BACKGROUND

The Caribbean is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. Consequently, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is pursuing a Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy through CDEMA, the region’s principal disaster management agency. A major function of CDEMA in fulfilling this mandate is to act as a clearing house for the region’s disaster management-related information (i.e., a place where the information is collected and stored, and from which it can be easily distributed or remotely accessed). To this end, CDEMA has decided to develop a web-accessible Virtual Library (as part of the agency’s EDF Institutional Support and Capacity Building for Disaster Management in the Caribbean Project, from which the funds for the Virtual Library Assistant will come), based at the Agency’s Coordinating Unit (CU) in St. Michael, Barbados.

2.0 PURPOSE

This appointment seeks to accelerate Virtual Library development at the CDEMA CU, with the aim of having CDEMA’s most important disaster management-related documents stored and available in digital form by November 2010. The Virtual Library Assistant will therefore help the CU’s Documentation Centre become a more effective information repository, and thus improve the Centre’s ability to serve CU employees and disaster management personnel in CDEMA’s 18 member states. In executing the responsibilities of the assignment Virtual Library Assistant will work at the CDEMA CU, under the direction of the Information Officer/Documentalist, and collaborate with CDEMA staff.

Specifically the Virtual Library Assistant will: 2.1 Assist the Documentalist, in the identification and selection of materials in the

CDEMA Documentation Centre for population of the Virtual Library.

2.2 Upload (a minimum of 150) various types of digitial materials, inclusive of documents and multimedia works to the Virtual Library

2.3 Create and input cataloguing (metadata) details, abstracts, notes for digital materials uploaded to the Virtual Library, assuring the accuracy of all records.

2.4 Assist in the physical organisation of printed or other materials uploaded to

Virtual Library

3.0 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The Virtual Library Assistant should have:

3.1 At least five (5) Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) passes, including English Language;

3.2 At least two (2) years experience in a library environment, particularly with cataloguing, classification and data entry;

3.3 Demonstrated, or demonstrable, proficiency with Microsoft Office software.

4.0 PERIOD OF CONTRACT

The Direct Hire Special Services Agreement will be for one (1) month, and the working week will be forty (40) hours inclusive