Dear all,

“One is the loneliest number that that you’ll ever do.” The wise words of Harry Nilsson, beautifully delivered by Aimee Mann on the ‘Magnolia’ soundtrack. And as we all know, good things come in twos – Lennon and McCartney, Morecambe and Wise, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, rhubarb and custard, Roobarb and Custard, Pride and Prejudice, Sam and Dave, a tube of Texas BBQ Pringles followed immediately by another tube of Texas BBQ Pringles, Crosby, Stills and no-one else, Jedward, I could go on…

All of which is handy, because we’re currently advertising not one but two new roles:

Senior Information Assistant – details at http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about/working/index.html/view?vacancy_id=1284

Information Assistant (12 month contract) – details at http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about/working/index.html/view?vacancy_id=1285

The closing date for both posts is Sunday 20^th September; we’re planning to interview for the Information Assistant post at the end of the w/b 28^th September, and the Senior Information Assistant post at the end of the w/b 5^th October. Adverts for both will appear on jobs.ac.uk next week; I’ve put some of the advert text at the end of this email if you’d like a sneak preview. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions, and/or to pass the details on to anyone else you think may be interested.

(And yes, I am strategically ignoring the fact that the next line of ‘One’ asserts that two is the loneliest number since the number one, as that doesn’t fit my theme, and it is officially Selective Use Of Information Friday.)

Best wishes,

Tom.

Tom Bishop | Head of Library and Surgical Information Services

The Royal College of Surgeons of England | 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields | London WC2A 3PE

t: 020 7869 6530 | e: [log in to unmask] | w: http://www.rcseng.ac.uk

Senior Information Assistant, The Royal College of Surgeons of England

£24,000 per annum (Band E), full-time

We are looking to appoint a Senior Information Assistant who will play a key role in services and activities across the RCS. The role is based within Library and Surgical Information Services (LSIS), where the post holder will work as part of a team to ensure the effective planning, delivery and development of high quality on-site services. As well as participating in enquiry desk duties, assisting and invigilating members and researchers using library and archives material, the post holder will assist with collection management, audience development and outreach activities, and will have the opportunity to work with Museums and Archives colleagues. The post holder will also work with the Records Manager to implement a project to manage the College’s images, helping with the piloting, testing and development of procedures and practice.

You will have appropriate experience of library, archives or information-centred work and customer-facing environments. You will be someone with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, who thrives in a team environment and has a commitment to high levels of customer service and care. You will have good experience of project-based work, enjoy being involved in a range of activities, and be able to work to agreed standards and criteria while effectively managing your time, workload and deadlines. And you will be someone who will take a flexible approach to duties in a changing service environment, with a willingness to take on new responsibilities and challenges, ask questions and offer solutions, and deal with and learn from change. A qualification in Librarianship/Information Studies or recognised equivalent is desirable but not essential - the post is also suitable for someone with appropriate experience or showing a demonstrable commitment to library/information work.

Information Assistant, The Royal College of Surgeons of England

£22,000 per annum (Band F), full-time; 12 month contract

We are looking to appoint an Information Assistant who will play a key role in the implementation of a project to manage a collection of several thousands of photographs relating to the College, its Members and Fellows and their work. The post holder will be responsible for working with the Records Manager and a Senior Information Assistant to assist with the implementation phases of the image library project by piloting, testing and developing procedures and practice along with carrying out activities such as selecting images for inclusion, checking usage permissions and adding descriptive metadata. In addition, the post holder will work within Library and Surgical Information Services (LSIS) as part of the team responsible for the effective delivery and development of high quality on-site services. This will involve participating in enquiry desk duties, assisting and invigilating members and researchers using material from the library and the archives collections, and helping with other operational service activities as directed.

You will be educated to at least ‘A’ level standard or equivalent, with appropriate experience of library, archives or information-centred work and customer-facing environments. You will be someone with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a commitment to high levels of customer service and care for a wide range of audiences. You will have good experience of team- and project-based work, with the ability to work accurately, methodically and reliably to agreed standards and criteria, meet targets and deadlines, and carefully manage your time. And you will be someone who is able to learn and build up good working relationships quickly, ask questions and offer solutions, and take a flexible approach to duties in a changing service environment.