Library Officer - Prison

Overview

Are you passionate about the power of reading, learning and access to information? Do you enjoy helping people and delivering excellent customer service?

Buckinghamshire Council is looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic Prison Library Officer to support the delivery of library services at HMP Grendon and HMP Spring Hill. This is a unique opportunity to make a positive difference in a prison environment, helping individuals access books, information and resources that support literacy, learning and personal development.

As part of our Libraries Service, you will play an important role in creating an accessible, welcoming and engaging library service while working within a secure custodial setting.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

At Buckinghamshire Council, we are proud of the services we deliver to our communities and the difference we make every day. Our Libraries Service is committed to promoting reading, learning, wellbeing and access to information for everyone.

This role offers the opportunity to work within a supportive team while delivering a valuable service that contributes to rehabilitation, education and wellbeing within the prison environment. 

About the role

As a Prison Library Officer, you will support the day-to-day operation of library services across HMP Grendon and HMP Spring Hill. Working both independently and collaboratively, you will deliver high-quality library services to prisoners and prison staff, ensuring resources remain accessible, organised and engaging.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering a welcoming book lending, information and enquiry service.
• Managing library sessions and organising daily activities.
• Maintaining library stock, including issuing, returning and shelving materials.
• Promoting reading, literacy and learning through displays and activities.
• Supporting users to access library resources, catalogues and information.
• Working with prison library orderlies and providing guidance on routine tasks.
• Completing administrative duties accurately and in line with library and prison procedures.
• Supporting service delivery across both prison sites as required.

This is a varied and rewarding position where no two days are the same, offering the chance to support people through reading, learning and access to information.

Fixed

As a ‘fixed’ worker, you’ll spend most of your time in the same location, which will likely be a fixed office or location where your role is performed. Typically, you’ll be based in the same location as the rest of your team, because you provide a particular service from that fixed location or need access to information there.

 

About you

We are looking for someone who is organised, approachable and committed to delivering excellent customer service. You will be confident working independently, comfortable following procedures and able to adapt to changing operational demands.

You will have:

• Experience working in a customer-facing environment.
• Experience working effectively as part of a team to meet service standards and deadlines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads effectively.
• Good literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, including Microsoft applications.
• An interest in libraries, reading and access to information.
• The ability to use sound judgement and know when to escalate issues appropriately.
• A qualification to NVQ Level 2/3 standard or equivalent.
• A full UK driving licence.

Experience of working within a library, prison, secure setting, community service or public sector environment would be advantageous but is not essential.

As this role is based within a prison environment, the successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS Check (Adult Workforce) and satisfy prison security clearance requirements.

Other information

Location: HMP Grendon and HMP Spring Hill

Enhanced DBS Required: Yes

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Katie De Joux.

Join us and help make a difference through the transformative power of libraries, reading and learning.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/