Position reference: 50055764
Directorate: Place | Service: Libraries
Salary: £12.85 - £13.05 per hour
Working Arrangements: Flexible Shifts
Hours per week: As And When Required
Contract type: Permanent
See our range of Employee Rewards: Employee rewards and benefits
Closing date: 31/07/2026 at 23:59
The successful candidate will be required to speak English to an appropriate standard.
This post requires a Basic Criminal Record Check
Prospective employees will be required to give a reasonable account of any significant periods (6 months or more in the past 3 years) of time living abroad.
When applying, please ensure you are prepared to start work with all the necessary legal documents, such as a valid visa, relevant to the type of work you will be undertaking. Please be aware that our organisation does not possess a Home Office license and, as a result, is unable to provide sponsorship for anyone seeking a visa as a skilled or temporary migrant worker.
Pensions Regulations have provisions to reduce pension payments in certain circumstances of those who return to work within local government service. If you are in receipt of a pension upon commencing employment with the authority, this may affect your pension entitlements and you should therefore seek advice from the relevant Pensions Authority.
At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.
We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.
There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Libraries team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
- We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
- Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
- If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
- We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
- There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
- Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.
About the Post:
Barnsley Libraries service as community and digital hubs which anchor the council’s presence in many communities, developing a vibrant events and activities programme to attract and engage residents and visitors to the borough. Barnsley Libraries is regionally and nationally recognised through its National Portfolio status, awarded by by Arts Council England from April 2023 being only 1 of 16 libraries to be awarded this in the country. In the past three years we have delivered new and innovative cultural experiences such as Barnsley Book Festival, The Story Shell and Library Lates comprising craft workshops, author talks and live performances as well as a range of bespoke artist commissions.
The Library@TheLightbox represents one of the key parts of the ‘The Glassworks’ and the Council’s ambitious, transformative town centre redevelopment scheme. We have also refurbished twelve of the fourteen branch libraries supported by Arts Council England’s ‘Libraries Improvement Funding’ from the UK Government and ‘Shared Prosperity Funding’ from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
As a Relief Library Assistant, you will be the public face of our service, covering much of the work of our front-line staff on an ‘as and when’ basis to ensure we continue to deliver a high quality of service to our library users. Our libraries are about books but are so much more. For our front-line staff, no two days are the same – you may be helping customers with their book choices, letting them know about our digital offers and helping them to get up and running with these, or doing something more interactive such as helping to run a craft activity. You’ll work with partners across the authority in areas such as Communities, Public Health, Museums and Schools to deliver exciting things for our customers.
We are looking for people who engage well with others, are hard-working and can rise to a challenge. You’ll not be afraid to get involved and will have the skill to think on your feet dealing with whatever arises in the most appropriate manner. You may be asked to work across any of our libraries, potentially at short notice, so you need to be flexible and able to do this.
Barnsley Council is a high-performing council with clear and tangible ambitions for its residents, communities, and stakeholders. The council’s 2030 vision is for Barnsley to be the place of possibilities, if you think this may be the job for you just fill in the application form online telling us how you meet the criteria within the job profile.
Please use the documents below to help support you with your application form.
Job Profile: 52338 Relief Library Assistant Profile 20181212.pdf
Vacancy Exposure Profile: Exposure Profile LOW.pdf
Help with your application form
Why work for us?
Please ensure you view the job profile for this role, as you will need to demonstrate in your application form how you meet the required criteria.
We welcome the opportunity to have a chat about the role and are happy to address any questions you may have about flexible working arrangements, including as a result of caring responsibilities.
We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued and everyone truly feels able to be themselves. If you have any support needs during the recruitment process, please let us know.
CV's are not accepted for this role.
At Barnsley Council, we believe in second chances and value diversity. Our recruitment process is inclusive, and we welcome applicants with past convictions. We're committed to fairness and do not discriminate. Join us in building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. #InclusiveHiring #SecondChances"
www.barnsley.gov.uk/jobs
