Assistant Librarian

Salary: £35,608.00 - £46,049.00  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: 08 December 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. This award 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. To find out more about us, please click here.

This is a place-based role in a busy vibrant campus.  You will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality frontline customer focused services across the Library’s extensive opening hours. We are looking for people who can co-ordinate and supervise colleagues as well as take responsibility for the secure operation of our Library services across all library sites.

Assistant Librarians play an important role across a range of functions, including service delivery, development, and improvement. They ensure the delivery of consistently high standards of customer service across the Library’s extensive opening hours. The ideal post-holder will be an excellent communicator with demonstrable experience of successful project management and an extensive knowledge of front-line library services including the use of integrated library management systems.

This is a part time post, 0.6 FTE/22.2 hours per week, equivalent to three full days. There will be some expectation of evening and bank holiday cover.

To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and a letter of application (no more than one page) which outlines your fit for this role and any relevant experience to the key accountabilities listed below.  Please note, you are only required to complete the mandatory application fields.

For informal queries about the role, please contact Anne Middleton at: Anne.Middleton@newcastle.ac.uk.

Key Accountabilities

• To manage and deliver Customer Services, ensuring that the services provided, including enquiries, registration, circulation and allied functions are of consistently excellent quality. To be responsible for the operational management of the Library building and its services as the senior member of staff on duty, as required.
• To contribute to the development of innovative front-line customer services  across the University’s libraries in line with the Library’s strategic priorities. To ensure that strategic aims are developed into operational objectives, and new practices and procedures are defined and implemented in a coordinated way.
• To line manage a team of staff including: recruitment and selection; undertaking performance reviews; dealing with discipline and grievances; providing coaching and guidance; sickness absence management; and staff development and training.
• To be responsible for the development and delivery of one or more of the Customer Services areas of responsibility. These may include:

1. Circulation services
2. Information support services including physical and virtual enquiry services
3. Document supply services
4. Customer engagement work
5. Registration activities
6. Marketing and communication activities
7. Reading list and digitisation administration
8. Configuration of relevant library systems
9. Services tailored to specific customer groups e.g. students with disabilities, distance learning students
10. Service quality assurance
11. Staff training.

• To investigate and resolve queries and complaints relating to customer services.
• To deliver services in accordance with relevant standards and embed best practice.
• To manage projects related to Customer Services’ development.
• To collate, analyse and report on statistics and management information relating to services and activities that can be used to review and inform service development.
• To ensure that Customer Services comply with the requirements of health and safety, data protection, DDA, SENDA, copyright and all other relevant legislation.
• To be responsible for ongoing self-development including keeping up to date with best practice.
• To provide enquiry support for library users,
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required.

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience of delivering high quality frontline customer services in an academic library or similar environment, including the use of integrated library management systems.
• Experience of managing multi-skilled teams.
• Awareness of student life cycles (undergraduate and postgraduate) and issues facing students throughout their studies.
• An understanding of the role of IT in supporting and developing customer-facing library services.
• Knowledge of different marketing techniques and approaches.
• Knowledge of customer service frameworks and best practice.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, and the ability to encourage innovation and creativity in others.
• Highly developed IT skills, including experience of using MS Office applications, web-based information resources and tools, and social networking applications.
• Strong organisation and time management skills with a proven record of delivering to deadlines.
• Proven project management skills, with experience of successfully implementing change.
• Coaching/mentoring skills.
• Experience of measuring and evaluating service effectiveness.

Attributes and Behaviour

Communicating

• Demonstrates excellent communication skills.

Finding solutions

• Encourages creative and innovative thinking in self and others.
• Makes decisions based on understanding wider organisational needs and having considered a range of possible options.

Service delivery

• Demonstrates commitment to the delivery of excellent service.
• Knows and understands customer/stakeholder needs

Team working

• Operates effectively in a number of different teams and groups.
• Looks at ways of developing cross functional co-operation and support.
• Develops and nurtures skills in others in order to build a productive team.

Embracing change

• Anticipates change and prepares for it and is supportive of others during change.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent.
• Professional qualification in Librarianship / Information Science or related discipline, or equivalent experience.

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 Gold 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: 28861