New Project Archivist post - applications d/l 14th May
New archivist post for Dream to Change the World project.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Project Archivist
LENGTH OF APPOINTMENT: Five years
SALARY: Scale 6 – 7 (depending on experience) pro rata
HOLIDAYS: 25 days per year, pro rata
PROPOSED START DATE: Negotiable
The post will be supervised by the Archive Management Committee.
The Secretary of The George Padmore Institute will manage the project, on a daily basis.
PROBATION: Six months
STARTING DATE: As soon as possible
BACKGROUND: GEORGE PADMORE INSTITUTE
The George Padmore Institute has a specialist repository housing books and materials relating to the communities of Caribbean, African and Asian descent in Britain and Continental Europe. The Institute’s archives contain unique materials that are based on and arise out of 30 years of independent black cultural, educational and political activity in the UK.
BACKGROUND: ‘DREAM TO CHANGE THE WORLD ARCHIVE PROJECT’
The project is financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is due to run for five years. Work will commence in April 2010. The focus of the project is to conserve, preserve and catalogue the personal archive collection of our late founding Chair, John La Rose, (1927-2006), one of the most important social, cultural and political activists in Black British and Caribbean history. Our ultimate aim is to open up the archive to the public, and to provide online access via catalogues on the Institute’s website.
JOB SPECIFICATION:
CORE TASKS:
q To organise and help carry out the sorting, preservation, conservation and cataloguing (using the CALM software programme) of the personal collection of John La Rose, for the Dream to change the world Archive project (details of the collection are attached)
q To organise the preparation of the catalogue of the collection for posting on to the George Padmore Institute website
q To organise and help with the selection of a representative number of items from the collection for digitisation – both visual and audio – for use either on the George Padmore Institute website or for internal viewing by researchers
q To organise and help arrange public access to the collection at the beginning of the final year of the project
q To organise and help arrange, promote and carry out four public workshops around the materials in this collection
q Work closely with the consultants, partners and all those involved with outreach activities, with particular emphasis with selection of materials for use in the exhibitions and schools projects
q To organise and help arrange training for volunteers in the use of CALM software and other archive skills
q To manage the work of an Archive Assistant at specific stages of the project
q To co-ordinate visits and facilitate public access to the archives
RELATED TASKS:
q To assist with the cleaning and packaging of material, where necessary
q To undertake any other appropriate duties as may be required
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
The selection process will focus on:
q Appropriate professional archival qualifications
q An ability to work on your own initiative and to agreed targets
q Empathy with the aims of the Project
q An understanding of key issues in the interface of black people with British society in the post-war period
q A commitment to and understanding of equal opportunities in employment and delivery of services to the public
If you are interested in applying, please send your CV with particular reference to relevant experience and qualifications and a covering letter to:
Sarah White, Secretary, George Padmore Institute, 76 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EN
tel. 020 7272 4889
email: info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org.
Closing date for applications will be: 14th May 2010
