Relief Library Assistant (6 Posts)

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent libraries team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post:

Barnsley Libraries service has community and digital hubs which anchor the council’s presence in many communities, developing a vibrant events and activities programme to attract and engage residents and visitors to the borough. Barnsley Libraries is regionally and nationally recognised through its National Portfolio status, awarded by by Arts Council England from April 2023 being only 1 of 16 libraries to be awarded this in the country. In the past two years we have delivered new and innovative cultural experiences such as Barnsley Book Festival and Library Lates comprising craft workshops, author talks and live performances as well as a range of bespoke artist commissions.  

The Library@TheLightbox represents one of the key parts of the ‘The Glassworks’ and the Council’s ambitious, transformative town centre redevelopment scheme. We have also refurbished ten of the fourteen branch libraries supported by Arts Council England’s ‘Libraries Improvement Funding’ from the UK Government. 

To help us continue to deliver our exciting public offer, we have several vacancies for Relief Library Assistants across the borough.  As a Relief Library Assistant, you will be the public face of our service, covering much of the work of our front-line staff on an as and when basis to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality of service to our library users.  Our libraries are about books but are so much more.  For our front-line staff, no two days are the same – you may be helping customers with their book choices, letting them know about our digital offers and helping them to get up and running with these, or doing something more interactive such as running craft or activity such as story and rhyme sessions. You’ll work with partners across the authority in areas such as Communities, Public Health, Museums and Schools to deliver exciting things for our customers. 

We are looking for people who engage well with others, are hard-working and can rise to a challenge. You’ll not be afraid to get involved and will have the skill to think on your feet dealing with whatever arises in the most appropriate manner. You may be asked to work across any of our libraries, so you need to be flexible and able to do this. 

Barnsley Council is a high-performing council with clear and tangible ambitions for its residents, communities, and stakeholders. The council’s 2030 vision is for Barnsley to be the place of possibilities, if you think this may be the job for you just fill in the application form online telling us how you meet the criteria within the job role.