Libraries and Information Management

Opportunities in libraries and information management can be found across the UK. In England the largest proportion of workers in this sector can be found in London and the South East.

Have a look at the job profiles in this sector on Prospects and targetjobs. This can show you what these roles involve and how to get into them. There are additional career profiles listed on the CILIP website. These are just some of the profiles available:

• Academic librarian
• Archivist
• Careers information officer
• Information officer
• Indexer
• Information scientist
• Public librarian
• Records manager

• excellent communication
• customer service
• interpersonal skills
• ability to use research skills across a range of formats
• well-developed written communication
• the ability to create accurate, relevant and accessible information resources
• ability to identify, locate, and critically evaluate information
• a methodical and logical approach
• IT skills, including the ability to use web content management systems and creating and searching databases

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on the position and location.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

• our Discover your Earning Potential Pathway offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
• job profiles, such as those listed on Prospects or targetjobs
• vacancy sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit .

• browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
• use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
• attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
• sign up for mentoring support with  and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
• attend . Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

• RateMyPlacement - placement year reviews written by students.
• The Job Crowd – graduate job reviews
• Glassdoor – company reviews from employees

Read career guides and resources for this sector, such as:

• Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP): Careers
• Archives and Records Association: Careers
• Research Libraries UK: JobsBase. This is a knowledge base for library job descriptions in higher education

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

• The Guardian - industry news
• Public Libraries News
• CILIP NE Links - quarterly journal for the North East

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

Consider attending events at your local community library to learn more about what they do.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Join specific student societies

For example, you could join the Newcastle University Book Club, who meet monthly to discuss a voted for book.

Use social media to find industry insights

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on Twitter and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about 

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

• run networking events
• have specialist groups you could join
• post vacancies on behalf of their members
• have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include:

• Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)
• Archives and Records Association
• National Archives – includes guidance and standards for information professionals
• The Society of Indexers
• Information and Records Management Society (IRMS). This gives details of training and events with information guides
• Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL)
• British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL)

Sector skills councils

• Creative and Cultural Skills - sector skills council for the creative and cultural sector
• Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS): Excellence Gateway - sector skills council

Finding professional bodies worldwide

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.

Use our resources to get started: 

• MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts  
• Jobs on Campus - our Jobs on Campus can be a good way to find experience. Often includes overnight coer in our libraries. If you are a law student, part time work in the law library is advertised on Jobs On Campus for the next academic year in the spring term. 
• Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites 

Search the following external sites for paid work experience:

• Philip Robinson Library advertises for library aides and assistants on the Newcastle University vacancy site and on MyCareer
• Robinson Bequest Bursaries - this is a bursary scheme for Newcastle University postgraduates working with special collections. It helps support research and engagement.
• North East Jobs - advertises public sector library roles across the North East
• Newcastle City Council: Libraries - there may be full time or part time vacancies

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage:

• search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. 

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:  

• additional vacancy websites  
• CV, application and interview advice   
• Advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.  

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank. 

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them. 

For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible. UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled. 

• Oxford Libraries Graduate Trainee Programme. These are one-year placements for those considering related postgraduate qualification

Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies. 

Use our resources to get started: 

• MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts. You can filter by occupational area (eg 'using languages'), vacancy type and location.
• Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
• Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad

• Philip Robinson Library  advertises for library aides and assistants on the vacancy site
• Robinson Bequest Bursaries - this is a bursary scheme for Newcastle University postgraduates working with special collections. It helps support research and engagement.
• Literary and Philosophical Society - contact to enquire about possible voluntary opportunities
• North East Jobs - advertises public sector library roles across the North East
• Newcastle City Council: Libraries - list of libraries
• Go Volunteer - volunteer in local libraries

See  for details of overseas vacancy sites. 

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:  

• additional vacancy websites  
• CV, application and interview advice   
• advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities: 

1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in. 
2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company. 
3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated. 
4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying! 

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you: 

• start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts 
• contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin 

• find organisations on MyCareer. Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
• use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
• search for companies on LinkedIn. The Find Alumni tool shows you where Newcastle graduates are currently working
• browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

Use the resources below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide. 

North East organisations

International Newcastle - member directory

• Newcastle City Council: Libraries and culture - list of libraries
• North East Jobs - advertises public sector library roles across the North East

General Libraries

• Public Libraries News - list of UK volunteer libraries
• Gov.uk – search for local library services
• Copac: contributing libraries

Specialist Libraries

• SCONUL: members and representatives
• Research Libraries UK: members
• Society of indexers: Find an indexer

Newcastle University Alumni

• LinkedIn Find Alumni Tool - see where Newcastle University graduates are working for inspiration
• See our 'What Do Graduates Do? page. Find out where Newcastle University graduates were working fifteen months after graduation

Vacancy sites

• Find companies on MyCareer - click ‘Search' then 'Organisations’ to find companies the Careers Service has worked with. Can filter by keyword, sector and region.
• targetjobs: Organisations - search by sector, eg software engineering or technology
• Researching employers – includes ways to source and research companies

Search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world. 

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:  

• staffing agencies and temporary help firms  
• executive recruiters and search firms  

Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.