Archivist (Archive of the Conservative Party)

Location: Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG

Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG

About the role

The Bodleian Libraries is one the major repositories for archives relevant to the study of politics, domestic and international. We hold the archives of several politicians, as well as those of diplomats, journalists, and other individuals and organisations active in the political arena. In this post your work will be focused on the archive of the Conservative Party, helping us to increase the impact of this important resource. You will handle everyday enquiries, and outreach work, along with priority projects including tackling the archive’s cataloguing backlog.

This is a full-time, open-ended externally funded role. This will include participation in rotas for evening and weekend duties. For full-time staff, this is currently one evening from 5pm to 7pm every three weeks and two Saturdays a year.

Hours are flexible, but you should normally be available during core hours of 10am to 4pm.

This role requires lifting, carrying and moving collection material and library records using trolleys, kick stools and lifts on a regular basis e.g. to move items from the stacks to the work areas.

Due to the nature of this post, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a satisfactory Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) due to lone working with the collections.

About you

You will have an appropriate first degree, ideally including significant content relating to British history and politics during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. You will also hold a postgraduate qualification in archives management or digital curation, or equivalent experience. You will possess strong organisational, communication, and project management skills, with the ability to meet agreed deadlines. You will be an excellent communicator, in writing and orally, able to convey the archives to a wide range of audiences. You will be knowledgeable about archival standards and have demonstrable cataloguing skills. You will have a solid understanding of the ethical and legal context to working with modern archives, especially concerning copyright and data protection. You will work effectively independently, or in a team, and hold the skills necessary to supervise the work of any colleagues, volunteers, or interns who may be working under your direction.

Diversity

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

How to apply

We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities. The Chair of this recruitment panel will be Jeremy McIlwaine, Senior Archivist, who can be contacted with enquiries relating to the role (jeremy.mcilwaine@bodleian.ox.ac.uk). General queries about the recruitment and application process should be directed to the Recruitment team within our Human Resources department (recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk).

Only applications received online by 12:00 midday (GMT) on Friday 28^th March can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on 23^rd & 24^th April 2025.

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