Information Technology
Digital Library Systems Developer
Job details
Posted 07 May 2025 Salary Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum End date 04 June 2025 LocationGlasgow Job Type Management Professional & Administrative Reference173412 Expiry 04 June 2025
Job Description
Job Purpose
The Digital Library Team within Information Services at the University of Glasgow supports digital access to globally significant research collections for the purposes of world-leading scholarship, teaching, and learning. Reporting to the Head of Library Systems & Platforms, the post holder will join the Digital Library Team and – working closely with colleagues in Library Collections – take a leading role in the development of digital library and repository applications in furtherance of the institutional research and educational ambitions.
The post holder will be comfortable working in both open-source and proprietary contexts, displaying demonstrable understanding of common web technologies, distributed web-based applications abilities, and experience of LAMP-based environments. Solving data integration and interoperability issues will be an important aspect of the post, enabling heterogenous content to be better managed, discovered, and reused. Experience of the data standards and protocols associated with digital libraries or digital archives, the cultural heritage sector, and/or research information systems would therefore be advantageous, as would knowledge of open-source repository solutions.
As part of a team committed to exciting, innovative, and novel solutions and services, the post holder will work closely with cognate technical colleagues in Library Collections to ensure the delivery of holistic and easily discoverable digital collections.
Main Duties And Responsibilities
- Contribute to the technical development of key digital Library service functionality, working closely with the Head of Library Systems & Platforms and liaising with colleagues in IT Services to ensure IT infrastructure in support of these services.
- Actively maintain and develop open repositories within the Enlighten repository portfolio (Publications, Theses, Research Data, etc.), including EdShare, an open educational resources repository, ensuring they demonstrate sector leading functionality and are at the forefront of global repository innovations.
- Work closely with those in the Digital Library Team, and across Information Services more generally, to develop front-end solutions and support the creation of new system integrations with third party services or APIs (esp. open infrastructure services), while also ensuring the maintenance of existing local integrations.
- Undertake configuration changes to systems which may impact multiple functional areas/teams, and/or which require in-depth system knowledge to perform safely.
- Collaborate with colleagues within the adjacent team of Library Collections to deliver coordinated improvements to our combined digital service offering and support the implementation of digital preservation workflows and system integrations.
- Working with the Head of Library Systems & Platforms and Assistant Director (Digital Library), perform a leading role in investigating, consulting, and implementing new technical solutions that harness data from repository systems, while ensuring streamlined capture, discovery, and access.
- Perform an enabling role in ensuring optimum levels of service continuity and uptime, including enablement of business-as-usual cyber security measures across relevant systems.
- Scrutinize content discovery efficacy across services, identifying and monitoring possible issues arising from data quality variability, system performance, and other issues arising from search agent interactions.
- Support the continuous improvement of accessibility across services to ensure equitable access to content, making necessary technical interventions on systems where necessary.
- Regularly monitor, review, and evaluate new developments in the HEI sector, regarding digital libraries, repositories, and discovery services, and provide advice, making informed recommendations to senior colleagues on new services and potential development opportunities.
- Participate and share knowledge or expertise in external working groups, contributing to the codebase of relevant open-source solutions via Git repositories, and demonstrating commitment to the health of open software communities.
- Demonstrate commitment to continuous personal development and self-directed learning, including in the development of technical skills, knowledge, and understanding.
Knowledge/qualifications
Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills & Experience
Essential:
A1 Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar or number of different roles. Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4), or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training), and experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).
A2 Professional development knowledge, involving demonstrable experience of deploying web technologies and associated client and server-side programming within cultural heritage or research information system contexts.
A3 Knowledge and understanding of metadata schema, data exchange, and issues of semantic interoperability.
A4 Knowledge and experience of the Higher Education or the cultural heritage sector, and the IT expectations of large organizations.
Desirable:
B1 Experience of working with digital repository software platforms to deliver digital objects to users.
B2 Professional knowledge of API integrations to enhance end user services.
B3 Knowledge of library and/or archival metadata schema, such as Dublin Core (and related application profiles), MODS, MARC21/MARCXML, EAD, etc.
B4 Experience or knowledge of technical protocols such as OAI-PMH or ResourceSync, and data frameworks, such as Linked Open Data.
Skills
Essential:
C1 Fluency with at least several common high-level languages, web technologies, and data serializations (e.g. Python, Perl, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, XML, XSLT, JSON, RDF, MySQL (or similar, e.g. MariaDB), etc.); with capacity to acquire competence in other web development technologies as required.
C2 Analytical and proficient in problem solving and troubleshooting with creativity, adaptability, and resilience.
C3 Excellent IT skills, including with systems management, data and systems integrations,
C4 Capable of developing systems methodically, according to established conventions, and utilizing version control techniques (e.g. Git).
C5 Ability to communicate and collaborate with immediate team colleagues and technical support staff to deliver ‘best in class’ digital services.
C6 Ability to apply current practice and developing knowledge to innovative service provision.
C7 Excellent organisational skills and an ability to plan, organise, and establish priorities and schedule workloads.
C8 Excellent oral and written communication skills. C9 Confidence to make informed decisions quickly in response to critical IT issues or problems.
Experience
Essential:
E1 Demonstrable experience of maintaining and actively developing information systems and/or content management frameworks and/or digital asset management systems.
E2 Development experience within a customer focused environment displaying diverse user needs.
E3 Experience of eliciting requirements from users to inform solution design and/or interpreting technical standards for their implementation within systems.
E4 Demonstrable experience of effective liaison with multiple stakeholder groups and the cultivation of productive professional relationships.
E5 Experience of project planning and operating to project deliverables and timelines.
E6 Experience of working with collaborative and distributed open-source development teams and/or negotiating with system suppliers to deliver new functionality or services.
Desirable:
F1 Demonstrable experience of maintaining and developing digital library or digital archive software.
F2 Professional familiarity of digital preservation principles and/or preservation systems.
Terms and Conditions
Salary will be Grade 7 £40,497 - £45,413 per annum
This post is full time and open ended.
Closing Date: 23:45 4th June 2025
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension , benefits and discount packages.
3 A flexible approach to working.
4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community here.
We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.
We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/benefits-salary-and-flexible-working for more information.