Library Customer Service Officer

Barnet Council; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Flexible working policy

Lifestyle discounts

Payroll benefits (cycle to work, eye‑s

Gym membership

Job summary

Barnet Council is seeking a proactive library assistant to welcome customers, identify needs, and provide a high-quality service across library facilities. You will support volunteers and provide guidance for technology-enabled access, helping users with self-service stations and other services.

The role involves assisting with library operations, delivering events, handling information queries, and stepping in as duty manager when required.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering friendly and effective customer service in a library or public service setting.
• Ability to solve queries and provide accurate information with guidance when needed.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage with diverse customers.

Responsibilities

• Welcome library customers and identify their needs to provide a quality service.
• Help produce resources and guidance for customers.
• Assist users with self-service equipment and other services and systems.
• Maintain efficient library operations under the Library Customer Services Manager.
• Act as duty manager when required.
• Deliver library events and activities as directed.
• Respond to information queries from the public.

Skills

Customer service

Problem solving

Communication

Flexibility

Duty management

Job description

Job Description

Important Information for Current Barnet Council Employees

Where possible, employees who have access to Oracle are encouraged to apply via the Opportunity Marketplace (Internal Career Site). This helps to ensure applications are correctly identified as internal and avoids potential delays during the recruitment process.

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

About The Role

• To welcome all library customers and identify their individual needs, to provide a quality service and to enable customers to make full use of the facilities available.
• To help produce resources and guidance for customers in volunteer supported and technology enabled opening hours.
• To interact with customers throughout their visit, and assist them with the use of self-service equipment and other services and systems.
• To provide and help to organise an efficient library and information service in the library where you are working under the direction of the Library Customer Services Manager/Assistant Library Customer Services Manager, ensuring that agreed standards of service are met.
• To be responsible for a library and its operations in the absence of senior staff.
• To deliver library events and activities as directed.
• To respond to information queries from the general public

About You

• To problem solve and provide information and effective solutions to a range of different enquiries in line with training received, initiating action and referring to senior staff / Customer Service staff as appropriate, within the agreed framework and required timescale.
• To act as duty manager when required.
• In order to deliver the service effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed and the post-holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the post, at the appropriate grade.

What We Offer

• 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme , which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
• A comprehensive Flexible Working Policy which supports work-life balance by empowering staff and management to make decisions around when, where, and how work is done
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance

System notice: Some dates shown on our online application system (such as “Apply Before”) appear in US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) due to Oracle system settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support your application as a reasonable adjustment, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn, escalated to counter Fraud for further investigation and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening.

To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.