Cork County Council Library Service is delivered through a branch and mobile network, supplemented by a growing suite of online services. The 25 branch libraries are in the main towns of County Cork and include the Library H.Q. on Carrigrohane Road, which also serves as the centre for Reference & Local Studies, bibliographic services and administration.  Towns and villages not served by a branch library are served by a fleet of 4 mobile libraries, operating a fortnightly schedule across the County.  Key deliverables of our library service are to provide access to reading, information, knowledge, culture and learning to the people of County Cork.

Library Assistants make a valuable contribution to the provision of the library service centrally and at local branch level by delivering frontline service and by providing support to library management.   

Cork County Library aims to empower communities by providing access to resources that educate, inform, enlighten and enrich the lives of their citizens, by supporting and promoting literacy and a love of reading.  We are committed to fulfilling our mission through a branch and mobile library network that places libraries at the centre of their communities, as well as through a growing online presence that seeks to connect with and serve people in a digital society. 

The ideal candidate shall
 

• Have an understanding of the County Council’s purpose and an understanding of the services offered by a public library service in particular, Cork County library;
• Have an ability to work effectively within a team to achieve a common goal, ensuring standards are adhered to and maintained;
• Have excellent interpersonal and communications skills;
• Have the ability to provide excellent customer services and be willing to develop customer service skills;
• Be motivated to achieve maximum performance by supporting the current Performance Management and Development System (PMDS);
• Understand the changing environment and be capable of adapting to change in order to deliver quality services to our citizens;
• Be organised and demonstrate good administrative experience;
• Have an ability to work with information and communication technology (ICT) in the library environment;
• Have an ability to work on own initiative, in an independent environment and without constant supervision;
• Be willing to comply with all Council Policy including but not exclusive to the Safety Management System, the child protection Policy and the Dignity at Work policy.

The duties may include but are not limited to the following and the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Library Assistants perform a range of tasks including:
 

1. Providing frontline library service to the public in branches and mobiles throughout the County.;
2. Be prepared to work the hours of the library service which may include Saturdays and evenings.
3. Providing excellent customer service, e.g. Responding to customer queries, including information and requests;
4. Supporting senior staff in the delivery of library services to the public; carrying out instructions and tasks determined by management
5. Carrying out administrative duties;
6. Operating existing and future IT systems and software - word processing, spreadsheets, database, library and self service systems, e-mail, social media and Internet;
7. Assisting the public in using technology in the Library environment, e.g. public internet, self-service facilities and other;
8. Taking an active role in the organisation, promotion and delivery of library events – e.g. book clubs; storytelling, class visits, community events & exhibitions;
9. Branch relief work – cover in other locations as required to maintain library branch network opening hours during periods of holiday leave, sick leave, etc.;
10. General clerical and administrative duties relevant to the Library Service, e.g. processing and tagging of new library stock, cash management, Health & Safety checklist, branch statistics, etc.
11. Any other duties that may be determined by Library Line management or Senior Management.

Further information is available in the Candidate Information Booklet available on our website