Archives Assistant

Summary

ARE YOU THE ONE? ARE YOU THE ARCHIVES ASSISTANT WE ARE LOOKING FOR? About the Department

The vision of Lambeth Palace Library is to collect, preserve and make accessible the memory of the Church of England so that its cultural and religious history can be explored and enjoyed by all.

Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury and preserves the national archives of the Church of England. Our mission is to promote public access to our collection by welcoming researchers and through public engagement, such as outreach and cultural and academic partnerships.

What you'll be doing The purpose of this role is to support the vision and mission of the Library by contributing to the provision of access to the Library's collections of archives of the NCIs and external collections via reading room and enquiries service, cataloguing and outreach activities, for the benefit of internal and external users. Main Responsibilities

• Cataloguing Archives: Using CALM software to catalogue archives, flag sensitive material, and apply closure periods and content warnings.
• Engaging with Researchers: Promoting collections use, managing the Reading Room, and handling document production.
• Assisting with Digital Copies: Providing digital copies of materials using photographic equipment and software.
• Outreach and Engagement: Participating in and delivering outreach activities, such as writing blogs and contributing to exhibitions.
• Enhancing collections knowledge through ongoing professional development.
• Responding to enquiries, advising on sources, and maintaining records for copying services.
• Collaborating to ensure the security and safe use of collections, including conservation efforts.
• Policy and Procedure Assessment: Working with colleagues to assess and update reading room policies and procedures.
• Producing Guides: Creating and updating guides for staff and researchers.

Key role requirements

• Required to work from the office Monday to Friday with the expectation to work weekday evenings and Saturdays. On a rota basis, the postholder may be required to work up to 12 evenings and 12 Saturdays per year to accommodate Reading Room opening hours, currently until 7.30 pm on Thursdays and one Saturday a month.
• Fixed-term contract until ending of August 2026.

You will need to be/have:

• An interest in, and enthusiasm for, archive and library collections.
• Basic understanding of data protection legislation (including GDPR).
• Experience working in a public service environment.
• An understanding of how user services operate within archives and libraries.
• Familiarity with archive management systems, preferably CALM for Archives.
• Knowledge of British history, with an interest in ecclesiastical history (Desirable).

About You The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role. Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification. What we offer Your Salary

• A salary of £30,430 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

Your Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro-rated if working part-time).
• We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case-by-case scenario and if this fits within the department's needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
• We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.
• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK's leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.
• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus-one guest.
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
• Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.

ABOUT NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder. We Include. You Belong. Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background. Living out our values in all that we do, we:

• Strive for Excellence
• Show Compassion
• Respect others
• Collaborate
• Act with Integrity

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we're looking for then we would like to hear from you. Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.

Closing date for Internal Applications - 2nd March 2025

Closing date for External Applications 16 March 2025

Interviews will be held week commencing 24 March 2025