Information Specialist

Direct Reporting Line: Head: Academic at Varsity College, an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). The IIE is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training and provides qualifications accredited by the Council on Higher Education. Duties and Responsibilities Manage the writing centre administration and day‑to‑day activities of the Information Centre. Handle routine operations of inter‑Information‑Centre loans and request services. Control facility, computer usage and ensure effective administration of periodicals. Liaise with departments to ensure efficient support (assignment capacity). Establish and maintain effective working relationships with academic staff, students and external suppliers. Prepare reports related to the Information Centre and information services. Develop and maintain a hybrid information collection. Edit, classify, index information sources and distribute new materials for cataloguing to the Information Centre Manager. Supervise assistant staff and student assistants. Assist with the provision of information services in a digital environment. Assist with managing auxiliary services such as copying, reproduction and digitisation. Manage and control good conduct in learning spaces. Monitor the performance of all functions of Information Centre systems. Liaise with the Capacity Management and Timetabling Centre to ensure lectures have all academic material, sourcing teaching resources from publishers. Ensure that the IIE Policies and Procedures are adhered to. Provide feedback to the Information Centre Manager and Head: Academic on all Information Centre related issues. Conduct class visits and live interactive training sessions for students and lecturers. Facilitate learning by teaching information literacy skills to students and staff, within classrooms and virtual learning environments. Assist students with academic writing, referencing and search skills. Train students and lecturers on using the Information Centre database (e.g. EBSCOhost, Juta Law, HeinOnline). Conduct presentations during Student Information sessions / Digital Literacy Classes and Lecturer Information briefings. Provide guidance to students on academic writing and referencing styles. Support academic staff with literature searches using research databases, printed resources and the internet. Address user enquiries. Keep up to date with new developments, innovations in the Information Centre sector and participate in professional groups and PLNs. Measure research impact and develop best practices for the use of information. Postgraduate research support for students; educate and provide support. Research support for academic staff. Assist students in finding academic research material and provide support on research‑related queries. Play an active role in research by performing own research and producing research output and activities. Design posters and Information Centre packs to market resources; arrange monthly displays and coordinate awareness campaigns. Maintain records for payment of invoices; monitor performance of all functions of automated Information Centre systems. Update new books on Sirsi Dynix; manage collection development and maintenance. Recruit and train student assistants; conduct bi‑annual stocktaking and report compilation. Qualifications & Competencies Interpersonal and communication skills. Coaching and mentoring skills. Problem‑solving and time‑management skills. Friendly, organised, accurate and able to handle pressure. Digital and information‑fluency skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Working knowledge of library technologies (Sirsi Dynix, EBSCOhost, Sabinet, etc.). Innovation and energetic approach. Ability to produce own research. Minimum Qualification Requirements Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science or equivalent (BBibl). Minimum Experience Requirements At least 3 years of experience in an academic library and professional registration with LIASA. Working Hours Monday to Friday 08:00 – 16:00 (or 07:00 – 16:00). May be required to work one to two Saturday shifts per month from 08:00 – 13:00. When a Saturday shift is scheduled, Friday hours adjust accordingly. Salary & Benefits Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include lifelong learning opportunities through LinkedIn Learning, staff and family discounts on educational programmes, an incentive bonus structure, provident fund contributions (including Death & Funeral Cover), birthday vouchers, competitive annual leave allowance and other benefits. Equal Opportunity The IIE Varsity College, IIE Vega and IIE MSA are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Preference may be given to previously under‑represented groups in accordance with the South African Employment Equity Act. Application & Technical Support Applications are received via the IIE hiring portal. Technical difficulties when applying can be addressed through the provided support contact. Due to the high volume of CVs received, personal contact with all applicants may not be possible. Other Information The company reserves the right to close or place the vacancy on hold at any time, without prior notice. #J-18808-Ljbffr