Library Assistant

Salary Range: SSA Scale 4

Permanent Full Time

Location: Richmond Cluster, Richmond Libraries

Other essential information: The standard working pattern for this role includes working 4 days Mon-Fri and every other Saturday. Weekdays from 9:15 – 6:15/7:15. Saturdays from 9:15 – 4:15.

Objective of role

OUR VISION: How Richmond upon Thames Libraries see the future. ‘Communities within Richmond upon Thames will realise their potential through the personal, professional, social and cultural development opportunities provided by their library service.’ We operate a high‑performing library service that is highly regarded by the community. As a Library Assistant, your role will be to support the delivery of this borough‑wide service by ensuring excellent customer service and carrying out a range of administrative duties to facilitate the day‑to‑day operations. Modern public libraries are vibrant and inclusive spaces, open to all members of the community. Our staff must be resilient, confident, and resourceful in order to manage the often complex and challenging situations that can arise in such dynamic environments.

Most of your work will involve frontline customer service, including issuing and returning items, maintaining and caring for resources, assisting with information searches and enquiries, supporting events, and helping visitors access the full range of services offered by the library.

About the role

You should meet the following criteria:

• The ability to communicate clearly, and with understanding, when working with the public including using the telephone, email and social media.
• The ability and confidence to deal with challenging situations in a calm and effective manner.

Day‑to‑day duties include:

• You will shelve and tidy stock, promoting it and helping customers choose books and ensuring that our collections are ordered, well‑presented and accessible.
• You will also help to deliver a wide range of reading events, such as weekly Rhyme times and author talks.
• You will use a range of IT systems and services at a high level.
• You will answer customers’ and colleagues’ enquiries both in person and on the phone.
• You will be required to work at any of the 12 libraries within the borough. As such, you must be able to travel to and undertake duties at any library, occasionally at short notice.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Customer Service & Problem‑Solving – you should have experience working—either in a paid or voluntary capacity—in a high‑pressure environment where high standards of service delivery are expected.
• Teamwork and Collaboration – You should be able to demonstrate your contribution to the success of an effective team. You should have experience responding to queries and resolving problems effectively.
• Organisation & Time Management – Your ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast‑paced setting, with minimal supervision, is essential.
• Resilience & Professionalism – You should be able to demonstrate confidence and a strong capacity for resilience by maintaining composure, responding effectively and professionally in challenging situations involving service users.

Indicative recruitment timeline

• Closing Date: Tuesday 2nd June 2026.
• Shortlisting Date: W/c 15th June 2026.
• Interview Date: 22nd June – 11th July (TBC).

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.