Library Assistant

Library Assistant

Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we all think and feel about health. Through exhibitions, collections, live programming, digital, broadcast and publishing, we create opportunities for people to think deeply about the links between science, medicine, life and art.

Here at Wellcome we believe great ideas can change the world and improve health for everyone. We help great ideas to thrive by supporting scientists and researchers, taking on big problems, fuelling imaginations and sparking debate.

Wellcome is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.

We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate.

These challenges need the bold science we support, but they won’t be solved by science alone.

Where in Wellcome will I be working?

We are looking for a Library Assistant to join our team as we continue to develop an inclusive library space and work towards a new strategy for Wellcome Collection. This an exciting time to join our team and be part of a changing cultural sector which is finding new ways of delivering its work, engaging people, and placing a greater focus on social impact and change

You will be working as part of the Library Experience & Engagement team at Wellcome Collection.

The Library Experience & Engagement team looks after the library spaces in Wellcome Collection, welcoming visitors and working to provide a safe and inclusive environment, for visitors and staff alike. The team retrieves materials from our stores and supports visitors to engage with our collections, while also developing engagement activities to introduce people to the breadth of materials held at Wellcome Collection. We also support other activities across the organisation, including cataloguing, transcription, and digital processes.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in all of these activities and extend your experience and confidence of working in our unique museum and library.

What will I be doing?

As a Library Assistant you will be joining a team committed to providing an inclusive and accessible library environment. You will be welcoming visitors and assisting them to make the most of their visit. You will be responsible for retrieving materials from our closed stores, including books, manuscripts, archives, visual, and audio-visual material.

You will also support the LE&E Engagement Strategy by working with the Engagement Officer to develop and deliver an innovative and inclusive programme of activities to attract our priority audiences. You will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge of our collections by collaborating with colleagues in other departments, including on cataloguing and transcription projects.

As Library Assistant you will:
- Provide high quality, warm and attentive support to users across the library service points, including the Admissions Desk, Rare Materials Room, and in the general library space. Activities include:
- Welcoming and registering visitors accurately, handling data in accordance with relevant legislation and policies, and ensuring smooth and efficient entry.-
- Assisting library users with access to collections.-
- Supervising the use of the collections making sure that they are issued, used and handled in accordance with conservation principles.-
- Retrieve, deliver and produce a range of material, including printed books, journals, archives & manuscripts, ephemera, audio-visual, and visual collections from stores in response to requests from library users and staff.- Provide support to cross-team projects with other Wellcome Collection teams, including Collections Development, Collections Information, Conservation & Collection Care and Digital Engagement.- Involvement in Wellcome Collection’s ‘Library Futures’ work, considering what it means to be a research library in the 21st century.- Support the delivery of the LE&E Engagement Strategy by working with the Library Engagement Officer to develop and deliver an innovative programme of activities.

We are looking for someone with:
A passion for libraries and who wants to make sure that library experiences are available for all kinds of people. Ideally, you have experience of delivering a high level of customer service and have experience of answering enquiries in a library or information context.

We are looking for the following qualities:
- Friendly and approachable with exceptional inter-personal skills.- Ability to act in ways that support equity and value diversity- Able to lift and carry boxes of library materials, push trolleys and use ladders on a regular basis and to be involved in actively monitoring the library spaces as a regular and ongoing part of duties.- Able to work accurately