Senior Library Assistant

London Borough of Newham; London; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

The London Borough of Newham is seeking a Senior Library Assistant for a fixed-term position at Stratford Library and a permanent role at Canning Town Library. Successful candidates will engage with the community and promote reading, alongside managing library operations. Ideal applicants will possess strong customer service skills and a passion for library services, helping improve the quality of life for local residents.

Qualifications

• Experience in libraries or similar customer-focused roles.
• Passionate about libraries and reading.
• Experience in running activities.

Responsibilities

• Assist customers with transactions and shelving books.
• Promote books and reading and support events.
• Manage openings, closings, and staff activities as a duty manager.

Skills

Customer care skills

Digital engagement

Literacy

Numeracy

IT skills

Job description

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Job Description

Senior Library Assistant £29,346 - £30,630 per annum

36 hours per week Fixed Term role until 31st March 2026 at Stratford Library

36 hours per week permanent role at Canning Town Library

About Us

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the south east. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the both the Theatre Royal Stratford East and Stratford Circus Arts Centre offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.

Job Description

Senior Library Assistant £29,346 - £30,630 per annum

36 hours per week Fixed Term role until 31st March 2026 at Stratford Library

36 hours per week permanent role at Canning Town Library

About Us

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the south east. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the both the Theatre Royal Stratford East and Stratford Circus Arts Centre offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.

Newham has a large housing regeneration programme that will build over 1,000 new council homes by 2022.

Newham Libraries is an ambitious library service that plays a pivotal role in improving the quality of life of our residents. Prior to the pandemic the number of visits to libraries and the number of books borrowed were increasing year on year and are now bouncing back again. The service is well placed within the Council and works closely with Public Health and other services. Key priorities for the service are ensuring that our book stock is representative of and relevant to our communities; encouraging Reading for Pleasure for all; developing our Digital Lending offer; building on our innovative approach to the Summer Reading Challenge; developing our Under 5s offer; and delivering a high quality library offer. There are 10 libraries across the borough delivering a high number of opening hours and a large number of events and activities.

Library and Senior Library Assistants have an essential role in delivering this ambition. They carry out a range of tasks including but not limited to: assisting customers with transactions; shelving of books and book displays; providing digital assistance and basic digital skills sessions; information provision and sign-posting; running or supporting events and activities including Under 5s story times; and promoting books and reading. On occasions Library and Senior Library assistants may also be required to support outreach activities or resident forums. As duty managers, Senior Library Assistants may be required to open and close buildings; take bookings and payments; oversee staff activity; and carry out cashing up / banking functions.

The candidate will have excellent customer care skills and experience, will enjoy helping people and be genuinely passionate about the role of libraries in providing a range of opportunities for our residents. They should have libraries or similar customer focused experience, love reading and talking about books, enjoy STEM and digital engagement, have a good level of literacy, numeracy and IT skills, experience of running activities, and enjoy working with the public.

Please view JD here

Closing date 6/7/25

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

About Us

The London Borough of Newham is located only 5 miles east of London. It is well positioned with access to all major networks in London and the south east. It is well connected by public transport with, bus, tube and DLR. When the Crossrail service opens it will call at Custom House close to our council offices and also Stratford station and from there to central London. The London City Airport which serves major European cities is located at Royal Albert Dock. Newham has the youngest overall population in the country. It was one of the six host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and contains most of the Olympic Park including the London Stadium. It has a thriving arts quarter with the Theatre Royal Stratford East offering excellent entertainment for all the family. There is the University of East London which has two campuses in Newham, one in Stratford and another next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock. It also has a large Westfield shopping Centre in Stratford which has all the major retailers there.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Other

• Industries

  Government Administration

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