Petrie Project Archivist

UCL is London’s global university. LCCOS – Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science – provides outstanding staff, services and resources to support the world-class research, education and enterprise that is undertaken in UCL, and connects the world with UCL through innovative programming and engagement activities. LCCOS is acknowledged as an international leader in Open Science and Scholarship. The LCCOS family comprises 4 museums and allied object collections, 14 libraries, the UCL Student Centre, the Bloomsbury Theatre, Special Collections facilities, multiple additional learning spaces, and a substantial off-site storage facility.

The Petrie Museum houses around 80,600 objects, making it one of the largest and most important collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. The collections represent all facets of life along the Nile Valley: pharaohs and ordinary people, children, craftspeople, animals, and plant life, across millennia. Petrie’s excavations were funded by museums and individual benefactors internationally, the records for which are reflected within the Museum’s archives. As a result, the archive represents an essential key that unlocks the information of many hundreds of thousands of objects worldwide.

This role has been partly funded by the Friends of the Petrie Museum (UK registered charity number 1192201).

This role entails the following duties:

Cataloguing

• Create a structure for the Petrie Museum Archive based on provenance wherever possible.
• Create a detailed catalogue according to international cataloguing standards, namely ISAD(G), incorporating existing lists and references where they exist.
• Use of specialist software (Axiell CALM) for all aspects of collection management.
• Undertake copyright and data protection checking across the collections.
• Undertake documentation and ownership checks for named archive collections.
• Repack archives in conservation-grade boxes and folders where required.
• Follow and contribute to internal cataloguing terminology and content warnings for archive collections.

Planning

• Assess the archive for future digitisation projects.
• Assess AV components of the archive for digital transfer
• Develop a cataloguing plan for the object wrapping and container collection with conservation colleagues.
• Plan for future updates of the catalogue and enquiry management.
• Assist with progress reports and attend relevant meetings, providing timely updates to Friends of the Petrie Museum and the project advisory committee.

Access and Engagement

• Creating a set of guidelines and documentation for reader access, based on those used by UCL Special Collections.
• Support the development of public engagement projects based on the archive.
• Share highlights from the project digitally and at relevant conferences and events.

General

• Maintain an awareness and observation of Health and Safety Regulations
• Maintain awareness, and actively support the delivery, of UCL's Sustainability Strategy, policies and objectives.
• Follow and actively promote the UCL Ways of Working.
• Carry out any other duties within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.
• This job description may be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.

This is a fixed-term role for one year in the first instance.

Manual handling is required to carry out this role. Training will be provided. This is an on-campus role.

About you

We are looking for candidates who in particular have the following experience and skills:

• Experience of cataloguing large and complex collections to a high standard, with a good understanding of the legislation underlying the management of archives (particularly copyright and data protection). Good organisational skills, and the ability to meet deadlines, are essential.

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