Apprentice Library, Information & Archive Services Assistant (Apprentice LIAS Assistant)

We are currently seeking committed, enthusiastic, and proactive individuals to join our Library Operations team. For the job advert and job description, please go to https://www.waes.ac.uk/courses/apprenticeships/

Please note that the advert and applications will be closed when we reach 50 applications.

Wage

£25,249 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Annual salary: £25,249 (pro-rata 0.86 FTE)

Training course

Library, information and archive services assistant (level 3)

Hours

0.86 FTE. 4 weekdays (Monday to Friday) with 5 hours 45 minutes work per day (23 hours total), plus 1 paid study day (7 hours). Working hours will be assigned according to service needs, and flexibility may occasionally be required.

30 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

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

What you'll do at work

• Provide proactive, in-person support across all library spaces, helping users access services, navigate the building and maintain a welcoming, inclusive and safe study environment.
• Confidently manage challenging behaviour, including disruptive or confrontational situations, using effective communication, de-escalation techniques and sound judgement.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and security where appropriate to maintain a safe, inclusive and positive study environment.
• Guide users in using library services and collections, both print and digital, and signpost them to relevant services delivered by other teams and the wider university.
• Help users with IT-related queries, including accessing e-resources, the library catalogue and self-service kiosks.
• Conduct checks on equipment and library study areas.
• Develop an understanding of users' information needs and support access to digital and physical resources.
• Support the organisation and promotion of library resources to ensure they are well arranged, accessible, and widely used.
• Assist with the care, documentation, and accessibility of library and archive collections.

Where you'll work

Stockwell Street Library

University of Greenwich

10 Stockwell Street

Greenwich, London

SE10 9BD

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

Training provider

WESTMINSTER 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)