Job Description

About the role

We are looking for an enthusiastic and versatile person to help us shape the future of Cambridgeshire Libraries. We maintain a high quality public library service, working in partnership with a range of other organizations and community groups.


Our Community Library Assistants are the first point of contact for members of the public who are visiting and using our Libraries, and consequently the role is varied and allows staff to develop many different skills.


This role is based at Arbury Court Library, Cambridge, however you may be occasionally asked to travel to other libraries within the city.


We want to recognise and celebrate the diversity of our local communities and be responsive to their needs. We also want to ensure that we are a fair and equitable employer, striving to achieve a diverse workforce that has the ability to understand, communicate and interact with people across cultures. We therefore encourage applications from all areas of our community.


Interviews will be held at Central Library, Cambridge likely in the week of 11 August 2025.


Applications must be made online via this system,

CVs or other attachments are not accepted.

For more information or to chat about this opportunity please contact Christopher Waters on 07391730796 or email libraries.referralcentre-@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

What will you be doing?
Providing friendly, efficient, customer-facing, front-line public services to users of Cambridgeshire Libraries. Contributing to and promoting the library offer. Supporting library events and activities. Supporting the wider aims and objectives of the service by assisting in delivery of partnership initiatives and outreach work.

Please refer to the attached job description for further details about the role.


Please note that this post requires lone working as Arbury Court Library is single-staffed in the morning and on Saturdays.


About you

The successful candidate will have a flair for working with people, able to create a friendly and welcoming environment for a diverse range of customers. They will be excellent at multi-tasking, be quick and efficient, and enjoy working under pressure. Arbury Court Library is single-staffed, so once a full training and induction programme is completed the successful candidate will be staffing solo this busy library during their shifts.


The candidate will be passionate about what public libraries can offer, and able to promote our services. Although there is plenty of routine work, there is also scope to be creative. Training will be given on specific library systems, but an ability to work with IT is assumed. Although library experience is an advantage, we would also like to hear from candidates who have demonstrated exceptional customer service skills in other contexts.

Please note: all applications must be made online and we cannot accept CVs.

When completing the supporting statement for this position,

please tell us how your knowledge, skills and experience match each of the criteria in the person specification

. Think carefully about the following criteria and provide practical examples of how and when you have used the particular knowledge, skill or experience:

Demonstrate your understanding of delivering good customer service Interpersonal skills, including patience and listening skills with an ability to establish exactly what the customer requires A pleasant, helpful manner with customers of all ages and abilities. A strong team player, able to work with colleagues on projects and contribute to team goals Flexibility and adaptability in all areas of work, including being able to respond to a change in hours or workplace location.

Please note: all applications must be made online and we cannot accept CVs.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.


Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.


We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don't meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don't be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.


Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.


We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.


Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.


https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers


Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage...

A comprehensive

wellbeing package

to cover

all aspects of wellbeing

, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family Buy up to

4 weeks additional annual leave

(pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme Take your bank holidays

flexibly

to better suit

your personal circumstances

Make

Additional Voluntary Contributions

(Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings Access to

development opportunities

, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support

your personal and professional growth

Paid volunteering hours

each year so you can make a

positive impact on our community

during your normal working day Access to

Peer Support Groups

through our IDEAL staff

equality, diversity and inclusion

network Opportunities to nominate and receive

Employee Recognition Awards

An

Our Cambs Rewards

account, giving you access to in-store and online

discounts

as well as our

Car Lease

and

Cycle to Work

schemes

Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.