User Experience Librarian

The University of Derby Library is seeking to appoint a User Experience Librarian, a critical role that helps us to deliver conspicuously against the University's purpose and strategic aims.

Our Library is one that supports our communities to realise their ambitions by opening up new areas of knowledge & understanding and through fostering applied creative thinking.

At the centre of our approach is a high-quality student experience, outstanding student outcomes and supporting an excellent research environment. With this in mind, our teams deliver against three core strategic themes:

Community - The original missions of libraries were not about repositories of books or as gatekeepers to knowledge, but about fostering communities of scholars. With that in mind, our focus is on how the Library supports the wide range of communities we have, fostering connection and empowering academic culture.
Confidence - There is a fundamental role for the Library to ensure all students become confident, independent learners and researchers. We shall support students to develop confidence and applied creative thinking through our academic skills provision and an industry relevant skills offer that enhances performance whilst at university as well as into their chosen future.
Content - Exploration and access to scholarly content is critical to the process of learning, teaching, research, and knowledge exchange. The Library plays a significant role provisioning scholarly content, working with our academic colleagues and students. We shall work to ensure that relevant content is delivered in a sustainable way and that we leverage technology and metadata expertise that enables our students and academics to explore and access the scholarly record., As the User Experience Librarian, your role centers on managing and enhancing the library's user experience services. You will oversee daily operations, ensuring that library spaces and services are designed to optimise support for learning and research for both students and academic staff. A critical part of your role includes leading a team of specialized staff who provide essential first-line support to users, creating a welcoming and resourceful environment. Additionally, you'll conduct user experience and usability studies to gather insights, using this data to refine and improve the library's services, ensuring that the user journey is seamless, intuitive, and supportive of academic success.

To excel as a User Experience Librarian, you will bring a strong blend of self-motivation and teamwork skills, working effectively across departments to drive user-focused services that align with the University's strategic goals. Your experience in managing and inspiring teams will enable you to foster a supportive environment where staff feel motivated to deliver high-quality service. You understand the specific needs and discovery behaviours of both students and researchers, allowing you to tailor services effectively and ensure seamless access to information.

A proven track record of managing library environments ensures you can uphold reliable, continuous services, meeting the expectations of the academic community. Emphasizing continuous quality improvement, you are committed to refining the user experience based on regular feedback and evolving needs. You also have experience in developing and supporting team members by identifying skills gaps, overseeing training initiatives, managing performance, and nurturing talent.

Your collaborative approach and ability to build positive, productive relationships with colleagues across different functions are essential in creating a cohesive, responsive library service. This combined expertise supports the library's mission to deliver a robust, adaptable, and user-centered experience that directly benefits the academic and research community.

About the University
We have one simple promise - to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 - making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
Local Government Pension Scheme
Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
Discounted onsite gym
Discounted access to Devonshire Spa
Holiday trading
Cycle to Work scheme
A flexible working environment
A commitment to personal and professional development