About Us and The Role

Warwickshire Schools Library Service (SLS) seeks a new manager to start as soon as possible.  In line with others across the country, the SLS is a traded service, and sits within the management structure of the county's public library service with whom it has an excellent close working relationship.

The role is half-time (18.5hpw) and based at County Council premises in Hawkes Point, Warwick, alongside a number of other services including Library Stock Services, the County Music Service and the museums' stores.  Hawkes Point is a newly acquired and re-furbished building designed to accommodate all these and other Council services more effectively both as storage and workplace facilities.  The teams moved in during 2020.

The SLS delivers a range of services to schools in the county and in neighbouring authorities where there is no SLS, notably Oxfordshire, Birmingham and Solihull.  We maintain good working relationships with other SLSs regionally and nationally and keep informed on national developments through the SLS-UK network under the auspices of ASCEL (www.ascel.org.uk) of which SLS and the public library service's Reading and Learning Team are members.

Our services to schools include termly and annual loans of books and artefacts to support the curriculum from pre-school to sixth form.  These are delivered to and collected from schools via the public library's transport network, also based at Hawkes Point.  These bulk loans form our core work and major source of income from subscribing schools.   In addition, we run a number of reading initiatives including three book awards for different age groups, and we offer CPD on a regular basis to all schools.  We also undertake work in schools to support library refurbishment and overhauling of stock, including advice on stock selection and arranging the purchase of new books for schools.

We adapted to increased online participation in our services during the Covid pandemic and hope to retain the best of these practices in addition to our physical services into the future, to widen our offer and increase our reach into schools.

We are looking for a qualified librarian with experience of a SLS advisory or management role and/or senior level management experience in a public library service or school library setting.

Because of our traded structure, our service must generate its own income to cover costs including salaries and oncosts, and therefore our team operates on lean numbers and works to strict deadlines to ensure schools receive resources as requested and according to schedules.

The manager must be dynamic, have a keen eye for operational management as well as empathy to manage a small but cohesive team.  A key part of the work is promotion of the SLS to schools and advising senior staff in schools on their library and reading engagement work.  The successful applicant will have a passion for reading and children's library work, the will to encourage reading and strong self-motivation to enthuse both SLS staff and customers in the value both of wider reading and of the SLS to support schools in their work.

For the full Job Description and Person Specification please click the link here. 

This organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Additional Information

If you have any questions, please contact Hannah Thomson. Email: hannahthomson@warwickshire.gov.uk

Closing date: Monday, 2nd August 2021

To apply for this vacancy please click on the 'Apply' button.
 
Our method of application is online, please note, CV’s should not be submitted unless asked to do so.

 
If you are unable to apply using the 'Apply' button please contact the Recruitment Centre on hrandpayroll@warwickshire.gov.uk including your contact details and any relevant screenshots.
 
You will be notified of our shortlisting decision via email, so please check your email on a regular basis after submitting your application.

As part of being a Disability Confident employer we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application demonstrates that they meet the criteria for the post. This means the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the person specification.

Should you require application forms in an alternative format / language or any adjustments to be made throughout the application process or upon appointment, please contact hrandpayroll@warwickshire.gov.uk  and we will make every effort to meet your specific requirements.

Warwickshire County Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff. Would particularly welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from the BAME community, people with a disability and people from the LGBT+ Community.