About Us
The Library Service promotes the benefits of reading for pleasure, learning, health, and wellbeing, through events and activities. We provide a welcoming environment for all, encouraging families to join in our regular activities, supporting people accessing digital services, offering regular activities for adults to help combat loneliness and isolation and helping people in need find their way to other local services that can help them.
We offer a smart training package so you can be part of our work from the very first day. And we’re invested in our staff, with opportunities for the right people to progress to supervisory and management roles, or to join one of our specialist librarian teams, organising events and outreach work.
For more information about West Sussex Libraries, watch this short video West Sussex Libraries: Animation - YouTubeand why not explore our West Sussex Librarieswebsite?
About The Job
Salary: £22,369 to £22,777 per annum, £11.59 to £11.81 hourly rate (pro rata for part time) You will be entitled to Saturday Enhancement for working 1 in 2 Saturdays for 7 hours 30 minutes.
Working Pattern: Part Time (21.5 hours per week)
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Horsham Library
Interview date: 14 April 2023
Do you want to make a difference to people’s lives and help communities to grow?
Do you enjoy working with people of all ages and backgrounds?
Do you have great leadership skills?
If so, working in a library could be just the role for you!
As a Senior Library Assistant, you will be responsible for the day to data coordination of a small team. You will play a key part in the team and a key contact for those people using the library!
We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic, and resourceful people, with excellent digital skills, to join our team as the key initial contact delivering a customer-facing library service, helping to deliver a high-quality enquiry service, providing information accurately, and signposting to other services.
It’s an active role; carrying books, pushing trolleys, lifting boxes and being on your feet for long periods of time. You will also be required to lone-work regularly.
You will be a keen team player, able to work alongside partners and volunteers providing excellent customer service to the whole range of visitors to the library.
Flexibility is key as one moment you may be helping a customer log-on to the library Wi-Fi and download an eBook, the next leading a Baby Rhyme Time session for parents and babies. 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!
A full job description is attached at the bottom of the advert.
Shift Pattern:
Week 1
Monday 8.30- 12.00
Tuesday 1.00-5.00pm
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 8.30 -6.05pm
Friday OFF
Saturday 8.30 - 5.05
Week 2
Monday 8.30 - 12.20
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday 8.30 - 4.30pm
Thursday 8.30- 6.05pm
Friday OFF Saturday
OFF
Experience and Skills
Key Skills:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with the public and colleagues and act as a point of information/advice/guidance where appropriate.
- Ability to work as part of a team completing shared tasks, and meeting deadlines, in order to deliver a service to others and to lead the team when appropriate.
- Ability to manage a small group of people e.g. produce staffing timetables and allocate and check work.
- Good interpersonal skills with the ability to confidently work with children and families e.g. reading to groups of young children during story time sessions and leading baby rhyme time sessions.
- Analytical and judgemental skills in order to effectively assist with customer queries.
- Proficient digital skills in order to be able to use a range of library equipment including the library management system, library related apps (including electronic library), photocopiers, and the internet.
Qualifications and/or experience:
- 4 GCSEs with A-C passes including Maths and English or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating that level of numeracy and literacy.
- European Computer Driving Licence, or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating good working knowledge of digital systems/procedures.
- Experience of working with the general public and providing a service giving basic information advice and guidance.
- Experience of team working and an appreciation of volunteer work.
- Experience of providing a high level of customer service.
- Experience of working in a library. Desirable
- Supervisory experience. Desirable
Rewards and Benefits
Why choose us as your next employer? We care about wellbeing, allowing time for celebrating our teams’ efforts, and developing our team to be the best they can be. Alongside this, we also offer the below benefits.
- An excellent local government pension scheme
- Generous holiday entitlement of 24 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
- A range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
- Maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
- Volunteering opportunities
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching, mentoring and apprenticeships
- A range of discounts giving 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 (see our Staff discounts pageif you are a business looking to offer a discount)
- Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders, Wellbeing Hub and Voluntary Health Cash Plans
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CPP00712.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Roger Myall at roger.myall@westsussex.gov.uk
For an informal conversation regarding the application process, please contact Rosa Siracusa (Resourcing Advisor) at Rosa.Siracusa@westsussex.gov.uk
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.
To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to satisfactory references and health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please visit our website.
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Job Reference: CPP00712