Chief Librarian

• Ensure all library users (students, faculty and staff) have seamless access — including remote access — to library services and content supporting teaching, learning and wider reading
• Lead the development of the library’s collections across formats including print, manuscripts, electronic resources and multimedia
• Work in consultation with University of York library colleagues to align standards and resources where appropriate
• Build relationships with publishers, agents, consortia and digital hosts to secure effective subscriptions
• Resolve access issues related to online resources and print supply
• Raise awareness among academic staff about new journals, databases and scholarly resources
• Lead resource selection and deselection in consultation with stakeholders, while monitoring return on investment
• Develop and maintain library policies including: circulation, digital access, collection development
• Establish standard operating procedures for acquisition, cataloguing and archiving
• Monitor and manage collection development budgets
• Develop and implement responsive, user-focused services across physical and digital library environments
• Establish service delivery standards and monitor service quality
• Analyse user feedback and management data to improve service planning
• Conduct orientation sessions for students and faculty
• Promote library services through newsletters, dashboards and digital communication channels
• Integrate academic skills, information literacy and digital literacy development within teaching programmes across departments
• Coordinate with University of York academic support services where relevant
• Oversee resolution of user issues and complaints, escalating where required
• Build effective communication channels between academic departments and the library
• Support strategic and operational priorities of the University through library services
• Lead initiatives to strengthen reading culture and research engagement
• Build strong partnerships with: University of York library teams, external bodies and professional organisations, suppliers and scholarly networks
• Develop the library as a hub for knowledge exchange through online, hybrid and campus events
• Support professional body accreditation and quality assessment processes
• Contribute to institutional planning, forecasting and budget development
• Support faculty research through: database training, research methodology support, citation and referencing tools, plagiarism detection tools, bibliometric analysis
• Provide research analytics including citation reports, impact factor tracking and publication metrics
• Lead the development and optimisation of library discovery and content systems
• Provide guidance and briefings to staff on digital systems and user functionality
• Work with IT services to ensure: secure authentication access to subscriptions, integration with the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
• Ensure strong cybersecurity practices for digital collections and repositories
• Maintain digital repositories and knowledge portals
• Ensure compliance with intellectual property requirements
• Maintain disaster recovery and data backup frameworks
• Ensure compliance with relevant UK, Indian and international academic library standards where applicable
• Maintain library statistics and audit-ready documentation
• Ensure copyright compliance and licensing adherence

• 5–6 years’ experience in a senior role within an academic or research library
• Experience delivering high-quality library services in a higher education environment
• Demonstrated ability to promote library services and build engagement with academic users
• Experience leading library services through a growth or development phase
• Experience scaling collections and services in line with institutional priorities
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders including international partners
• Experience implementing library systems including: library management systems, resource discovery systems, metadata management platforms
• Ability to respond to technological developments in academic libraries
• Strong customer-focused approach to service delivery
• Postgraduate qualification in Library and Information Science or equivalent
• PhD or NET qualification preferred
• Experience working with digital library platforms and research databases
• Knowledge of: MARC21, Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), KOHA / LIBSYS / SOUL
• Familiarity with plagiarism tools including Turnitin and iThenticate
• Familiarity with bibliometric tools including Scopus, Web of Science and InCites
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Leadership or management training, or equivalent professional experience
• Understanding of academic library environments and student needs
• Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation capability
• Demonstrable digital and information technology skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability
• Ability to interpret data and make evidence-based decisions
• Strong understanding of customer service excellence
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to influence and motivate colleagues and stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and resolve complex issues
• Strong organisational and resource management skills
• Strategic thinking and sound judgement
• Credibility as a senior professional and subject expert
• Self-driven with an innovative approach to service development
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues, suppliers and technical specialists

PhD or NET qualification preferred