Librarian

Contract

This is a ICRC - Open-ended contract. More about ICRC - Open-ended contracts.

Reports to (role)

• Head of Unit Library and Public Archives

What we do (Introduction for the field positions)

The Division of Archives, Library and Outreach valorizes ICRC’s past actions and thinking to inform current and future decision-making and promotes the ICRC’s present thinking, legal and policy positions internally and externally.

The Archives and Library preserve and valorize evidence of and information on the ICRC’s activities, legal and policy positions for long-term use and access, contributing to the ICRC’s business continuity, accountability, and transparence. They form the memory of the organization and of individuals and their families affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence and contribute to the development of knowledge on ICRC’s past actions and on the development of IHL.

The ICRC Library holds unique collections on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and international humanitarian law (IHL). Internally, it is a service available to all ICRC colleagues, to help them find, access, and search the literature they need for their work. The library also welcomes external researchers and practitioners interested in IHL and the ICRC’s work throughout the years. Its online catalogue is the gateway to the most recent scholarship on the subject, documents of diplomatic and international conferences, all ICRC publications, and heritage collections documenting the early development of international humanitarian law and action.

Purpose of the post

The Librarian for ICRC and IHL primary sources oversees the institutional repositories for Diplomatic and International Conferences, as well as National Practice. S/he supports research and provides guidance on collection and access to those documents. S/he contributes to showcase these repositories on the CROSS-files blog and social media.

The Librarian for ICRC and IHL primary sources works hand in hand with the IHL Librarian and the ICRC Librarian, who are responsible for their respective thematic collections. S/he is responsible for the administration of the library management system and for the training of the apprentice “Agent en information documentaire” and reports to the head of the Library and Public Archives unit. S/he works in close collaboration with division staff. S/he serves as ambassador for the collections and repositories managed by the Archives and Library.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Collection management and preservation

• Oversees and develops institutional repositories of the library (Diplomatic and International Conferences, as well as National Practice), ensures structure and coherence within those repositories.
• Monitors ratification notifications from treaty depositaries, updates the IHL Treaties database accordingly, contributes to annual and specific reports and responds to ad hoc requests.
• Maintains the library management system (NetBiblio), motivates and tests upgrades.

People management responsibilities

No

Relationships

• Internally, interacts with all levels of the organisation, especially the legal division
• Externally, interacts with researchers, academics, general public, ICRC visitors and interlocutors interested in the International Committee of the Red Cross and international humanitarian law

Education and experience required

• University degree in information, archival or library science
• University degree in law, history or other relevant fields or confirmed experience in academic/specialized library
• Swiss Federal Certificate of “formateur/trice d’apprenti/e”, or interest in acquiring it
• Professional experience in the administration of a library management system strongly favoured
• Knowledge of bibliographic, preservation and digitization standards
• Knowledge of practices and trends in the library world
• Knowledge of the history of the ICRC, humanitarian action or international humanitarian law an asset

Profile and skills:

• Fluency in oral and written French and English, other languages an asset
• Ability to work as part of a team in a multicultural environment
• Sense of initiative and ability to work autonomously
• Rigor and organisational skills
• Tech-savvy
• Interest in supervising junior staff
• At ease with communicating with a broad range of audiences
• Good analytical and drafting skills
• Patron-oriented
• Sensibility to the historical and heritage value of library documents
• Intellectual curiosity and open mindedness

Nos Valeurs

• Au CICR, nos collaboratrices et collaborateurs sont unis autour des mêmes valeurs d’impact, respect, collaboration, respect et compassion. Nous recherchons des candidates et des candidats à même de démontrer des comportements et actions guidés par ce socle de valeurs. Pour davantage d’information sur les valeurs du CICR, n’hésitez pas à consulter la page dédiée sur notre site Career.

Additional information

• Function: Librarian
• Activity rate: 100%
• Estimated started date: 1 July 2024
• Location: Geneva
• Grade: B3
• Application deadline: 16.06.2024

Please note that this position requires presence in the office for a minimum of 3 days a week.