Acquisitions Associate

Overview:
The University of Waterloo Library is the campus's partner in learning, research, and innovation. Its two main locations and three satellite spaces act as interdisciplinary hubs, bringing together the knowledge, expertise, and resources needed by our diverse campus community. The University was built for change and the Library exemplifies Waterloo’s agility as we continuously transform our approaches to creating, discovering, using, sharing, and preserving information. With a commitment to open and equitable access to information, we equip researchers and students with the critical research skills to improve our world as active citizens, creative problem solvers, and agile leaders. All our work is done with a strong commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

**Responsibilities**:
Acquisitions Processes Support:

- Place orders for print, electronic, packages and consortia products in a timely, fiscally responsible manner
- Review subscription orders, renewals, and cancellations with the selectors and the Acquisitions Manager, effectively communicating any changes with other library staff and vendors
- Review and reconcile titles in consortia and electronic packages annually and identify duplication of access through Acquisitions Plans, Open Access, or existing subscriptions
- Identify, analyze, confirm, and communicate price increases and content changes for ongoing subscriptions
- Analyze and interpret consortia package deals and readily communicating complex information to other Library staff and Liaison Librarians
- Document Acquisitions processes and providing Liaison Librarians with documentation and support to effectively use departmental processes
- Track the modification of orders through reporting codes in the Library Service Platform (LSP)
- Review and assess vendors’ online databases and interfaces to ensure they meet the University’s accessibility requirements

Accounts Payable Processes Support:

- Support payment processes in close collaboration with the Acquisitions Manager, Acquisitions Associate, Invoicing and Ledgers and Finance Officer
- Assist in the fiscal close and opening processes
- Coordinate annual serials assessment process to analyze expenditures and adjusting orders
- Run/create reports, to ensure orders are processed, invoiced, and completed
- Purchase library materials and reconciling these purchases monthly
- Create new vendor accounts with a high degree of accuracy on the University’s financial system and LSP and communicate changes in vendors in an accurate and timely manner
- Calculate and implement fund transfers on LSP to purchase new library resources in addition to tracking budget transactions, expenditures, preventing expenditures and monitoring budgets, including the compilation of historical change reports
- Ensure cost-shares and split payments are agreed to by all parties and noted

Department Participation:

- Collaborate and support the Library’s Collections workflow, working closely with members of the department as well as the Cataloguing Department, Liaison Librarians and other Library units
- Provide recommendations and best practices for acquisition sources and methodologies
- Develop strategies/recommendations to support fiscal efficiencies
- Respond to department ticketing system in accordance with customer service standards and ensure complex information is communicated in a timely fashion
- Support the Electronic Resource Access (ERAccess) team by confirming order subscription and purchase information which may require troubleshooting work
- Participate in departmental reviews and working groups

Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education/experience
- Experience working effectively in a team-based service-oriented environment
- Demonstrated experience with very detail-oriented processes, requiring an exceptional degree of accuracy
- Proven experience working with Microsoft Excel
- Demonstrated experience and aptitude for investigating and troubleshooting
- Experience in library operations, particularly knowledge of acquisitions an asset
- Experience with the procurement of print and electronic library information resources in a higher education setting an asset
- Experience with a Library Service Platform (LSP), particularly in an academic setting, vendor sites and Electronic Resources Management (ERM), an asset
- Preferred Technical Skills:

- JIRA/Confluence - Intermediate
- SharePoint - Beginner
- Ticketing System (JIRA/JSM) - Beginner
- Financial System (Unit 4) - Beginner
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative, analyze and resolve problems and to prioritize multiple tasks in an environment with frequent interruptions
- Proven ability to work independently, professionally, and collaboratively in a service-oriented environment
- Proven ability to foster positive working relationships and partnerships across multiple and diverse stakeholder groups; excellent oral and written communicat