Information Specialist

**Job Purpose**:
To provide comprehensive information service on a complex and advanced level, developing information centres’ collections to meet the needs of the staff and students, both on and off campus of individual faculties, and the development and delivery of research workshops, and a range of literacy programs.

In line with Vega School academic strategy, the successful incumbent will be responsible for designing, planning, organising and managing of all information and research support services to cater for the needs of the academic teams, researchers, and students according to the research strategies and policies.

**Education**:
Honours degree in Library Science. Master's degree in library & Information Science will be an added advantage. An English major will be an advantage.

**Functional Competencies**:

- Excellent communication skills and presentation skills particularly in English, both verbal and written, including the ability to communicate to a range of audiences clearly, concise, specific, and accurate and accessible to the target audience
- Excellent academic writing skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills characterised by tact and diplomacy and an ongoing ability to participate effectively in a team that is spread across the country.
- High delivery ability demonstrated capacity to organise own work and work against tight deadlines
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Understanding of research process
- Excellent general knowledge, knowledge of online database usage (e.g Library Management System, preferably Sirsi Dynix Symphony, Ebscohost, Emerald, Sabinet, OERs etc.) and academic writing.
- Knowledge and experience in reference management and software programmes
- Working knowledge of web and citation metrics
- Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc
- Innovative and energetic
- Coaching and mentoring skills
- Information and digital skills including multiliteracy skills
- Commitment to excellent customer service
- Willingness to produce own research

**Work Experience**:

- Minimum 3 years' experience in managing an academic library, academic compliance and functions/ activities within a higher education environment
- Demonstrated capacity to manage services preferably in an academic library
- Experience in assisting students in academic writing skills
- Must be a LIASA member

**Key Performance Areas**:

- Planning, Administrating and Organising Operations of the information centre's services and supporting delivery_
- Create a space conducive to learning in the information centre and monitor student conduct while in the information centre
- Create good working relationships with campus management, colleagues and students, as well as external stakeholders such as suppliers
- Active and meaningful participation in meetings and webinars
- Ensure and monitor that the campus information centre services are equitable and comparable to all other brand campuses
- Problem solve and feedback promptly until the issue has been resolved
- Action directives received from the Information Centres' Manager and Vice Principal Academic promptly within the set deadlines.
- Assist with managing all auxiliary services such as copying, reproduction and digitisation
- Recruit and train student assistants
- Supervise assistant staff and student assistants
- Maintain an effective record keeping for payment of invoices
- Postgraduate research support and services:_
- Plan, design and facilitate research capacity workshops and programmes including but not limited to research literacy, academic literacy, and meta-literacies in general
- Collaborate with the National Research Manager to plan, design and facilitate relevant research capacity building workshops and programmes
- In collaboration with the National Research Manager and Information Centres Manager, plan and facilitate annual research capacity building workshops on a postgraduate level (at an appropriate level for Honours, Masters and Doctoral students, their supervisors and researchers.
- Assist students and researchers in the use of plagiarism prevention and research and reference tools such as Safe Assign, Mendeley and Zotero
- Create researcher profiles and conduct selective dissemination of information (SDIs)
- Process interlibrary loans for information requests that are not accessible inhouse, using the OCLC interlibrary loans management system, on behalf of students and researchers
- Must have academic writing acumen
- Research Capacity Building Support_
- Be familiar with the approved research capacity building planning
- Be an academic partner in actioning research capacity building plans' goals, in collaboration with the National Research Manager and Information Centres' Manager
- Attend relevant research meetings
- Must have experience in doing research
- Be familiar with basic social science research methods and methodologies
- Marketing, Awareness and Dissemination of Information Services Communication_
- Promote and impl