Library Assistant - Richmond, Middlesex, Unites Kingdom in Twickenham

Salary: From £30,225 to £34,386 depending on skills, knowledge and experience.

Job Introduction:

• Location: Richmond Cluster, Richmond Libraries
• Standard working pattern: 4 days Mon-Fri and every other Saturday. Weekdays from 9.15 to 6.15/7.15, Saturdays from 9.15 to 4.15.

Objective of role:

Communities within Richmond upon Thames will realise their potential through the personal, professional, social and cultural development opportunities provided by their library service. 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
• 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:

• Shelving and tidying stock, promoting it and helping customers choose books.
• Ensuring that our collections are ordered, well-presented and accessible.
• Helping to deliver a wide range of reading events, such as weekly Rhymetimes and author talks.
• Using a range of IT systems and services at a high level.
• Answering customers and colleagues' enquiries both in person and on the phone.
• Working at any of the 12 libraries within the borough, occasionally at short notice.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Customer Service & Problem-Solving: Experience working in a high-pressure environment where high standards of service delivery are expected.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Demonstrated contribution to the success of an effective team, responding to queries and resolving problems effectively.
• Organisation & Time Management: Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced setting, with minimal supervision.
• Resilience & Professionalism: Ability to maintain composure and respond 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.