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SalaryAbout the role
The Bodleian Libraries are looking for librarians of the future and this trainee scheme is the first step in your career in Librarianship/Information Management. Oxford’s one-year full-time traineeships provide an excellent launch-pad for undertaking a subsequent postgraduate qualifications and a professional career. 9 vacancies will be available, commencing early September 2024 and based in research, faculty and departmental libraries within the Bodleian Libraries.
You will benefit from on-the-job training, professional and social support, and a varied programme of training events across the year (including talks, workshops and library visits). You will be working in frontline services helping our library users access the resources, services and spaces they require. This will involve working directly with library users and also working with library collections to ensure accessibility. You will play an integral part in the day-to-day running of the library but individual project work is also encouraged.
Posts are aimed at graduates (of all ages) and if you have good IT skills, a flexible and customer-orientated approach, and a desire to progress to a postgraduate qualification in librarianship then this could be the career for you. You do not need prior experience of library work, but must have a keen interest in information and libraries. You will have great communication skills and a willingness to work effectively as part of a team. Applications are welcomed from graduates in any discipline.
Please do not apply if you already have or are currently doing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree related to Librarianship and/or Information Management, or if you have already completed a Library Traineeship. Please note that none of the posts on offer involve substantial Special Collections or Archives work.
Working for the University of Oxford
Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example shared parental leave. The Bodleian Libraries are taking active steps to foster diversity and inclusion and help libraries become more representative of wider society. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds, especially people who identify with a Black, Asian or other minority ethnicity, who are currently underrepresented within the libraries sector. We would also like to encourage more men to apply for these roles, since they too are under-represented across the sector.
This role will not meet the requirements for a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. However, applications are welcome from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK, but who would be eligible to obtain a visa via another route.
Benefits include 38 days leave, extensive training and development opportunities, access to travel and childcare schemes, free entry to colleges, discounted access to sporting facilities and a wide range of other staff discounts. For more details please see https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits. We can offer reasonable interview expenses to assist with your attendance at interview.
How to apply
These roles are being offered on a full-time, fixed-term basis for 1 year. You will be required to upload a CV and Supporting Evidence Form. Your Supporting Evidence Form should demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria, as listed in the job description.
Please ensure that you carefully read the ‘How to apply’ section provided in the Job Description, which you can download. The shortlisting will be based on the evidence you provide in your Supporting Evidence Form. The inclusion of the CV and supporting evidence form is a mandatory step.
For more information please visit the Bodleian Libraries Graduate Trainee Scheme page on the Bodleian Libraries website. For more information about our Exploring Careers in Libraries event on 19 December 2023 at 10:00am - 12:00pm, please email staff-dev@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Only CVs and Supporting Evidence Forms received online before 12.00 midday (GMT) on Monday 22nd January 2024 can be considered. We hope to notify candidates to let them know if they have been called to interview towards the end of February and interviews are anticipated to be held during the week commencing 11th March 2024. We intend to hold interviews in person and we will notify candidates of timings closer to the time of their interview.
