Archivist – British Motor Museum

Role 

The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, based at the British Motor Museum, holds the largest archive in the world of historic documentation, photographic material and moving film relating to the British motor industry and is a leading international archive of industrial and corporate history. It is more than just an archive of products; the collections are a rich source of social, design, technical and business history, describing the people, places and practices associated with the motor industry over more than 150 years.

The British Motor Museum is a world recognised, independent motor museum, Accredited by Arts Council England and a National Portfolio Organisation. Both the Archive and Motor Car Collections at the British Motor Museum have been awarded Designated status.

The Trust is seeking an archivist to join the small but busy archive team. The Trust has ambitious plans, including to develop its collections and engagement, sharing the stories of the people, places and products of the motor industry in Britain, to an even wider and more diverse audience.

The role of Archivist is key to making sure that the collections are available to both external and internal researchers and they are catalogued and stored to the latest standards. It also involves finding and presenting material to support the wide variety of programmes that Trust offers, both at the British Motor Museum, in the community and online.

We’re looking for someone who has a passion for archives and looking after them; and is curious about knowing more about our fascinating collections and bringing them to the broadest range of people.

Main duties

• Respond to enquiries and requests relating to all aspects of the Archive collections from public researchers and external bodies. Manage the Archive enquiries inbox.
• Assist in making appointments for researchers who wish to access archive material by using our Reading Room service. Find, make ready and re-shelve material at the start and end of visits.
• Liaise with Trust staff and volunteers regarding our collections and their use in the Trust’s programmes; for example exhibitions, online content, learning programmes, marketing and PR initiatives. Find information from the Archive for the better understanding and conservation of items across all the Trust’s collection.
• Receive, sort, organise, box and label all types of archive material.
• Repackage and re-box material to enhance its long-term preservation.
• List and catalogue material using the Trust’s collections management system, as well as computer databases, Word and Excel as appropriate.
• Update the Trust’s catalogues on third-party search tools, such as the Discovery website, to make them as widely available as possible.
• Organise and identify backlog material using Archive Standards such as ISAD(G) and ISAAR(CPF) to categorise formats, subject matter, places of origin etc.
• In conjunction with the Conservator and Senior Archivist, identify material needing appraisal for internal or external conservation.
• Supervise Archive volunteer activities, which include sorting, cataloguing and research projects.
• Liaising with the Marketing Team, co-ordinate the Archive’s social media activities including: contributing to regular archive blogs on the British Motor Museum website, maintaining our Flickr albums and preparing content for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
• Assist with implementing the Trust’s internal annual Records Management Procedure (RMP).

Other duties

• Attend outside events to promote the Archive and Museum. This may involve working out of normal hours or at weekends.
• Take responsibility for your own health, safety and welfare, ensuring compliance with Trust’s Health and Safety policies, procedures and safe systems of work;
• Be responsible for your own behaviour and act in a manner that avoids and discourages any form of discrimination or harassment; to comply with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy;
• Undertake to familiarise yourself with the data protection procedures set down by the Company as a result of the General Data Protection Regulation;
• Actively and positively contribute to the success of the business in delivering your duties and any other business-related activities which may reasonably be requested.

Skills / attributes 

• Postgraduate degree in Archives Management or complementary subject or commensurate experience working in an archive environment.
• High level of organisational skill.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Flexible, self-motivated and reliable.
• Ability to work directly with the public and other organisations.
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Familiarity with Archive Standards including BS.4971, ISAD(G), ISAAR(CPF) and TNA Standard for Record Repositories.
• Familiarity and experience with a variety of archive databases, Microsoft applications and archival search engines such as Discovery (TNA).
• Familiarity with writing for print, online content, social media and blogs.
• Interest in industrial/business/design/social history more widely.

Salary: £26,500 – £28,000 (dependent on experience)

How to apply

To apply, please email [email protected] with a CV and cover letter.

Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday 4 January 2023

No Agencies

Inclusion and Diversity Statement

As an organisation the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust is committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our workforce. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.