Are you passionate about helping people and creating welcoming community spaces?
West Sussex Libraries are looking for two friendly, confident, and resourceful Library Assistants to join our high-performing team at Crawley Library.
Our libraries are vibrant, inclusive spaces that serve a wide range of community needs. As a Library Assistant, you will be at the centre of this service, providing excellent customer support, helping visitors access resources, and ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the library.
Salary: £24,796 to £25,185 per annum (pro rata for part time)*, entitlement to Saturday Enhancement for working 7 hours 35 minutes, 1 in 2 Saturdays and Crawley Weighting Allowance.
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 1x 24 hours per week and 1x 25 hours per week
Location: Crawley Library Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG
Interview Date: Tuesday 18 November and Thursday 20 November 2025
*Pro rata salary for 24 hours per week: £16,083 to £16,336 per annum
*Pro rata salary for 25 hours per week: £16,754 to £17,016 per annum
We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience.
Shifts (24 hours per week):
Week 1
Monday 08:30am to 12:30pm
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday 08:30am to 6:05pm
Thursday 08:30am to 5:05pm
Friday 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Saturday OFF
Week 2
Monday 08:30am to 12:30pm
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Friday 08:30am to 6:05pm
Saturday 08:30am to 5:05pm
Shifts (25 hours per week)
Week 1
Monday OFF
Tuesday 08:30am to 12:40pm
Wednesday 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Thursday 08:30am to 6:05pm
Friday OFF
Saturday 08:30am to 6:05pm
Week 2
Monday OFF
Tuesday 08:30am to 12:40pm
Wednesday 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Thursday 08:30am to 6:05pm
Friday 08:30am to 5:05pm
Saturday OFF
About the Job
Crawley is a modern, welcoming library housed in a spacious building that features a café, located near the town centre.
It is also home to the Business & Intellectual Property Centre and Employ Crawley, which provide support for entrepreneurs and job seekers. The library collaborates with Crawley College and serves as the lending library for all their further and higher education courses.
We are looking for a Library Assistant who has exceptional digital skills and a genuine passion to make a difference to the local community.
It's not just about the books! We are looking for someone who understands the power of community and the importance of fostering a love for reading in people of all ages.
Library Assistants welcome everyone with a positive attitude and a resilient approach to every request. Providing excellent customer service is central to our library service, creating dynamic and engaging environments. Flexibility, creativity, and initiative are essential qualities for success.
Your responsibilities will include:
* Being the dedicated go-to person for customers at the library, passionately helping them with their questions and sincerely guiding them to other services
* Supporting the delivery of a wide range of library events, including Rhyme Times, Melody for the Mind and Lets Chat activities.
* Using a variety of IT systems and services confidently and effectively including entering basic data into the library system, such as registering new members.
* Responding to enquiries from customers and colleagues, both in person and over the phone.
* Helping with reading recommendations
* Creating new themes for book displays.
* Maintaining, presenting, and processing book stock.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead engaging Rhyme Time sessions lasting 30 minutes. We are looking for a confident individual who will play a vital role in inspiring a love of music and language in children through nursery rhymes, songs, action rhymes, musical instruments, and puppets. Watch this video to discover more about Rhyme Time: Libraries are for everyone: Rhyme Time
The variety of our work means that no two days are the same. We get huge job satisfaction from helping everyone who comes through our doors, and you could too!
Required Qualifications and Skills
* 4 GCSEs with 9-4 / A-C passes including Maths and English, or equivalent qualification/experience.
* Experience working collaboratively within a team to complete shared tasks.
* Digital skills to effectively assist customers, including navigating emails and accessing the library website, app, and eLibrary.
* Strong communication and customer service skills to engage effectively with the public.
* Good interpersonal skills with the confidence to engage effectively with children, families, and customers of all ages.
* Capable of consistently meeting deadlines and adapting to the varied demands of each day, ensuring smooth and effective service.
* Skilled in taking initiative and applying sound judgment, while unwaveringly adhering to library practices and procedures.
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Rewards and Benefits
From access to our Employee Assistance Programme to training and development opportunities, we aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.
We think libraries are great places to work, where you can make a difference to local communities every day. Find out more about the variety that comes with working in a library and hear first-hand from some of our library staff here: Library Jobs - West Sussex
You will benefit from 25 days annual leave (pro rata for part time) rising to 28 days (pro rata for part time) after 5 years' service plus the opportunity to buy additional leave, an excellent local government pension scheme as well as a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers.
For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CPP01236.
Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV, and complete the application form, explaining how you meet the key skills in the attached job description and experience you can bring to the role. Please ensure that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience.
Struggling to apply? Book onto a Digital Support Session in a library near you to get help navigating our application form.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, satisfactory references, and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
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