Library Assistant Apprenticeships with the British Library

Getting into library careers after school

The British Library isn’t just a work environment – it’s a whole world full of information. As an apprentice library assistant you’ll gain skills and experiences in a whole new way!

You don’t need qualifications or experience

The British Library is a Youth Friendly Employer and doesn’t expect you to have previous work experience in the sector or any formal qualifications. You just need to be excited to explore new things.

About the apprenticeship

• Duration: 23 months
• Monthly in person workshops, classroom learning, and workplace training
• Training provider: Westminster Adult Education Service
• Location: One of 2 sites, St Pancras in London and Boston Spa in West Yorkshire.

What’s involved

Curious about curation? Learn about the British Library’s collection. Learn how it’s kept safe for future generations through conservation, and how it’s curated in a way to put users and people first.

As part of your apprenticeship, you’ll be able to rotate between three teams to gain experience in all areas of the Library.

You’ll be paid for doing a job for 30 hours per week and get time off to complete your studies. Your manager can help you to decide what working patterns are best for you. You’ll also have the chance to learn from the British Library’s experienced staff and work with other apprentices in different areas.

As a member of staff at the British Library you receive a number of benefits and you can apply for an NUS apprenticeships card which provides you with discounts for many well-known shops and restaurants.

Useful skills for a library apprenticeship:

• customer service skills to help you inform and inspire visitors to the British Library
• problem solving skills to help someone find the information they are looking for
• the ability to work well with others
• to be flexible and open to change and new ways of doing things that you may not have tried before
• Basic computer and administration skills (training is provided)
• knowledge of English language
• the ability to think for yourself as well as follow instructions when needed

How Do You Get These Skills?

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time. When you apply for the Level 3 library assistant apprenticeship with the British Library, you may find it useful to think of examples when you have already used these skills at school or in college, or during a work experience placement or part time / summer job, or even in daily life.

Top Skills-boosting Tips

A visitor’s seemingly simple request for a particular book or information might have a whole life story behind it, so it’s good to aim for sensitivity and understanding to others – because everyone has a story at the British Library! You never know what kind of life journey they are on.

It can also help to aim to be patient and calm, even if it’s hard to meet a customer’s specific needs, or if you’re not sure of something. As an apprentice library assistant you are still learning, and you don’t have to know everything at once.

Build Your Skills With the FREE Young Professional Programme

As you gain skills and experience in all areas of the British Library through your level 3 Library, Information and Archive Services Assistant apprenticeship, you’ll gain an idea of where you might want to progress in the organisation.

There is a wide variety of departments at the Library. Take a look to see which departments and functions match your interests!

You may gravitate towards collections and curation, for example. This department builds, manages and promotes the Library’s diverse and complex collections – including published, written and digital content covering all formats, periods and geographical areas. It creates memorable cultural experiences for the public or supporting research strategy.

Then there’s the culture and learning department, which develops and delivers the Library’s cultural events and exhibitions. It also manages a wider learning programme delivering workshops, activities and resources for schools, teachers, and learners of all ages!

As an apprentice LIAS assistant you’ll help users of the British Library find the resources and information they need in order to resolve their specific query.

You’ll be learning lots of new skills to handle information and precious physical collections. You’ll also work with lots of different people and teams, with a variety of activities that could involve anything from curation to exhibitions and learning for all.

Visitors to the British Library come from all walks of life and they all have really different requests and needs, so you will get to know the library collection and archives very well!

Example daily job responsibilities:

• Interacting with service users (e.g. the public, students, researchers, academic staff, professionals)
• Working alongside other staff to help the British Library run smoothly
• Balancing on-the-job training and experience with apprenticeship learning
• Storing and retrieving records and data
• Performing physical and/or digital preservation practices to keep collections physically safe

Assessment and End Point Assessment

This level 3 apprenticeship includes independent assessment to check the apprentice’s overall performance against the standard.

The end-point assessment (EPA) will include:

• Work based Project and interview
• Professional Discussion with Portfolio of evidence
• Practical observation

Your end-point assessment will happen at the end of your apprenticeship, when you, your employer (the British Library) and your trainer / assessor all feel you’ve been working consistently and are ready for your final assessment.

Entry requirements

What do you need to apply for this apprenticeship? You’ll be expected to have the basic core subjects Maths and English at Level 1 or the equivalent. Before taking your apprenticeship end-point assessment, you’ll also need level 2 English and maths (equivalent to GCSEs at grades A*-C or 9-4). You may already have these before you applied. Otherwise, you will have an experienced tutor during your apprenticeship who will support you to work towards these qualifications.

The British Library does not require any formal qualifications or experience for you to apply for this apprenticeship. You just need to show in your application that the apprenticeship is a good match for your interests, curiosity, and desire to learn and move forwards in life.

Visit the British Library apprenticeships page to see the very latest on what they offer and how to apply or register your interest for upcoming apprenticeships. You can also explore their current vacancies, and explore their early careers hub for more information on early careers with the British Library.

You can also find out more about this particular apprenticeship from the Institute of Apprenticeships, and explore case studies of people at the British Library who are working in the jobs you want – including those who did an apprenticeship with the British Library and can tell you what it’s like!