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Do you have experience of providing a high level of customer service?
Are you motivated by making a difference to communities? Do you have great communication skills to help you be a trusted point of information and guidance when it matters most?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
Our library staff and volunteers change people's lives for the better every day, and being part of the service offers huge job satisfaction.
The Opportunity
Salary: £24,294 to £24,702 per annum (£10,505 to £10,681 pro rata for part time) and entitlement to Saturday Enhancement to working 3 hours 30 minutes for 1 in 2 Saturdays
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Part-time (16 hours per week)
Location: Ford Prison Library Ford Rd, Ford, Arundel BN18 0BX
Interview Date: Thursday 03 October 2024
West Sussex Library Service provides the library service at Ford Prison, funded by the Ministry of Justice. Our busy library at HMP Ford delivers a wide range of library services including a book, CD and DVD lending service and an enquiry service for prisoners and prison staff. It also provides access to newspapers, magazines, puzzles, and library activities including 'Raising Readers' and a 'Book Chat' session to promote literacy.
We are looking to recruit a Senior Library Assistant who is passionate about the important role that libraries play in society to join our Prison Library Team and work effectively alongside a range of prison staff, prisoners, and colleagues across the Library Service.
You will have the confidence to work in a unique environment where you can really make a difference, the successful candidate will receive support from the Prison Library Manager and will respond to day-today library enquiries and provide support to a small team of Library Assistants (recruited from the prison population). The duties of a Senior Library Assistant are wide ranging across many areas of the library service and include delivering a customer-facing library service and high-quality enquiry service.
Flexibility is essential, as one moment you might be assisting a prisoner with a simple internet or reference enquiry, and the next, you could be facilitating a heartfelt Story Book Dad recording, followed by managing the pay for a prison library assistant.
You will need to embrace the challenge of adapting to and responding to the evolving needs of the service.
The role will require lone working in the prison library, and flexibility to work evenings and alternate Saturdays.
An example of a standard timetable is included, the final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate:
Monday: Afternoon and evening (until 7.15pm)
Tuesday: Afternoon and evening (until 7.15pm)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Off
Friday: Morning and afternoon
Saturday: Alternate Saturday morning (8.30-12pm)
Rewards and Benefits
You will benefit from 25 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part time) plus the opportunity to buy additional leave.
Join us and you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
- A excellent local government pension scheme
- A range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
- Maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
- volunteering opportunities
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
- A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see our Staff discounts page if you are a business looking to offer a discount)
- Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CPP00979.
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 all that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
Struggling to apply? Book onto a Digital Support Session in a library near you to get help navigating our application form (subject to availability)
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to satisfactory references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, health check and HMPS Vetting.
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.
