Current vacancy: Campion Hall Librarian

Job title:  Librarian 

Salary:  £37,500-£47,500 pro rata, depending on experience

Contract:  Part-time – 24 hours (3 days) per week

Line manager: Senior Tutor

Campion Hall, the Jesuit Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford, is looking for a committed, collaborative, and energetic colleague to join this vibrant and welcoming community as hall’s Librarian. Upon completion of a probationary period, the candidate may be offered a Fellowship at Governing Body’s discretion. The Librarian will work alongside a part-time professional Assistant Archivist and Fellow Archivist, and for particular projects may be supported by assistants. They will work closely with the Master, Bursar, and Senior Tutor in developing the Library’s collection and strategy.

The Library has been integral to the life and scholarly activity of the Hall since its foundation, and occupies a privileged location within the Lutyens-designed building. It consists of the Main Library, with four ancillary spaces, and provides a very pleasant working environment. Its collection has recently been refreshed and reshaped with now almost 19,000 catalogued on SOLO and perhaps 5000 more not yet on SOLO, with acquisitions in areas such as ecology and refugee studies, but it remains strong in theology, philosophy, and the arts generally. Significant collections of rare books are currently housed at Campion Hall either on a temporary or permanent basis. The Campion Hall library has a long-standing collaborative relationship with another major Jesuit collection in the UK formerly associated with Heythrop College, the Heythrop Library, containing works of theology and philosophy and rare books dating back to the foundation of the English Jesuit college at Leuven in 1614. 

Within a small Hall (the smallest constituent Hall or College of the University), it will be essential to foster good collegial relations, and offer support to students, Fellows, and academic visitors alike in their use of the Library. Campion Hall’s library strategy focuses on supporting the research and academic needs of its members while developing connections with other collections within the University of Oxford and broader networks. The Librarian will support the occasional use of the Main Library Room for lectures and other events. The candidate can expect to find themselves in a supportive environment, where there is a strong commitment to hospitality, conversation, and care for the individual. 

Campion Hall is a work of the British Province of the Society of Jesus (soon to be the Jesuits in Britain CIO, Registered Charity Number 1207742). Employment will be by the Jesuits in Britain, and their employment policies and pension scheme will apply.

The core activities of the post include but are not confined to the following responsibilities:

• To implement the Hall’s strategic plan for the Library, in consultation with the Governing Body and Library Committee;
• To provide the ongoing management, oversight, and development of Campion Hall’s core Library services, and especially to maintain and develop an efficient, responsive, and flexible lending service for the library;
• To develop the Hall’s collections, in line with the areas of focus identified in the Strategic Plan, selecting new material (both printed material and digital materials) and regularly consulting the Fellows and students on areas for development;
• To support students and researchers at the Hall, and any academic visitors. including offering an induction to Library use and collections, and answering enquiries; 
• To act as Executive Lead of the Hall’s Library Committee, providing reports on library acquisitions and other activities, and to bring significant concerns or requests related to the Library and Archives to Governing Body on occasion as required;
• To manage the budget and expenditure for the Library, in liaison with the Hall Accountant and Bursar;
• To liaise with the Bodleian Library and other University of Oxford institutions in developing electronic resources and IT systems;
• To attend and maintain contact with the Committee of College Librarians and other University forums as appropriate;
• To liaise with external bodies as appropriate, for exhibitions, item loans, and other collaborations;
• To engage cooperatively as appropriate with relevant networks and officers from the Jesuits in Britain, and especially those responsible for the Heythrop Library;
• To work with the Bursar in maintaining and improving the Library rooms;
• To accommodate Hall events in the Library as required, and provide displays of items from the collection for particular occasions;
• To work with the Heythrop Librarian in the management of the Heythrop rare books deposited in Campion Hall Library;
• To source equipment necessary for day-to-day operations (such as stationery) for the Library;
• To work with the Bursar in ensuring the Library’s compliance with regulations concerning equality, diversity, and access; health and safety; and emergency planning.

Essential requirements

• A good undergraduate honours degree, preferably in a Humanities or Social Science discipline; 
• Professional library qualification(s) or significant relevant experience of working in a library environment, preferably in an academic library;
• An ability and willingness to work collaboratively and adaptively within a small team;
• Strong experience and knowledge of library IT, management, and experience of cataloguing in accordance with international standards;
• Understanding and experience of the preservation requirements of modern and historic library materials;
• Excellent IT skills and understanding of developing landscape of digital resources;
• Strong communication skills and ability to engage with diverse users and stakeholders, including high standards of written and spoken English;
• Energy and enthusiasm for developing the Library in future;
• Ability to manage budgets;
• Readiness to contribute to and support the wider intellectual life of the Hall.

Desirable

• Experience of postgraduate research;
• Experience of working with theological and philosophical library collections;
• Reading knowledge of one or more other languages, and experience of working with foreign language titles and publishers;
• Experience of working with rare and early printed books;
• Experience of project management
• Acquisitions experience using the ALMA system or equivalent. 

The post is part-time, 0.6 FTE (3 days a week, or other working pattern by arrangement), with a probationary period of 6 months. The salary will be equivalent to the University’s grade 7 or 8 (scales as indicated above), depending on experience. Paid holiday will include 28 days (pro rata), plus 8 bank holidays. 

The Librarian may be eligible for appointment to a Fellowship at the discretion of Governing Body, and will be a full member of the Common Room, with entitlement to meals free of charge.

Successful applicants will be required to provide proof of their entitlement to work in the UK, or sufficient information to demonstrate that they will be able to secure the required immigration status before their employment commences.

To apply for this post, please email the following documents to the Senior Tutor at sarah.apetrei@campion.ox.ac.uk, by Friday 8th November at 12 noon:

• Letter of application (no more than 2 sides) indicating your interest in the role, your relevant experience, your vision for the post, and suitability for the responsibilities as set out in the job description;
• An up-to-date CV;
• Names and contact details of two referees (to be approached only for shortlisted candidates).

Interviews will be held in the week beginning Monday 18th November.