Library assistant

You could apply to do a Library, Information and Archive Services Assistant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, with a library service or an organisation like a college or university.

This typically takes between 1 and 2 years to complete and is a mix of workplace learning and off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

You could gain experience of working in a library through volunteering, or as a casual assistant, in a local authority or community library . This could give you an advantage when applying for jobs.

You can also find opportunities through sites like:

• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
• Do IT

You can apply for a job as a library assistant if you have some experience of working in a library, archive or information service, for example as a volunteer.

You may need GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, including maths and English, to apply.

Experience working in an administration, customer services or IT role will also be useful for applying directly.

For some assistant jobs, for example in industrial or commercial libraries, you may need qualifications at A level standard or higher. You may also need specialist knowledge, like a language or science, depending on the nature of the job.

Career Tips

A knowledge of information classification systems, like the Dewey Decimal Classification, may be useful, though not essential, as training will be given when you start.

Further Information

You can find more details about library careers from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

As a library assistant, you could:

• help customers to find and use print, online and image resources
• check materials in and out
• deal with counter, phone and email enquiries
• help to catalogue new resources
• shelve returned items and arrange repair of damaged materials
• promote collections or new library resources
• enter customers' membership details on a record management system
• assist with events and activities like storytelling or computer skills sessions

You could work at a library, at a school, at a college or at a university.