Library Assistant

EMEA3 Recruitment; Crawley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Crawley Weighting allowance

Job summary

West Sussex Libraries is seeking a friendly Library Assistant to join our Crawley team. You will greet customers, help visitors access resources, and support a range of reading events while ensuring smooth day-to-day library operations.

The role is fixed-term until July 2027, 26 hours per week, with Crawley Weighting allowance. Applicants should have GCSEs including Maths and English, strong communication, and good IT skills to work across our library systems.

Qualifications

• GCSEs (Maths and English) or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Experience working in a team.
• Proficient with IT and library systems to assist customers.

Responsibilities

• Be the go-to person for customers and guide them to services.
• Support delivery of reading events (Rhyme Times, author talks).
• Use IT systems and enter basic data into the library system.
• Respond to enquiries in person and by phone.
• Assist with reading recommendations and book displays.
• Maintain and process book stock.

Skills

Teamwork

Digital skills

Communication

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Initiative

Education

GCSEs Maths & English

Tools

Library systems

Job description

Are you passionate about helping people and creating welcoming community spaces?

West Sussex Libraries are looking for a friendly, confident, and resourceful Library Assistant to join our high-performing team.

Our libraries are vibrant, inclusive spaces that serve a wide range of community needs. As a Library Assistant, you will be at the centre of this service, providing excellent customer support, helping visitors access resources, and ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the library.

Salary: £25,614 to £26,016 per annum, £17,999 to £18,281 (pro rata for part time) plus a Crawley Weighting allowance.

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until July 2027. Final start and end dates will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

Working Pattern: 26 hours per week

Location: Crawley Library Southgate Avenue, Crawley RH10 6HG

Interview Date: Thursday 24 September and Friday 25 September 2026

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

Shifts

Monday 08:30am to 5:00pm

Tuesday 08:30am to 3:25pm

Wednesday 08:30am to 6:05pm

Thursday OFF

Friday 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Saturday OFF

About the Job

Crawley is a modern friendly library in a spacious building including a café, near the town centre. Also, home to the Business & Intellectual Property Centre and Employ Crawley for help with setting up your own business or looking for a job. Works in partnership with Crawley College and is the lending library for all their further and higher education courses.

Step inside Crawley Library with our 360 degree tour.

We are looking for friendly, enthusiastic, and resourceful individuals who have exceptional digital skills and a genuine passion to make a difference to the local community.

It’s not just about the books! We are looking for someone who understands the power of community and the importance of fostering a love for reading in people of all ages.

Library Assistants welcome everyone with a positive attitude and a resilient approach to every request. Providing excellent customer service is central to our library service, creating dynamic and engaging environments. Flexibility, creativity, and initiative are essential qualities for success.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Being the dedicated go-to person for customers at the library, passionately helping them with their questions and sincerely guiding them to other services.
• Supporting the delivery of a wide range of reading events, including Rhyme Times and author talks.
• Using a variety of IT systems and services confidently and effectively including entering basic data into the library system, such as registering new members.
• Responding to enquiries from customers and colleagues, both in person and over the phone.
• Helping with reading recommendations
• Creating new themes for book displays.
• Maintaining, presenting, and processing book stock.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead engaging Rhyme Time sessions lasting 30 minutes. We are looking for a confident individual who will play a vital role in inspiring a love of music and language in children through nursery rhymes, songs, action rhymes, musical instruments, and puppets. Watch this video to discover more about Rhyme Time: Libraries are for everyone: Rhyme Time

The variety of our work means that no two days are the same. We get huge job satisfaction from helping everyone who comes through our doors, and you could too!

Required Qualifications and Skills

• 4 GCSEs with 9-4 / A-C passes including Maths and English, or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Experience working collaboratively within a team to complete shared tasks.
• Digital skills to effectively assist customers, including navigating emails and accessing the library website, app, and eLibrary.
• Strong communication and customer service skills to engage effectively with the public.
• Good interpersonal skills with the confidence to engage effectively with children, families, and customers of all ages.
• Capable of consistently meeting deadlines and adapting to the varied demands of each day, ensuring smooth and effective service.
• Skilled in taking initiative and applying sound judgment, while unwaveringly adhering to library practices and procedures.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

You will benefit from 25days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years’ service (pro rata for part time) plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme.

We think libraries are great places to work, where you can make a difference to local communities every day. Find out more about the variety that comes with working in a library and hear first-hand from some of our library staff here: Library Jobs at West Sussex Libraries

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01427.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Gill Burch at [e-mail]

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail]

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.This post is subject to right to work within the UK, , satisfactory references, and health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

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