Prison Library Service Assistant

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Staffordshire County Council

Do you have a passion for reading, literacy, information and customer service? Are you looking for a unique and inspiring role?

We see our library roles as a vocation, you’ll be part of a community of partners, providing a much-needed service to our library users.

The library is crucial in supporting the wellbeing of those in prison and it helps to promote positive behaviours in those library users. So, the work you’ll do will have a real impact on people’s lives and the community.

HMP Stafford is a category C adult male sex offender prison; the Library has a team of 3 Library assistants led by the Library Supervisor and is a well‑used and valued resource within the Prison and is currently open daily Tuesday to Saturday.

Prison Library staff offer both outreach / wing based and main library, service provision, supporting all prisoners with access to books, information and resources.

This 14 hour part‑time pro rata post usually operates on a Thursday afternoon and evening, Friday mornings and one in three Saturdays morning and afternoon. Shift patterns can be subject to change, including if the Prison regime changes in the future.

Please consider the location and travel / distance and the demands of the role and environment before applying.

• provide and develop an essential service, encouraging and promoting creativity, literacy and reading for pleasure and learning.
• Actively engage with customers, to support them in using their library space, service and resources for their personal and professional development and benefit both short and long term.

• a positive and proactive person, with great face‑to‑face customer service skills and work experience, and a love of reading.
• confident and calm, with integrity, and a strong work ethic.
• able to work efficiently individually alone, and as a part of a team; both the onsite Library and Prison team and in SCC Library Service.
• resilient, adapting well and positively to change, a strategic and imaginative thinker.
• eager to help, support and engage with customers and colleagues and keen to learn and develop.

The role may require some cover of colleagues at other times outside the set core‑shifts of this post, so would suit someone with the availability and flexibility to accommodate. It would be beneficial if you are happy and able to travel and hold a current valid UK driver’s licence.

If you have a specific question about this role that is not covered in the job ad or documents, you may contact Sarah Cripps – sarah

We will be holding in‑person interviews in the Prison on one set date, to be confirmed to those invited.
We plan for In

terviews to take place in the week commencing 2nd or 9th February 2026.

This position is subject to a criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form. Vetting and checks including employment reference checks, will be undertaken by the Prison / HMPPS and Staffordshire County Council.

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy.

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and…