Special Collections Reading Room Superintendent (Part Time)

Applications are invited for an enthusiastic, responsible and user-focused person to join our dedicated and friendly Special Collections reading room teams. This post is offered at 0.4 FTE, working in the Manuscripts Reading Room on Thursdays (11:00-19:00) and as part of the team responsible for the combined reading room service on Saturdays (8:45-17:00), working across all Special Collections.

As part of a team of five Superintendents and six Special Collections User Services Assistants, you will deliver an excellent service to reading room users and remote enquirers. You will provide a friendly and welcoming service for our readers who come from all over the world to consult our collections, answering basic enquiries and ensuring that they are made aware of and follow procedures. You will supervise the operations of the reading room to ensure the security of highly valuable and fragile material held in our Special Collections. This involves invigilation of the reading room and supervising the fetching and reshelving of material by assistant staff, ensuring that security procedures are followed at all times. You will also undertake administrative tasks associated with the collections and carry out some collections processing work.

You should have good communication and customer service skills, be able to work co-operatively as part of a team and to work under pressure. You should be flexible and motivated and keen to learn new skills. Previous experience in academic libraries, especially in a Special Collections environment, and with managing people would be desirable.

Informal enquiries about the post are very welcome, and we would encourage you to get in touch if you have any questions about the post or about the criteria required for applicants. In applications, we advise you to state clearly how your skills or experience meet the criteria. Enquiries should be directed to Frank Bowles, Archivist, Collections and Services (fb307@cam.ac.uk). Please quote reference VE42648 on your application and any correspondence about this vacancy.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our institution.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above. 

Please quote reference VE42648 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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