Apprentice Library and Archive Assistant

Sheffield City Council

South Yorkshire (S1 2HH)

Closes in 16 days (Sunday 3 August 2025)

Posted on 16 July 2025

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Summary

As an Apprentice Library Assistant, you will support the delivery of library and information services to ensure a high-quality service, support the delivery of activities and events, assist customers to access online information and resources and encourage use by a wide range of customers.

Wage

£19,180.80 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Library, information and archive services assistant (level 3)
Hours
37 Hours a week on rota system.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

7

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

As an apprentice in the Library, Archive, and Information Service you will develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to:

To deliver and promote the full range of customer focused services as required by that service area and its users

To actively engage with customers to help them gain maximum benefit from the service by:

  • Supporting customers find appropriate materials to meet their needs
  • Supporting customers to use the ICT systems provided including self-service facilities, computer/internet access and printing
  • Delivering an effective information enquiry service using all relevant sources
  • Working with all priority client groups to reduce barriers to using the service
  • Providing a range of activities and services for children, young adults and families appropriate to that service area


Collections & Audience Promotion:

  • To participate in promotional events and to ensure displays, exhibitions and information leaflets and posters are relevant and well presented
  • To undertake regular materials maintenance and identification of items needing conservation and / or preservation packaging to keep collections in good condition, promote products and meet customers’ expectations and needs
  • To assist in the promotion of reader development and other initiatives as outlined in the service plan

Planning & Performance:

  • To contribute to the development and implementation of work plans and to the services’ planning, performance and review processes
  • To contribute to the formulation and implementation of customer focused quality standards to ensure consistency in performance and quality outcomes

Business Support:

  • To undertake day to day financial processes and procedures to comply with financial regulations and the Council’s Standing Orders
  • Where required to be a key holder and ensure the day to day opening, closing and security of the building within agreed hours
  • To participate in the supervision and support/training of new staff, apprentices, people on work experience placements and other team members as appropriate
  • To carry out administrative tasks, and use business systems and I.T. efficiently, to agreed departmental and corporate standards

Self Development:

To participate in the Personal Development Review process, professional development and team working to deliver agreed service priorities and targets

Where you'll work

Town Hall
Pinstone Street
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S1 2HH

