & Environment
- • Monitor the upkeep and regular maintenance of the Library’s IT facilities and physical environment (PCs, printers, equipment, etc), liaising with Campus IT and Facilities when necessary.
- Other Responsibilities
- • Assist the Senior Manager & other Information Specialists with preparing various reporting documentation.
- • Attend meetings and training seminars as required.
- • Identify professional development needs, pursue best practices, and keep up to date with trends in the library and information science industry.
- • Attend local and international conferences and workshops when possible.
- • Undertake other relevant duties as required by the Senior Library Manager and GUST Management.
Experience
- • Minimum 1- 3 years of library-related or academic-environment work experience
- • A graduate-level degree may be substituted for experience.
Education
- • Excellent MS OFFICE skills
- o Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneDrive
- o Professionally responds to emails
- o Familiarity with emerging AI technologies or demonstrate curiosity to learn about them.
- • Experience with library management systems and cataloging technologies
- • Experience with research databases
- • Ability to quickly learn and become proficient in new systems, functions and technologies
Job Specific Competencies
- N/A
Behavioral Skills
- • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with strong customer focus
- o Ability to present ideas clearly and concisely in written and oral form (English)
- o Ability to handle complaints and troubleshoot situations quickly and effectively
- o Have a personable and friendly demeanor towards a diverse population
- • Ability to collaborate, work as a team and work independently
- • Ability to perform routine and repetitive tasks accurately
- • Ability to prioritize workload, for efficient use of time
- • Ability to keep confidential records
- • Excellent organization and planning skills
- • Must be detail-oriented, results-driven, and use data to make evidence-based decisions
- • Must have a commitment to the core values of the library profession, and a desire to serve the library’s user community
