Library & Information Management at United Nations

Candidates successful on this exam will likely be offered an Associate Librarian or Associate Information Management Officer role.

Responsibilities

The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) examination for Library & Information Management will cover a wide range of topics related to requirements of typical roles in these job families. Within delegated authority, the Associate Officer may be responsible for the following duties (and other related duties, as required):

Library

• Provides UN staff, delegates and requestors worldwide with actionable information and Institutional data in diverse online platforms and communication channels; efficiently and professionally responds to requests for research and reference support, online or in-person.
• Develops process improvement mechanisms for data analytics tasks; acquire sand cleans data from primary or secondary sources and maintains databases/data systems
• Organizes, classifies, catalogues and curates print and electronic information resources; applies controlled vocabularies and metadata standards in creation of complete bibliographic and linked data descriptions of resources.
• Conducts user needs analysis and contributes to monitoring and evaluation of Library services; develops reports, dashboards or other tools to effectively summarize findings and impact analytics and conveys information to management
• Integrates and balances user and institutional needs, applying knowledge of scholarly communications, library liaison services, outreach and/or events management to support development of partnerships and communication with networks in the relevant fields and target user-groups, with associations of library and information specialists, and with peers in international fora.
• Contributes to the digital collections workflow, including digitization and digital preservation activities, making recommendations for best practices and system implementation for the curation of digitized and born-digital material
• Contributes to the creation, administration and maintenance of the Library’s online presence including content authoring and/or technical administration, in order to provide a secure, stable, accessible, and seamless experience for online audiences.
• Contributes substantially to the Library's hybrid training programme
• Uses knowledge of institutional information needs to evaluate, recommend and acquire print and electronic materials to be added to the Library’s portfolio of resources.
• Participates in the creation of electronic and other reference tools, and the compilation of bibliographies.
• Guides, trains and supervises general services staff in related functions.

Information Management / Archives

• Provides electronic record keeping support and advice to records-creating offices by advising on electronic record keeping system standards and compliance; oversees the digital records accessioning process; provides training in the use of metadata standards for the capture, maintenance and accessioning of digital archives; and manages system upgrades and migration for digital archives databases.
• Undertakes records accession and disposition functions, including records appraisal, by liaising with records-creating offices on the transfer and/or disposal of records and analysing and evaluating records for evidential and informational value in support of records appraisal.
• Undertakes archival processing activities by accessioning, arranging, and producing descriptive inventories; prepares mark-up of inventories for electronic dissemination; and monitors adherence to archival description, database, and physical and digital preservation standards.
• Performs reference functions for archival materials by advising internal and external users on holdings and accessibility and assisting in the administration of access and declassification activities. Develops secondary information resources, outreach products, and exhibition materials.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
• TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

• At least a first-level university degree (i.e., Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent degree of at least three years) in one of the following Fields of Study related to Library and Information Science (found within the Journalism & Information Main Course of Study pull-down menu):
  • Archival Sciences
  • Documentation Techniques
  • Information Management
  • Library
  • Museums and Similar Repositories

Important: when preparing your application in Inspira, if you do not see your exact degree listed, please choose the Field of Study that is closest to your degree, from the “Field of Study” and “Main Course of Study” dropdown menus; then type the exact title in original language as well as its translation in English or French in the additional comment boxes. Do NOT select “other” for Main Course of Study or Field of Study (or you will be automatically disqualified).¿¿¿

Work Experience

• No work experience is required. Relevant work experience may be taken into consideration as an additional screening criteria when more than 60 candidates from the same country apply to the same exam area.