Our aim is 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.

Lambeth Palace Library, founded in 1610, is the historic library and record office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Following the merger with the Church of England Record Centre in 2020 it is now the principal repository for the archives not only of the Archbishop of Canterbury but also of the National Church Institutions (NCIs) in London. It is freely open for public use, serving as a research centre specialising in ecclesiastical history, but with far wider-ranging archive, manuscript and printed collections, dating from the 9th century to the present day and encompassing everything from medieval manuscripts and early printed books through to modern archives and digital records.

The Library's vision 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. Further details may be found on the Library’s website: www.lambethpalacelibrary.org

This role supports the vision and mission of the Library by contributing to the management, development, processing, interpretation and promotion of the Library’s collections of archives of the NCIs in London and external collections, for the benefit of internal and external users, focusing on the modern archives including papers of the Archbishops of Canterbury, and records generated by other bodies of the national Church.

Interviews to be held Monday 26th September 2022

Normal hours of work are 35 per week, Monday to Friday, with an unpaid break for lunch.

The Reading Room remains open late on Thursday evenings, which will require the postholder to work periodically on a rota basis until 8pm, for which hours will be adjusted accordingly.

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Line managing staff within area of responsibility, leading, empowering and motivating staff team, providing opportunities for professional development and training and development of collection-based expertise; including responsibility for recruitment, induction, allocation of tasks, and performance management.
• Leading on modern records in analogue and digital formats after c.1990, in particular liaising with Information Management and Governance staff and other NCIs colleagues on transfers of accruing paper and digital material to the archives.
• Liaising with donors of external collections and managing accessions within collection area.
• Planning and managing collection processing for modern records, in particular records prioritised for 30-year release.
• Managing policies and procedures for collection processing across the archive collections (appraisal, cataloguing and access).
• Leading on the Library’s role in planning and developing processes and systems for ensuring preservation and access for digital records, liaising as needed with other NCIs teams, including advocacy for digital preservation within the wider organisation.
• Contributing professional input to the broader management of the Library’s archive and manuscript collections, such as policies and procedures relating to collection development and preservation.
• Liaising and exchanging information with other institutions and professional networks regarding related holdings and collection management issues.
• Processing archive collections using CALM software, including appraisal, arrangement, description and implementation of access policies as required.
• Improving role appropriate collections knowledge through regular continuing professional development activities, and sharing expertise to develop colleagues’ knowledge.
• Engaging with our readers and researchers to promote the use of the collections, both internal and external users, for example supervising the Reading Room on a rota basis (with responsibility for security while on duty there), and answering enquiries.
• Working with colleagues to ensure the security and safe use of the collections.
• Participating in, and where necessary delivering, role appropriate outreach and engagement activities to support the Library’s vision to be accessible to all, for example contributing to publications, online resources and exhibitions as required.
• Working with the Senior Archivist and other staff to identify priorities and plan projects across the archive collections and as necessary within collection area: scoping and planning projects and partnerships (e.g. cataloguing/data enhancement, digitisation, etc); preparation of funding bids for project resources; leading and managing projects, delivering quality and timescales to target; representing the Library on collaborative projects.
• Carrying out any other duties as required.

The ideal candidate must have:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Good IT and keyboarding skills, including Microsoft Office
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Ability to manage staff including planning, allocating and monitoring their work
• A strong interest in modern archive collections

Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience in managing cataloguing programmes
• Experience of working with archive management systems, preferably CALM for Archives
• Familiarity with current descriptive and authority standards and experience in their application in collection processing
• Familiarity with current standards and practices in archive/records management (e.g. acquisition, appraisal, description, preservation, access) and ability to write policies and procedures
• Knowledge of principles and practice in digital preservation

• Experience of archive reading room/public service work and knowledge of current practice in on-site and remote service delivery
• Knowledge of wider issues within the profession and willingness to keep knowledge current via professional development
• Knowledge of British history, especially the modern period

Personal Attributes:

• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with members of staff at all levels, both within the Library and in liaising with colleagues in other departments, including advocacy skills, and the ability to deal politely, confidently and efficiently with external and internal users
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Self-motivated; able to work independently with initiative, to prioritise and organise tasks, and to work flexibly across a range of duties

• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Ability to work methodically and accurately showing attention to detail
• Ability to work to agreed standards

Education:

• Good level of education including an honours degree or equivalent
• Professional qualification in archive management or equivalent experience

Circumstances:

• Ability to handle items in diverse formats and conditions as necessary to the role in accordance with procedures relating to manual handling and working at height

We in the National Church Institutions support the mission and ministries of the Church all over England. We work with parishes, dioceses (regional offices), schools, other ministries and our partners at a national and international level.

Excellence, Respect, Integrity

We follow these three values in everything we do, whether we are of Christian faith, another faith or no faith. To learn more about working for National Church Institutions and our benefits, please click here

As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.

As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, we welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and to ensuring that everyone, job applicants, customers and other people with whom we deal, are treated fairly and not subject to discrimination. We will do whatever is necessary to provide genuine equality of opportunity. We continuously review our policies and processes to support our aim to create a workforce as diverse as the nation the Church of England serves.

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