Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles. 

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

Coventry City Council’s Library and Information Service is a public facing service operating for the benefit of local communities and the wider city.   

Providing services from the central library and 16 local libraries (3 of which are community led) Coventry libraries provide a unique 'cradle-to-grave' service bringing individuals and communities together.   

Public libraries acquire, organise and provide access to a range of information and reading resources to meet the diverse needs of a community.  We actively support independent learning and encourage reader development, also providing information on areas such as:

• Local and national government services, 
• Learning opportunities,  
• Leisure activities, and  
• Local community news and events  

We also play an important role in providing access to computers and the internet for those who are digitally excluded.   
The Library Service works in partnership with local, regional and national organisations to provide a full and wide-ranging service offer.  Partners include: 

• Arts Council England 
• BBC  
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
• Libraries Connected  
• Public Health England, and  
• Reading Agency 

Libraries are uniquely placed to change lives for the better. They are busy and vibrant open spaces, not only providing access to books but also helping people to help themselves and improve their opportunities. By providing practical support and guidance, libraries play a critical role in enabling and empowering people to realise their potential, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

What is the job role?

This role will be a key resource to support the next phase of the development of Coventry Libraries. Coventry Libraries are already focused on delivery to priority neighbourhoods, but the Council is working to make access to locality services easier for local communities by co-locating and wherever possible integrating services into One Coventry Community Hubs.

Are you interested in exploring new opportunities to connect target communities with library resources? Are you committed to working in partnership and maximising opportunities for co-operation and integration to drive both improved outcomes and efficiency.

To shape and deliver our service in an effective way, we want to ensure that we have employees from a range of different backgrounds, identities so that we are able to meet the needs of all the communities that we serve.

Who are we looking for?

We value and respect the diversity of our team and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities.  Within our team men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are currently under-represented across our team, as a result we would like to encourage both men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds to apply for this post.  This does not prevent any other applicants with a protected characteristic or a non-protected characteristic from applying.

You will have a passion for libraries and improving and widening access to library resources. You will play a key part in finding innovative solutions to maximise the value of library resources and the opportunities for local residents to be supported.

This is a 12-month fixed term post of 37 hours per week.

For an informal conversation about this challenging and rewarding role, please contact Peter Barnett – Head – Library Advice Health & Information Services – peter.barnett@coventry.gov.uk

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date: Wednesday 10th July 2024

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council