Library Assistant

  • The London Library
  • Jun 28, 2025
Full time

Job Description

Join The London Library Library Assistant (fixed term)

  • Contract: 12 months fixed term, full-time
  • Salary: £27,619.20 per annum plus benefits
  • Location: St James s Square, London SW1
  • Hours: 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday, 9.30am-5.30pm
  • Ref: LL/25/06
  • Closing date: 18th July :00pm
  • Interviews: w/c 21st July 2025

About The London Library

For 180 years, The London Library has stood as one of the UK's greatest literary institutions, inspiring creativity, and ideas. Our esteemed members, past and present, include literary giants like Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf, and contemporary authors such as Kazuo Ishiguro and Sarah Waters. Our collection boasts around one million books, a vast eLibrary, and an invaluable postal loans service, making it a sanctuary for those who cherish the written word. We are championed by our President, Helena Bonham Carter CBE, and operate as a registered charity.

About the Role

We are seeking a Library Assistant to join our dedicated Member Services team. In this pivotal role, you will:

Deliver a full range of library circulation functions, from book issue to returns to postal loans

Respond to member enquires, including requests for materials and book suggestions

Provide tours to prospective members and conduct new member inductions

Assist members in exploring the collection by identifying appropriate reference sources and creating materials to support their discovery of the collection

Always deliver high quality service standards at all times

About You

You are an enthusiastic professional with:

  • A formal qualification in a relevant discipline or qualified by experience
  • Experience of library-based work, with knowledge or a keen interest in the Arts and Humanities
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills as well as an eye for detail
  • Comfortable undertaking physical duties associated with moving heavy stock
  • Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends on a rota basis.

Personal attributes include:

  • Being pleasant, approachable, and helpful, even under pressure.
  • A willingness to adapt and assist with various tasks as needed.

Why Join Us?

The London Library offers a friendly, hardworking, and inclusive workplace where we strive to support the diverse needs of our team. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to equality and diversity. Specific adjustments and access needs can be discussed to make this role suitable for you.

If you have the expertise to deliver a great member experience and are passionate about using your skills to contribute to the development of The London Library, we want to hear from you!

Please note:

We can only consider candidates with the current right to work in the UK.

We reserve the right to shorten or extend the closing date of any position where a high or low volume of suitable applications are received. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, an early application would be encouraged.