Heritage Collections Digitisation Enquiry Assistant

Reference
1102341

Branch
University of Edinburgh

Start date
09/02/2026

Duration
6 Months

Hours and days
7 hours per week

Dress code
Not Applicable

Rate of pay
£14.30

Holiday rate
£2.59

Role
The University of Edinburgh is currently offering a part-time opportunity for a student to join the Heritage Collections Team as a Heritage Collections Digitisation Enquiry Assistant. The Heritage Collections teams preserve, provide access to, and interpret the heritage collections looked after by the University, which include rare books, archives, artworks, musical instruments, and sound recordings. Within this role, you will answer incoming enquiries and prepare orders for digitisation, as part of the Research Services team who process orders for high quality photography and scanning, and transfers them to the Cultural Heritage Digitisation Service for completion.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to gain experience in working with heritage professionals to use archive and library catalogues, handling and assessing collections items and preparing metadata documentation for items to be digitised. This position is well suited for students looking to gain insights into a career in heritage collections and archives.

You can expect to start work on the 9th February 2026 and work until August 2026. You can expect to work 7 hours per week in the Centre for Research Collections, located on the 6th floor of the Main Library. 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 27th March 2026. 

Duties and responsibilities

• Using the enquiry management system to communicate with users in a clear and comprehensive manner;
• Preparing metadata and coversheets for digitisation orders;
• Using archive and library catalogues to navigate the collections and locate items for digitisation;
• Assessing collections items for digitisation and liaising with the Conservation and Collections Management team as required;
• Developing a comprehensive knowledge of the digitisation process and documentation.

Skills and experience
Essential criteria:

• A current student at the University of Edinburgh (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 you are a British or Irish Passport holder;
• Proven strong written communication skills;
• Evidence of a methodical working style, with strong attention to detail;
• Proven ability to work independently to complete a project to a deadline.

Desirable Criteria:

• Proven interest in the University's cultural and heritage collections;
• Previous experience of using library or archive cataloguing systems to locate items;
• Demonstrable knowledge of enquiry management systems, particularly Unidesk.

Location
Centre for Research Collections, Main Library, 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 as Word documents that are under 4mb, saved with ".doc" at the end, these should clearly state 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. The Unitemps team will be unavailable from 5pm on Friday 19th December - 9am on Monday 5th January. Therefore, if you are unable to apply for this job through the button on this website, then please e-mail unitemps@ed.ac.uk with your CV and Cover letter attached before the application deadline at 23:59pm on Sunday 4th January 2026 to be considered for this role. Applications received after this will not be considered for this role.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 20th January 2026.

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 4th January 2026.

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