Special Collections Archives Assistant (Project)

Part Time Fixed Term for 3 years

Interview Date: To be confirmed

The Archives and Special Collections has holdings of around 7 million manuscript items and 50,000 books in purpose-built accommodation in the Hartley Library at the University of Southampton. It is an Accredited Archive Service. The archival holdings are especially strong in political and military material for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the archives of Anglo-Jewry represent one of the largest collections of such material in the UK. Other growing collection areas are those for maritime archaeology and the Basque child refugee archive.  

The role 

Would you like to play a key role in a project for the care and curation of a world-class Anglo-Jewish archive?  If you have an interest in archives and special collections and would like to join our small but busy team in Archives and Special Collections, we would like to hear from you.

You will have experience of working within an archive, museum, or other heritage environment, have some knowledge of archive cataloguing systems and processes and familiarity with handling archival material. You will be able to demonstrate strong communication skills both written and verbal, and you will have a good eye for detail.  You should be able to thrive within a small, friendly team, and be open and enthusiastic about developing new skills.

The role will focus on collections care and repacking work on the archive of Rabbi Solomon Schonfeld and contributing to the Archives cataloguing and listing programme to enhance descriptions of the material. It also will provide support for the Archives and Rare Books Searchroom services to a range of users.

This is a part-time (18 hours, Monday to Friday between 0800-1700) fixed term post for a three-year externally funded project due to start July 2024. The Hiring Department would be open to discuss the pattern of the hours worked.