Weekend Assistant

You'll join a service that is undergoing change. Libraries around the UK are evolving to meet the differing demands of our customers. The demands are often different dependent on the location of our Libraries, and this is where your knowledge will be invaluable. You'll support with book circulation and issuing, signpost customers to different services and be our ears and eyes for what makes the difference to our customers. We want you to feel proud to play your role. The Opportunity Our Customer Service team are at the heart of what we do- they are the face of our libraries and our driving force. To join them you'll need to be confident helping a diverse range of customers, with demands that change daily. We have an inclusive environment - your experience, your age and your perspectives are welcome in our team.,

• First and foremost - you like helping people. If you've got some IT skills - self-taught or not, that's ideal. We use self-service equipment, and our customers need your empathy and patience at all times.
• Arranging and conducting Rhymetime, an inclusive session for all families with babies and toddlers.
• Health & Safety is key to what we do. We'd like you to be the kind of person who sees things that need sorting and help sort them out.
• You'll help with promotional activities - we generate income in all our libraries and value your ideas. Especially ones that can be rolled out across all Libraries.
• Assisting customers to use the library catalogue and learn to use the full library offer.
• Ensure seamless stock circulation and management, involving sorting, shelving, tidying, and handling reservations, fines, and membership activities.
• Data drives us - you'll help us look at it in different ways, ensuring that we focus on the customer and staff to improve what we offer.
• Our smaller libraries have less staff, so we'll ask you to help out with unlocking / locking up, and ask you to be a trusted keyholder., As a Customer Services Assistant, you will be required to work with children to develop and grow our audience in this key area of our service. Part of your responsibilities will be to deliver story and rhyme sessions to groups of parents and toddlers in a library setting.
  
  We welcome candidates with a diverse range of experiences and qualifications. Here's a sample - what we're interested in is if you are brilliant at the basics which include:
• Possession of a Driving Licence - desired
• Demonstration that you know how to use IT systems, or have the ability to learn.
• Customer service experience in any area
• Confidence in speaking to our customers and signposting them to Library services, other parts of the Council services and our partner organisations.
• Enthusiasm and ideas
• Enjoy working within a team to make us as brilliant as possible., As part of the interview process, you will be asked to deliver a short 5-minute activity to demonstrate your ability to engage with children. This could include reading a short children's story or leading a nursery rhyme.
Interviewees are welcome to use their own resources for this activity if they wish (for example, a story book or simple props), but these will not be provided on the day. Examples of our current rhyme time sessions can be viewed via the Essex Libraries YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/EssexLibraries

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you. In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our . Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone. Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Come and join us in Libraries where we're starting to reimagine what our libraries are going to be and help our present and future customers have the best experience possible. We are currently recruiting a Weekend Assistant based within our Clacton Library. This is a part-time position working 11 hours per week every Saturday 9am to 5pm and one evening during the week 3.30 - 7pm.The pro rata salary will be £7,717 per annum.