Details
1091859
University of Edinburgh
03/03/2025
Other - See Job
Between 9-10.5 hours per week, depending on level of study
Not Applicable
Pay
£13.94
£2.52
Description
Role
The University of Edinburgh is currently offering a part-time opportunity for a student to join the Heritage Collections Team as a New College Collection Conservation Intern. The New College Collection houses a series of approximately 150 photographs, dating from the late 1800s, depicting annual cohorts of staff members and students attending New College. The earliest photograph in the collection dates back to 1857, and the series continues in this tradition nearly up to the present day. Many of the photographs have the names of each person, providing a visual record of who was attending New College at the time. Within this role, you will focus on the conservation of the collection, through surveying, restoring and rehousing the photographs, prior to digitisation.
This is an exciting opportunity for you to gain practical experience in handling and restoring heritage objects, applying specialised restoration techniques, whilst working with experienced conservators. This post would provide excellent experience for a student who is interested in pursuing a career in the cultural heritage sector. There is also the possibility of working with a variety of outsized archives, such as scrolls, prints, artworks, or botanical materials, to enrich your experience and increase your skill set.
You can expect to start work on the week commencing 3rd March 2025 and work until the end of July 2025. The successful student can expect to work between 9-10.5 hours per week, depending on their level of study, in the newly refurbished Conservation Studio, Centre for Research Collections, Main Library. You must be able to work on either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, to align your shifts with the line manager’s work schedule. During this position you will be paid £13.94 per hour, plus £2.52 per hour holiday pay. Payment is one month in arrears, meaning your first payment date (should this position start when expected) will be 28th April 2025.
Duties and responsibilities
- Cleaning the surface of the photographs: removing surface dirt using different brushes and a smoke sponge;
- Humidification and flattening: slowly introducing moisture into the photographs, and pressing them under weights to remove undulations that might hinder the digitisation process;
- Restoring the photographs: repairing tears using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper, to improve the stability of the photographs and to aid subsequent handling;
- Rehousing the collection: creating and organising boxes and folders, to store the photographs safely;
- Documenting the process: recording the conservation work that has been carried out using an Excel spreadsheet, as well as writing an end-of-internship report and creating blog posts for the Conservation and Collections Management Blog.
Skills and experience
Essential criteria:
- A current University of Edinburgh student (this post is designated for UoE student employment; therefore, you must be a matriculated student for the duration of your employment). You also must not hold the position of ‘Resident Assistant’;
- Based in the UK for the duration of the work, able to work on campus when required (we cannot accommodate individuals working overseas due to tax and legal implications), and able to attend a Right to Work Check in person if needed;
- Demonstrable interest in cultural heritage, and commitment to enhancing knowledge and developing skills in collections care, management and conservation/preservation;
- Experience in carrying out precise, hands-on tasks that demand excellent manual dexterity (please provide a detailed example of this);
- Proven ability to organise tasks and deliver work within an agreed timeframe, to a high level of accuracy;
- Experience of handling varying tasks and adjusting to a flexible working environment;
- Demonstrable ability to work both within a team and independently when in-person or online.
Desirable Criteria:
- Demonstrable awareness of general challenges in the cultural heritage sector, such as funding or resources;
- Understanding of cultural heritage object handling techniques;
- Proven interest in working in the cultural heritage sector.
Location
On-campus, Conservation Studio, Centre for Research Collections, Main Library
Benefits
- Being part of a welcoming community of over 150 ISG Student Workers with opportunities to network, whilst working in a supportive and nurturing environment with a strong emphasis on work/life balance;
- Pay rate and holiday entitlement equivalent to that of UE04 permanent staff, access to NEST pension scheme if applicable;
- As a staff member, you can join the University's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Groups (Staff Networks);
- Access to a range of excellent staff training content and resources from the Digital Skills Team.
Additional information
To apply for this role, please upload a CV and covering letter, clearly stating how you meet the criteria for the role. Please ensure you've read the top bullet points in the criteria: you must be a University of Edinburgh Student, and you must not hold the position of 'Resident Assistant' (Res Life) during your employment. If you encounter any issues when applying, please e-mail unitemps@ed.ac.uk well in advance of the deadline, as we will only respond within office hours (9-5, Monday to Friday). Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. We recommend reading our short application tips document for guidance on creating a strong cover letter and CV.
Interviews will take place on the week commencing 17th February 2025.
The University of Edinburgh is committed to providing a positive employment experience for all students. To support students in combining work with studies, we strongly advise you do not exceed the University’s recommended number of working hours per week:
- 15 hours for undergraduate students (up to 35 hours during vacation).
- 15 hours for postgraduate taught students (all year round).
- 9 hours for postgraduate research students (all year round).
PLEASE NOTE: This advert may close early if sufficient applications are received prior to the closing date which is 23:59pm on the 2nd February 2025. Apply for job