- The National Library of Australia employs some 420 staff who specialise in a wide variety of functions ranging from information management through to marketing and system development.
The Library serves the Australian people through the maintenance and development of a comprehensive reference collection and a rich collection of material related to Australians and Australia. The Library collects a wide range of research materials and includes more than nine million items ranging from traditional books and journals to more than 40,000 paintings, drawings and prints, more than 9,000 metres of manuscripts, 550,000 photographs, hundreds of thousands of maps, aerial photographs and music scores and more than 50,000 oral history recordings.
Our key challenge over the next decade is to harness the benefits of new technologies to provide the Australian community with greater access to our own extraordinary collection and the information resources of the world.
The Library recognises the important contributions its staff make towards meeting its challenges and offers a satisfying and rewarding work environment. Library staff enjoy competitive salary rates, training and development opportunities and a range of flexible employment conditions that help staff combine work and family responsibilities. Further details on our conditions of employment can be found in our Enterprise agreement.
How you will be assessed
The National Library of Australia uses a variety of assessments methods to determine the merit of an applicant. Typically, the evaluation of your ability to meet the requirements of the role will include some or all of the following:
· Assessment of your written application by a selection panel – i.e. your ‘Statement of Claims’ or ‘Pitch’ against the requirements of the role (listed above) and/or a answers to questions on the application form, together with your resume.
· Written assessment activity - this may be conducted electronically or in person prior to an interview.
· Work based testing – you may be asked to undertake a work based activity related to the requirements of the role. This would typically take place at the Library.
· Selection panel interview - a selection panel may invite you for a face-to-face interview. This may be conducted in person or via video conference. You may be asked to present or discuss a work project at interview.
· Reference check – we may contact your referees by phone, email or request a written reference.
How to apply
Your written statement (pitch) should address the following questions using up to 600 words.
· How your skills and experience fit with the role. Please provide some example/s.
· How you meet the description of ‘our ideal candidate’.
· How you would specifically contribute to one of the activities listed under ‘what you will do’.
Try not to duplicate information that can already be found in your resume, but do highlight any specific examples or achievements that will demonstrate your ability to perform the role.
Applications should be accompanied by a concise current CV or resume (maximum 3-pages). It should be structured in such a way to clearly outline your work experience, education qualifications and relevant skills.
Curriculum Vitae - Your Curriculum Vitae (or resume) should comprise a summary of personal particulars and an outline of your work history. The following is a suggested format:
- Full name and address.
- Telephone numbers (contact numbers during business hours, at home and/or mobile if applicable).
- Educational qualifications (title, date and institution where obtained or expected date of completion).
- Employment history. Include dates, name of employer, position occupied, work area and a brief outline of the duties undertaken. The details should be in reverse chronological order, starting with your present position. Be concise and only give relevant information about major responsibilities. It is not necessary to mention in detail jobs that were held for short periods unless the experience is relevant to the advertised position, however please don’t leave any unexplained gaps in your work history during the past 10 years.
- Name, address, classification, contact number and working relationship (eg current supervisor) of nominated referees.
The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) provides information on applying for jobs in the Australian Public Service (APS)
Cracking the code: How to apply for jobs in the Australian Public Service
Conditions of Engagement
Australian Citizenship – is a requirement for engagement as an ongoing (permanent) or a non-ongoing (temporary) employee in the National Library of Australia.
Redundancy Benefit – if you have received a redundancy benefit from an APS Agency, the Australian Parliamentary Service or the Murray Darling Basin Commission, you will not be eligible for employment with the Library while your redundancy benefit period applies.
Probation – a probationary period of 6 months applies to successful applicants, new to the APS, on engagement.
Health Clearance – a successful applicant is required to complete an Employment Health Self-Assessment Declaration to identify any reasonable adjustments that the Library can implement to enhance their ability to perform the requirements of the job in a safe manner.
Identity, Character and Security Checks – successful applicants will be required to produce confirmation of their identity – e.g. Birth Certificate and other relevant documents; and a security clearance will need to be obtained if you are engaged in a designated security assessed position. All employees will be required to consent to a police check.
Code of Conduct – successful applicants are required to familiarise themselves with and abide by the APS Values and Code of Conduct.
Qualifications
If you list any formal qualifications on your application, please note that you may be required to provide the original qualifications or transcripts at any time during the selection process. If you are the successful applicant, either on promotion, transfer or engagement, you will be required to provide the original qualifications and transcripts before commencement.
Referees
Written referee reports are not required with your application unless specifically requested in the advertisement. If you are selected for further assessment (eg, interview), you may be asked to provide referee reports at that time, however, the Selection Committee may seek verbal referee reports from your referees after the interview. Remember – a good referee is someone who is familiar with your skills and abilities, and who is able to comment on your claims against all the selection criteria, and is able to give examples from their own observations.
Privacy
The National Library of Australia is bound by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988. Section 14 of the Privacy Act 1988 contains the Information Privacy Principles (IPPSs), which describe the rules for handling personal information. The personal information is collected by the National Library of Australia for the management and recruitment purposes as required by the Public Service Act 1999. The National Library of Australia will not disclose the information without your consent except where authorised or required by law. Non-identifying information may be used for statistical purposes.
Employment Conditions
For more information about employment conditions (including salaries) at the National Library of Australia view our Enterprise Agreement.
Submitting your application
You should submit your completed application online by the closing date and time listed on our Jobs List page.
All attachments should be in either a pdf, doc, docx, jpg or gif format, and must be smaller than 512 kb.
You will receive notification via email once your application has been submitted. Unless otherwise noted, you will be able to edit submitted applications until the closing date. Please note that selection may be made on the basis of applicant and referees reports only for some positions.
Availability for interview
You should be available for an interview from the advertised closing date. A minimum of two days notice for an interview will normally be given to short-listed applicants.
After the interview
All applicants will receive acknowledgement of their application and/or interview when the selection has been finalised. Feedback from the Contact Officer will be available at this time.
Enquiries
All enquiries regarding the duties and the progress of your application should, in the first instance, be directed to the Contact Officer as shown on the first page of the Job Information Kit.
Enquiries regarding recruitment matters should be directed to the National Library of Australia, Human Resources - Recruitment on (02) 6262 1189 or email: recruit@nla.gov.au