Department : University Library And Collections

Position Type : Administrative Support

Grade 6 (£26,715-£32,817)

This post is part time working 14 hours per week and fixed term for 9 months.

The Department and role purpose

In January 1833 Bishop William van Mildert donated 160 volumes to found the University Library, located on Palace Green.

Today the University Library and Collections offers spaces, collections, expertise and services supporting education, research, the wider student experience and cultural and educational outreach. Collections and services operate across a wide estate of libraries, museums, galleries and exhibition spaces, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site on Palace Green. Our nationally and internationally recognised collections span early books and manuscripts, archives, museum objects and art, print and electronic materials, and include a repository of digitised materials, research outputs and research data.

We are an ambitious and developing team with a focus on providing the best experience for our students, researchers and the wider community. We are valued partners working with students, professional services and academics across the University, and professionals and organisations regionally, nationally and internationally.

The University Library and Collections is made up of six sections: Collections; Customer Services; Education, Learning and Engagement; Research and Systems; Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions; and Finance and Administration. Staff work flexibly between the sections, enabled by cross-cutting groups, Education, Research, Collections and Engagement, and a Programme and Project Steering Group.

The Collections team, under the leadership of the Head of Collections, has broad responsibility for the acquisition, cataloguing, management, preservation and conservation of collections, including modern print and electronic collections, archives, and rare books. Their work also includes the administration of reading lists, inter-library loan, and the provision of searchroom and enquiry services for archives and special collections. Their expertise and collections knowledge (alongside colleagues across the department, for example in our museums team) are used in support of learning, teaching, research and public engagement activities.

The archives and special collections include a growing body of Catholic collections, and especially archives of female religious communities. Two such archives have been gifted to Durham University in 2019 by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Evron and the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, comprising their English provincial archives dating back to their establishment in the 19th century.

The purpose of this role will feature unlocking the potential of these collections of up to 20 metres of documents by cataloguing them into the University Library’s XML system, and thereby to sort, appraise, package and number the collections to make them accessible to researchers, and to share your findings with a variety of internal and external audiences. Regular search room duties will not be required, but there will be the opportunity to provide short periods of support cover and to assist with enquiry work.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV
2. A covering letter which briefly details your experience, strengths and potential in the responsibilities set out above.
3. The person specification and Realising Your Potential Approach grids. Please copy and paste the grids from the job description into a separate Microsoft Word document, complete the evidence columns and submit this alongside your other application material.
   Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Closes midday on : 20-Nov-2019