Ever wanted to work in an institution that is home to one of the world's great collections of cultural treasures and research materials? Spanning thousands of years of human thought and discovery, Cambridge University Libraries and Archives houses unique treasures and research materials made up of nearly ten million books, maps, manuscripts, photographs and priceless objects. If you are customer focused, come and join a busy, friendly, front of house team and support researchers and students in discovering our world class research collections.
The role
The Reader Services Desk is the primary point of contact for our diverse audience of Library users and exhibition visitors. These range from students and alumni to academics from all over the world and exhibition-goers. You will ensure every visitor feels welcome and supported from the moment they walk through our doors. This role is dedicated to providing an exceptional, inclusive service. Although based at the Reader Services Desk, there will be times that you will work at other service points.
As Reader Services Library Assistant you will:
- Provide a welcoming point of contact to the Library's readers and visitors.
- Assist with enquiries in-person at busy service desks, and by email, phone, and chat service, advising readers on how best to use our collections, both print and electronic.
- Use the Library Management System to carry out all aspects of library work including the issuing and returning of books.
- Assist or lead library and information skills activities.
- Assist in the induction, training and supervision of cover staff; documenting procedures.
What we are looking for:
- Enthusiasm, flexibility, and a committed approach to the delivery of the highest possible level of customer service.
- Experience of working for a service that provided a high standard of customer service.
- Excellent communication skills.
- A thorough knowledge of IT and of electronic resources.
- The ability to work well under pressure.
- The ability to work unsupervised as well as part of a team.
What we offer:
- Generous annual leave allowance of 36 days.
- Exceptional parental leave (including maternity, paternity / co-parent, adoption and shared parental leave).
- Discounts on major retailers.
- Professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships and access to a variety of training courses.
This is a fixed term post, the funds for which are available until 30 October 2026 in the first instance. Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University. Please discuss with your line manager before applying. We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our department.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online. For informal enquiries please contact Liam Austin, Reader Services Desk Team Leader, lpba2@cam.ac.uk 01223 (3)33030.
Application closing date: Monday 6 April 2026. Interviews to take place w/c 20 April 2026. For further details please refer to the Further Particulars. Please quote reference VE49162 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
