Assistant Archivist (Cataloguing)

Introduction

The Parliamentary Archives collections constitutes 13km of physical records dating back to 1497, it is a shared service of both Houses of Parliament, based in the House of Lords but jointly funded by the House of Lords and House of Commons. It provides innovative and expert information management, preservation, access and outreach services enabling anyone in the world to use Parliament’s records, both now and in the future.

Since 2014, Parliament has been considering options to improve the Archives’ accommodation, to support both Houses’ public engagement and heritage objectives, and to ensure the continued safety of the collections. The key objectives of the Archives Relocation Programme (ARP) are to remove the Parliamentary Archives’ collections in an orderly fashion from the Victoria Tower: (i) to reduce the risks to the collection; (ii) to enable Restoration & Renewal (R&R) works to begin; and (iii) to continue to be able to deliver Archives’ services.

The ARP Full Business Case has proposed that the House of Lords and the House of Commons will enter into an agreement with a partner organisation about the transfer of the Parliamentary records and the future provision of the Parliamentary Archive services. There is no agreed date yet for the transfer, but this role will play a key role in delivering the work required to prepare and move the collections.

The Prepare and Move (PAM) team sits under the umbrella of the ARP and has been tasked with preparing the Parliamentary Archive’s collections for the move. The key objectives of the Prepare and Move Project include, but are not limited to, ensuring that the Archive’s collections are packed, barcoded, the catalogue is updated correctly and that the collection of deposited Map and Plans are audited, condition checked, packed and correctly catalogued.

The PAM Project consists of a team of 13 that includes a Project Manager, Conservators, Collection Care Assistants, Project Archivist Lead, Assistant Archivists and Cataloguers.

The Role

We are looking for a skilled and self-motivated assistant archivist to work as part of the Prepare and Move (PAM) project team to prepare Parliamentary Archives collections for moving to new facilities. The project team is seeking a methodical individual with great collaboration, communication, and accuracy skills, familiar with working to tight deadlines and who can manage competing requirements.

The role will provide an opportunity to work with an experienced and dedicated team on the move of a world-class collection, providing excellent experience and insight into the organisation and challenges that come with a large-scale move of an archival collection.

Responsibilities will include:

• Undertaking essential new cataloguing, including appropriately boxing, labelling and packaging newly catalogued records
• Undertaking cataloguing and identification tasks, dealing with cataloguing inaccuracies and errors and implementing solutions to enable the collections to be accurately barcoded
• Undertaking collections surveying and auditing activities, checking catalogue references and labels against the catalogue record on CALM
• Identifying uncatalogued/missing/misplaced items and or containers
• Ensuring the accurate recording of container locations
• Undertaking barcoding and labelling work
• Providing support to teams undertaking a plan audit
• Collaborating with the Project/ARP Programme teams on the best options and phasing for offsite collection moves either temporary or permanent
• Providing occasional cover and support for the planning, organisation and supervision of records moves to offsite storage – tracking, auditing and working with move contractors
• Provide regular reporting and statistics to the Project Manager and Archivist
• Contribute to communications to the rest of the Archives on project status and other communications as required.

Required Skills and Experience

• Archival skills and Knowledge: Experience of working in an archive, applying professional standards and practices and an understanding of archival reference systems and structures.
• Organisational Skills and Problem Solving: Ability to organise and prioritise tasks when working under pressure to meet deadlines, demonstrating problem solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing situations.
• Team Working and Collaboration: Ability to work in daily close collaboration within a small team but also the ability to work inclusively and flexibly across other project teams and the wider office .
• Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Excellent attention to detail and proven ability to maintain a high level of accuracy and motivation when performing routine and repetitive tasks, whilst also adhering to project targets.
• Communication and Negotiating Skills: Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead meetings with stakeholders, to explain and negotiate with staff at all levels and produce written guidance and reports.
• IT Skills: Excellent all-round IT skills, familiarity with Office 365, in particular confidence in using Excel, and experience in using Collection Management Systems (preferably CALM)

More information on the role can be found on the job description.