Library Assistant

University of London; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 11,000 - 14,000; Part time

Job summary

The Warburg Library at the Warburg Institute, part of the University of London, seeks a part-time library assistant (17.5 hours per week) on a six-month contract to join a small team. The role involves shelving, tidying, answering basic user enquiries and assisting with various library tasks.

You will help move loaded trolleys, label acquisitions and participate in conservation activities and desk duties, with some physical duties such as lifting and bending required.

Responsibilities

• shelve and tidy in assigned areas
• answer basic enquiries from Library users
• assist in moving loaded trolleys to the appropriate areas
• label new acquisitions and participate in conservation activities and promotion of library collections
• assist on library enquiry desk duties
• lifting, bending and pushing loaded trolleys from dusty areas

Job description

The University of London

The University of London is both the UK’s largest provider of international distance and online learning and the convenor of a federation of 17 renowned higher education institutions.

The federation brings together more than 250,000 learners and 50,000 staff in a collaborative community that is delivering high-quality research and education across all disciplines.

Since 1858, we have expanded access to world-class higher education. Today, around 40,000 students in more than 190 countries are part of our global learning community.

The University of London is also home to the School of Advanced Study, the national centre for the humanities, whose mission is to advocate for the discipline.

By working together, we expand access to outstanding higher education and resources, and extend their benefits to learners and researchers across the UK and around the world

The Warburg Institute

The Warburg Institute is the premier institute in the world for the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture. Research at the Institute is cross-disciplinary and global: it is concerned with the survival and transmission of cultural forms across national borders and from the earliest times to the present. It has historic strengths in the reception of the classical tradition in the Renaissance and has been home to some of the most innovative and influential scholars in the fields it covers.

Its library holds some 380,000 volumes, stored on open shelves and structured according to Aby Warburg’s own unique scheme: it is the world’s largest collection of its kind and includes a large proportion of continental books and journals unavailable elsewhere in the UK.

Since 1944, the Warburg Institute has been part of the University of London, one of the oldest and largest universities in the UK—and its most diverse. The Institute is a founding member of the University’s School of Advanced Study, a cluster of internationally renowned institutes that form the UK's national centre for the promotion and facilitation of research in the humanities.

The Role

The Warburg Library is seeking a part time (17.5 hours per week) temporary (6 month contract) Library assistant, working with one other library assistant in a shared role to start as soon as possible.

The library assistant will shelve and tidy in assigned areas as required, answer basic enquiries from Library users (such as directing users to stock or around the Library), assist in moving loaded trolleys to the appropriate areas, label new acquisitions and participate in certain aspects of ongoing conservation activities and promotion of library collections.

The post holder(s) will also assist on library enquiry desk duties.

This post requires lifting, bending and pushing loaded trolleys from sometimes dusty areas.

Candidates must be able to work 17.5 FTE hours a week, hours to be arranged. In order to coordinate with the other Library Assistant role, candidates should ideally be able to work on Thursdays and Fridays.

For a full role profile, please refer to the job description below.

Further Information

Deadline: midnight on Thursday 22nd October 2026.

The University will be unable to sponsor candidates for a visa for this role. Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK for the duration of their employment.

The University reserves the right to close the vacancy earlier than the published end date should it receive sufficient applications to warrant earlier shortlisting.

Preferential consideration will be given to the University redeployment pool.

The University of London is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We particularly encourage applications from members ofBlack, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities as this group is currently under-represented at all levels within the University. All appointments will be made on merit, based on the criteria identified in the job description.

Pursuing excellence in education and equal opportunities.

University of London Benefits

www.london.ac.uk