Alan Brown Collection Cataloguing Assistant

Reference
1098143

Branch
University of Edinburgh

Start date
15/09/2025

Duration
Other - See Job

Hours and days
9 hours/week, worked between 9-5, Monday - Friday

Dress code
Not Applicable

Rate of pay
£14.10

Holiday rate
£2.55

Role
The University of Edinburgh is currently offering a part-time opportunity for two students to join the Heritage Collections Team as Alan Brown Collection Cataloguing Assistants. Heritage Collections encompasses the University’s rare and unique collections, including Rare Books, Archives and Manuscripts, and Museums. They preserve, provide access to, and interpret the cultural heritage of the University. Within this role, you will work on organising and cataloguing the Alan Brown Theatre and Cinema Collection, a vast collection of film and theatre material. The collection items range from the late 19th century to the late 20th century, including magazines, bills, printed material, ephemera, rare photographs and autographs.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to gain experience in working with archives, cataloguing materials, conducting preservation and conservation assessments on items, and creating promotional online materials.

You can expect to start work on the 15th September 2025 and work until February 2026. The successful candidates can expect to work 9 hours per week, on-campus, in the Centre for Research Collections, Main Library. During this position you will be paid £14.10 per hour, plus £2.55 per hour holiday pay. Payment is one month in arrears, meaning your first payment date (should this position start when expected) will be 28th October 2025.

Duties and responsibilities

• Organising the collection into a meaningful system, by physically arranging the material;
• Producing a comprehensive resource list, in the format of an Excel spreadsheet, in accordance with archival or printed catalogue standards;
• Rehousing the collection material, as required;
• Assessing and highlighting any preservation and conservation issues;
• Producing a blog, and creating social media posts, to promote the collection.

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 ability to review and follow detailed instructions consistently;
• Proven experience of using Excel spreadsheets and online forms to record data;
• Evidence of an ability to work to a high level of accuracy, with a methodical approach to work;
• Ability to fulfil the physical demands of the role, such as moving boxes of material, repatching metal shelves, and carrying books.

Desirable Criteria:

• Proven interest and knowledge in film and theatre history;
• Demonstrable interest in an archive and/or librarian career;
• Prior experience of working in an archives or library environment.

Location
On-campus, Centre for Research Collections, Main Library, 30 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ.

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 24th July 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, these recommendations apply to the total number of hours you are employed across all posts.

PLEASE NOTE: This advert may close early if sufficient applications are received prior to the closing date which is 23:59pm on the 7th July 2025.

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