How does one become a library assistant?

Ooh! I know the answer to this one. Twice in my life I have been hired as a library assistant with no experience – here’s what happened.

1. I sent my resume in to every public library in the city I lived in. One place hired me as a casual because I was at UniSA studying “Public and corporate information management” (fancy way of saying librarianship)

2. I did a placement at the local tafe library as part of my library studies. I worked really hard, kept busy, turned out they needed casuals and boom – they asked me to stay on after my placement ended.

Any advertised position is REALLY hard to get. Everyone thinks it would be great to work in a library. When my old crappy shelving job was advertised in the local paper, they got over 100 responses – yikes!

So get some study and show you are keen and you will be fine.

Good luck!

My mum’s a part-time library assistant, she works in a school library. First you find a library you want to work at, question if there is a position and if there is ask for an application form, you should then volunteer in the library and study the computer organising system they use.

Getting a degree in Library Sciences sure would help. They are very high paying (except for small community library’s which are always hurting for funding) jobs for the fact the stress level is so low.

I think you just need to apply for the job. I have never heard of anyone going to college for this type of position. Just make sure you don’t talk a lot. You know how libraries like things quiet.

How it works at my library is you start off as a volunteer and when they are hiring they will hire you if you have been a volunteer for awhile.

“SSShhhhhhh!!!”