Salary: £24,685.00 - £24,685.00 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 18 September 2025
The Role
Newcastle University Library is a multiple-award winning service. We are the only University Library in the UK to have received the Charter Mark five times, and now hold the Customer Services Excellence award which replaced it. It illustrates our dedication to delivering a friendly, professional, and efficient service to all our customers and putting them at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to developing and delivering innovative services as stated in our Library strategic plan .
Library Attendants are essential to the running of the University libraries, working either during core Library service hours or during evening, overnight and weekend opening hours. You will provide excellent customer service and ensure that the library is opened safely and securely during periods of limited staffing.
This role is an onsite role. You may be required to work at any of our Library sites and duties will vary in emphasis depending on the shifts that are worked
Previous experience of working in a customer focused service environment is essential. You will possess a full driving license, have good interpersonal and customer care skills and the ability to work accurately and with attention to detail.
Mobility and physical fitness consistent with the need to push trolleys, deliver materials, carry parcels and move equipment along with any other manual handling task relevant to the role is essential. You will also be required to undertake mandatory Health and Safety training relevant to the role.
Key Accountabilities
* To provide a reception service dealing with general and directional enquiries, keeping relevant records of these, as required, and referring more complex enquiries to Customer Services staff.
* To use the Library Management system to carry out a range of functions including both customer-facing and stock maintenance activities.
* To provide assistance to customers in the use of a range of Library equipment, and to maintain this equipment as required, for example replenishing printers and photocopiers, and reporting faults as necessary.
* To empty book-bins and load trolleys, and to sort, shelve, tidy and retrieve library materials.
* To provide first aid and fire safety duties, undertake routine patrols and safety checks, reporting defects, testing fire alarms.
* To contribute to overall building safety and security and responding to emergency situations, taking appropriate action to minimise damage or distress, e.g. assisting with emergency evacuations, dealing with floods.
* To carry out incidental cleaning to ensure the good order of the library, emptying waste bins, taking refuse to appropriate collection points, moving furniture and replenishing sanitary supplies.
* Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required.
The Person (Essential)
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
* Possession of a full driving license
* Good standard of literacy and numeracy
* Good communication, interpersonal and customer care skills
* Good IT skills, including experience of using packages in the MS Office suite, and ability to use search engines
* Awareness of the range of library services and resources
* Ability to work accurately and with attention to detail
* Ability to work as part of a team and independently
* Experience of working in a customer focused service, and an appreciation of the importance of maintaining a clean and tidy environment
* Capable of pushing trolleys, carrying books and furniture, and of working at height.
Attributes and Behaviours
* Is factually correct and gives consistent information
* Clear and concise; gets the message across to others
* Keeps other team members up to date with progress
* Willing to help others and share workloads
* Keeps other team members up to date with progress
* Works in a planned and structured way
* Ensures that all activities are completed on time to meet set standards
* Uses own and others’ time effectively;
* Pays attention to detail
* Strives to deliver high quality results
* Is enthusiastic in getting the job done on time
Qualifications (Essential)
* 5 GCSE passes at Grade C or above, or equivalent
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 28562