Details
1101547
University of Edinburgh
01/12/2025
3 Months
7 hours per week
Not Applicable
Pay
£14.30
£2.59
Description
Role
The University of Edinburgh is currently offering a part-time opportunity for a student to join the Heritage Collections Team as an Archive Cataloguing Assistant (Irene J. Young Papers). The Heritage Collections Team preserve, provide access to and interpret the cultural heritage of the University including Rare Books, Archives and Manuscripts, and Museums. Within this role, you will catalogue the collection of Irene J. Young (Coll-1657).
This collection is composed of the personal papers of Irene Jessie Young (1919-2017), an Edinburgh-born woman who worked in the Foreign Office at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. This material covers her whole life and includes personal correspondence, school certificates, university lecture notes, diaries, autobiographical documents and documents relating to her war memoir Enigma Variations, poetry manuscripts and drafts. This is an exciting opportunity for you to gain experience working in the heritage sector, specifically working with archive materials and creating detailed resource lists.
You can expect to start work in the week beginning 1st December 2025 and work until the 13th March 2026, whilst working 7 hours per week, working entirely on campus in the Centre for Research Collections, in the Main Library, George Square in Edinburgh. There will be a two week period over the winter closure of The University of Edinburgh when you will not work. In the final week, starting 9th March 2026, you will work only 3.5 hours. During this position you will be paid £14.30 per hour, plus £2.59 per hour holiday pay. Payment is one month in arrears, meaning your first payment date (should this position start when expected) will be the 28th January.
Duties and responsibilities
- Producing a comprehensive resource list Excel spreadsheet of the Irene J. Young Collection. This will be created using an older inventory as a starting point, and according to archival cataloguing standards;
- Enhancing and creating authority files for key individuals and organisations present in the collection;
- Labelling folders according to best archival practice;
- Recording statistics and producing reports to keep track of progress with the project;
- Writing at least one blog post about 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;
- Proven ability to consistently follow written instructions, whilst utilising excellent attention to detail skills;
- Evidence of excellent research and writing skills;
- Demonstrable experience in working with structured metadata, for example using an Excel spreadsheet;
- Proven ability to work independently.
Desirable Criteria:
- Evidence of interest and knowledge in the history of the Second World War (especially women’s roles during the war);
- Proven interest in future roles within archives and/or libraries;
- Prior experience of working or volunteering in an archives or library environment.
Location
On campus in the Centre for Research Collections, in the Main Library, George Square.
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 6th November 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 20th October 2025.
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