Cataloguing Officer

Archives matter. Without records, we could not hold government to account, carry out pioneering research or learn from the past. The National Archives is the archive of UK Government and the courts. Our business strategy, Archives for Everyone, describes our vision to become an inclusive, entrepreneurial, and disruptive archive that harnesses emerging technology to reaffirm and transform our historic mission for the digital age.

The Cataloguing, Taxonomy and Data department’s role is to deliver the control, quality, currency and ongoing development of our catalogue records and the systems in which they reside. We specialise in manipulating and enhancing at scale the metadata which lies at the heart of activities across the organisation.

We are based in the beautiful surroundings of Kew, easily accessible by public transport, car and bike. Staff benefits include admission to a range of exhibitions at national museums and galleries; access to nearby Kew Gardens; on-site gym, therapists and wellbeing resources; restaurant, shop and staff bar. Our excellent Civil Service benefits package includes the opportunity to join the defined-benefit Civil Service Alpha Pension

**About the role**

We are recruiting two Cataloguing Officers to support a major digitisation project to make records of the Second World War-era National Farm Survey of England and Wales freely available online. This work is generously funded by Lund Trust.

You will create appropriate metadata for records being digitised and contribute to quality assurance and data ingest. As well as improving catalogue descriptions of the maps that form part of the National Farm Survey, you will contribute to the project more broadly, working with both original physical records and digital images.

**About you**

You are seeking to develop your career in the archives, information or heritage sectors and would enjoy working with historic twentieth-century maps. With experience of either cataloguing or editing online content, you are good at working with data and can demonstrate meticulous attention to detail. You are well organised, a good communicator and able to work independently.

This is a full-time, fixed-term post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the department and the project funding. You will be based primarily at our Kew site, with some scope for home working.

We would particularly like to encourage applicants from backgrounds currently underrepresented in archives, including those who identify as Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT+), from Black, Asian and minority ethnic cultural backgrounds, those who are neurodivergent, and those with hidden or visible disabilities.

**How to apply**

You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.

Essential criteria:

- Experience of **or** demonstrable interest in working in the archives, information or heritage sectors.
- Experience of cataloguing in an archive, library, museum or similar environment **or** experience of editing online content.
- Ability to read and understand maps.
- Meticulous attention to detail, demonstrating accuracy, precision and diligence in identifying and correcting errors in data.
- Strong IT skills, with a data mindset and competence in using Excel to perform data entry and manipulation tasks consistently and methodically.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to summarise and explain complex information and engage with colleagues in other teams.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to work efficiently, sharing responsibility for meeting deadlines and delivering results that benefit The National Archives' public service.
- Ability to work independently, guided by standard procedures, to solve problems; sound judgement of when to show initiative and when to escalate issues to managers or other parts of the organisation.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Part-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 22 months

**Salary**: £27,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Canteen
- Company pension
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Free parking
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Store discount
- Transport links
- Work from home

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Richmond

Application deadline: 07/03/2024