Special Collections Officer (0.8FTE)

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world's number one art and design university for a remarkable nine consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 – the worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion. Join Our Team at the Royal College of Art! Are you passionate about preserving and showcasing unique collections? The Royal College of Art is seeking a dedicated Special Collections Officer to play a pivotal role in our small but dynamic team.   Purpose of the post: This post-holder will provide essential support within Special Collections to help deliver an access and enquiries service, along with general collections administration. In particular, the Special Collections Officer will be responsible for progressing an ongoing digitisation programme and will undertake to select, digitise and catalogue items that have not yet been scanned. Materials outsourced for digitisation also require cataloguing, along with occasional deposits of born-digital materials. As Special Collections is a small team, the post-holder will also be expected to assist the Archives & Collections Manager by supporting all other day-to-day aspects of the service as required, including helping to reply to research enquiries, assisting with administrative tasks and supporting artwork moves and installation.  Key Responsibilities: Digitisation Expert: Lead various digitisation projects, including scanning, post-production, and cataloguing in a digital assets management system. Fulfil digitisation-on-demand requests, ensuring adherence to deadlines and targets. Digital Resources Management: Maintain and update in-house digital resources, conducting basic research into provenance and context of materials. Handle born-digital and digitised content with care and attention to detail. Enquiry and Research Support: Assist in providing a comprehensive enquiry and research service for both internal and external stakeholders. Undertake occasional research to answer enquiries and collaborate with researchers. Reading Room Oversight: Provide invigilated access to Special Collections, offering guidance to visiting researchers. Ensure proper handling and use of materials in the reading room. Collaborative Team Player: Support the Archives & Collections Manager in day-to-day activities, including responding to research enquiries, administrative tasks, and assisting with artwork moves and installations. This is a permanent role working 0.8fte (28 hours per week) on site at our Kensington campus with limited scope for hybrid working due to the nature of the role. Join us in preserving and promoting our rich cultural heritage! Apply now to be a part of the Royal College of Art's Special Collections team. This role closes for applications at 11.59pm on 19th February 2024 Interviews are likely to be held: 12/13 March 2024 (TBC) Please see Information Pack for further details. Further details: Information Pack