Customer Service & Jazz Archive Assistant - Loughton Library

Fixed Term, Part Time

£25,081 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Loughton

Closing Date: Sunday 25th January 2026 at 11.59pm

Interview Date: W/C the 2nd of February 2026

Come and join us in Libraries where we are starting to reimagine what our libraries are going to be and help our present and future customers have the best experience possible. We are currently recruiting to a dual position of Customer Services Assistant and Jazz Archive Assistant based at our Loughton Library. Please note, this is a 6-month fixed term, part time contract position working 18.5 hours per week and the pro rata salary will be £12,541 per annum. This role includes Saturday working.

The Role

You’ll join a service that is undergoing change. Libraries around the UK are evolving to meet the differing demands of our customers. The demands are often different dependent on the location of our Libraries, and this is where your knowledge will be invaluable. You’ll support with book circulation and issuing, signpost customers to different services and be our ears and eyes for what makes the difference to our customers. We want you to feel proud to play your role.

The Opportunity

Our Customer Service team are at the heart of what we do - they are the face of our libraries and our driving force. To join them you’ll need to be confident helping a diverse range of customers, with demands that change daily. We have an inclusive environment - your experience, your age and your perspectives are welcome in our team. The Jazz Archive Collections Assistant will be working alongside an experienced and growing volunteer team. The role requires someone with all-round archival and ideally, library experience, who is prepared to learn and understand the specialist processes of our unique national asset to aid their continued professional development. The post-holder will have an essential interest in jazz and/or improvised music.

Key Responsibilities

• First and foremost - you like helping people.
• If you’ve got some IT skills - self-taught or not, that’s ideal. We use self-service equipment, and our customers need your empathy and patience at all times.
• Arranging and conducting Rhymetime, an inclusive session for all families with babies and toddlers.
• Health & Safety is key to what we do. We’d like you to be the kind of person who sees things that need sorting and help sort them out.
• You’ll help with promotional activities - we generate income in all our libraries and value your ideas. Especially ones that can be rolled out across all Libraries.
• Assisting customers to use the library catalogue and learn to use the full library offer.
• Ensure seamless stock circulation and management, involving sorting, shelving, tidying, and handling reservations, fines, and membership activities.
• Data drives us - you’ll help us look at it in different ways, ensuring that we focus on the customer and staff to improve what we offer.
• Our smaller libraries have less staff, so we’ll ask you to help out with unlocking / locking up and ask you to be a trusted keyholder.
• Assist the Executive Chair, Operations Manager and other specialist archivists in the efficient operation of the National Jazz Archive and its working spaces and collections.
• The Jazz Archive Collections Assistant will work alongside volunteers and other colleagues to provide comprehensive research, support and front-of-house service to all those using the Archive, its services and events.

Experience and Qualifications:

We welcome candidates with a diverse range of experiences and qualifications. Here’s a sample - what we’re interested in is if you are brilliant at the basics which include:

• Possession of a Driving Licence - desired
• Demonstration that you know how to use IT systems or have the ability to learn.
• Customer service experience in any area
• Confidence in speaking to our customers and signposting them to Library services, other parts of the Council services and our partner organisations.
• Enthusiasm and ideas
• Enjoy working within a team to make us as brilliant as possible.

We are dedicated to building a team that reflects the diverse community we serve. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. Together, let’s create a welcoming and inclusive library experience for everyone. Apply now to be part of our vibrant and diverse team!

Interviews

As a Customer Services Assistant, you will be required to work with children to develop and grow our audience in this key area of our business. Part of your responsibilities will be to deliver story and rhyme sessions to groups of parents and toddlers in a library setting. Therefore, as part of the interview process you will be required to deliver a short 5-minute activity that enables you to demonstrate your ability to engage with children. This could include reading a short children’s story or sharing a children’s nursery rhyme.