Student Casual Library Shaper Libraries and Learning Resources Grade 2 905411

Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.

Our offer to you

At the University of Birmingham, Worklink is the dedicated student employment service which helps students to find flexible, well paid part-time roles that fit around your studies. Each year, the University invests more than £2.5 million to employ 3,000 of our own students in a wide range of roles, supporting our student community into part-time work. Roles available via Worklink include a range of positions, including administrative roles, support staff such as cleaners or baristas, research roles and many more.

Jobs through Worklink help you to gain work experience, develop skills relevant for your future career, and improve your soft and hard skills in a professional setting. Enhance your CV and get valuable experience ready for graduate roles and feel connected to your university and local community.

Our jobs are flexible and can be scheduled around your academic commitments, so you can focus on your studies first. Our team are passionate about supporting students into work. Worklink are based in a central location on campus which is easily accessible for students and can also be contacted online.

Find out more about working through Worklink here or via the student intranet.

About the role

Library and Learning Resources Services (L&LR) provides several different services to students including study spaces, academic skills support, access to learning resources, and digital tools. 

Library Shapers work with L&LR to evaluate, promote and co-create these services to best meet user needs, and thus have a unique opportunity to help make a difference for the student community whilst gaining a wide range of transferrable skills, useful for the CV.   

What you’ll do

This role will help L&LR to improve the delivery of its services through a variety of activities, including but not limited to: 

• Supporting open day and welcome week activity 
• User testing systems and processes
• Co-creating resources to support students with their skills development
• Support with gathering user opinions and survey data
• Participating in focus groups and User Experience (UX) activities
• Preparing communications for print and social media. Presenting on reels for Instagram. 
• Providing insights for various L&LR working groups, including Green Impact, and Assistive Technology
• Providing feedback and ideas which will be used to inform future library service delivery and provision

Some tasks will be time specific, and some will be self-scheduled. 

Library Shapers work as part of a wider group and tasks may involve working both collaboratively and/or independently.  In addition, they will work alongside Library staff to develop ideas and evaluate existing services. A member of L&LR will provide support and be a key contact for all work undertaken.

Who we’re looking for

You must be a registered taught student at the University of Birmingham, and can be any level of study between UG1 (first year undergraduate) and PGT (taught postgraduate). 

We are looking for students who are: 

• Reflective learners, able to communicate ideas and feedback, both verbally and in writing
• Self-motivated and able to commit to completing tasks 
• Enthusiastic about helping us improve L&LR for all students 
• Organised with time management skills
• Able to demonstrate problem solving skills
• Can work constructively with group members and library staff
• Able to treat everyone with dignity and respect, supporting equality and valuing diversity

No prior library experience is required—we welcome fresh perspectives!

Further details 

This role does not have fixed hours, but you’ll be expected to be involved in 2 to 3 activities equating to approximately 10hrs per term. 

Library Shapers will also be required to attend an initial in-person briefing session on either Tuesday 15th Sept or Wednesday 16th Sept.   

While the initial contract will be for the fall term and end in December, this role may be extended through the 2026-2027 academic year (subject to termly review).

For any informal queries, please contact Claire Browne ([email protected]). 

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g.  PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process. 

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven’t heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.