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL

Training course

Library, information and archive services assistant (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Interpret and implement policy, e.g. communicating clearly the basic copyright restrictions and reasons for not sharing personal data
  • Undertake regulation and compliance checking, e.g. in order to ensure data protection is not breached
  • Solve user problems in a range of situations using their knowledge and interpretation
  • Use information management processes to store, manage and retrieve records and data to support collaboration, exploitation and the organisation’s Information Management (IM) practices
  • Describe and arrange material/resources, by observing and applying identified cataloguing standards in order to create online catalogues and other finding aids to meet users’ needs
  • Employ information retrieval techniques to identify and use relevant media and systems, e.g. searching online databases, catalogues or physical stores, and EDRMS (electronic document record management systems)
  • Perform preservation (analogue/physical and digital) practices to keep collections physically safe using institutional/sector guidelines, and supporting work that provides digital access by creating alternatives that meet a range of user requirements
  • Use enquiry techniques to clarify and meet users’ information requirements and manage expectations, e.g. by signposting to alternative resources and providing solutions
  • Develop knowledge sharing with users, cultivating an environment where knowledge is freely shared and sought within a ‘safe’ environment, including online solutions
  • Use relevant approaches to learning support to contribute to the development of learning activities for different audiences to enhance knowledge and literacy, e.g. reader development
  • Select and use appropriate tools and technologies to support users in researching and disseminating information, e.g. databases, search engines, digital libraries, repositories and social media
  • Develop information and digital skills to support users to identify, find, access and evaluate information, to share knowledge and to promote self-help
  • Demonstrate information sharing by contributing to learning activities for specific audiences, e.g. inductions and events, catering to a variety of levels of knowledge and understanding
  • Use promotion techniques for resources so that users and potential users are aware of their value, impact and benefit, e.g. by curating collections and displays in effective ways, undertaking outreach activities to guide users to achieve independence in their use of information
  • Implement the organisation’s collection management policy, e.g. through identifying stock that should be acquired and that which is no longer used or needed, and relegating or removing these appropriately
  • Develop the service by assessing the learning environment and anticipating user needs, e.g. re-organising study/virtual spaces, suggesting improvements to catalogues or web pages
  • Use teamwork and collaboration to achieve goals, e.g. with stakeholders and partners beyond the organisation
  • Use information provision to enable users to access materials, e.g. through lending books/artefacts, emailing documents, accessing original archives, signposting links to information
  • Exercise communication skills - oral, written, presentation, interpersonal, listening, assertiveness (online and face to face)
  • Interpret and implement policy, e.g. communicating clearly the basic copyright restrictions and reasons for not sharing personal data
  • Undertake regulation and compliance checking, e.g. in order to ensure data protection is not breached
  • Solve user problems in a range of situations using their knowledge and interpretation
  • Use information management processes to store, manage and retrieve records and data to support collaboration, exploitation and the organisation’s Information Management (IM) practices
  • Describe and arrange material/resources, by observing and applying identified cataloguing standards in order to create online catalogues and other finding aids to meet users’ needs
  • Employ information retrieval techniques to identify and use relevant media and systems, e.g. searching online databases, catalogues or physical stores, and EDRMS (electronic document record management systems)
  • Perform preservation (analogue/physical and digital) practices to keep collections physically safe using institutional/sector guidelines, and supporting work that provides digital access by creating alternatives that meet a range of user requirements
  • Use enquiry techniques to clarify and meet users’ information requirements and manage expectations, e.g. by signposting to alternative resources and providing solutions
  • Develop knowledge sharing with users, cultivating an environment where knowledge is freely shared and sought within a ‘safe’ environment, including online solutions
  • Use relevant approaches to learning support to contribute to the development of learning activities for different audiences to enhance knowledge and literacy, e.g. reader development
  • Select and use appropriate tools and technologies to support users in researching and disseminating information, e.g. databases, search engines, digital libraries, repositories and social media
  • Develop information and digital skills to support users to identify, find, access and evaluate information, to share knowledge and to promote self-help
  • Demonstrate information sharing by contributing to learning activities for specific audiences, e.g. inductions and events, catering to a variety of levels of knowledge and understanding
  • Use promotion techniques for resources so that users and potential users are aware of their value, impact and benefit, e.g. by curating collections and displays in effective ways, undertaking outreach activities to guide users to achieve independence in their use of information
  • Implement the organisation’s collection management policy, e.g. through identifying stock that should be acquired and that which is no longer used or needed, and relegating or removing these appropriately
  • Develop the service by assessing the learning environment and anticipating user needs, e.g. re-organising study/virtual spaces, suggesting improvements to catalogues or web pages
  • Use teamwork and collaboration to achieve goals, e.g. with stakeholders and partners beyond the organisation
  • Use information provision to enable users to access materials, e.g. through lending books/artefacts, emailing documents, accessing original archives, signposting links to information
  • Exercise communication skills - oral, written, presentation, interpersonal, listening, assertiveness (online and face to face)

Training schedule

You will be working towards a level 3 library, information and archive services assistant. 

Training will be one day a week.

Training centre is located at CDC Centre, Cricket inn road, Sheffield, S2 1TR.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

Maths & English (grade 4/C equivalent or above)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

About this employer

Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the City of Sheffield, a metropolitan borough with city status in South Yorkshire, England. The council consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under no overall control, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party each holding chair positions in a proportionate number of committees

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Opportunity to move into a full time post upon completion of apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL

SCCApprenticeships@sheffield.gov.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000332076.

Apply now

Closes in 16 days (Sunday 3 August 2025)

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