Conservation Intern

The British Library; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 13,000 - 20,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined benefit pension

Flexible working hours

Criminal DBS check required

Job summary

The British Library is seeking a Conservation Intern to join our Conservation Department. This six‑month placement offers hands‑on experience across Books and Paper conservation, Conservation for Digitisation, Exhibitions and Loans.

You will gain practical, ethical understanding and decision‑making skills while supporting ongoing preservation of BL’s diverse collections in a multidisciplinary public institution.

Qualifications

• The successful candidate will have a conservation degree and knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of the profession.
• They will possess high manual dexterity and good attention to detail.
• They will be highly motivated with good written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Work with Books and Paper conservation, Conservation for Digitisation, Exhibitions and Loans.
• Gain experience conserving items from the BL’s collections and learn treatment decisions.
• Develop an understanding of ethical and practical considerations in conservation.

Skills

Manual dexterity

Attention to detail

Written communication

Education

Conservation degree

Job description

The job requirements for this role are detailed below.

The British Library is looking for a Conservation Intern to join our Conservation Department.

About the role

This exciting internship opportunity aims to equip an emerging conservation professional with the skills necessary for a career in conservation as well as providing an opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary conservation department within a large public institution. The internship is available to conservators who have graduated in the last 3 years, and who wish to develop their research and practical, hands‑on conservation skills working on a diverse range of items.

The intern will be based in the British Library Centre for Conservation and will spendtime working with Books and Paper conservation,Conservation for Digitisation, Exhibitions and Loans.

They will gain experience conserving items from the BL’s collections to improve the longevity, stability and accessibility of these items. They will learn how to make treatment decisions and gain an understanding of the ethical and practical considerations that this involves.

The successful candidate will have a conservation degree and knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of the profession. They will possess high manual dexterity and good attention to detail. They will be highly motivated with good written and verbal communication skills.

The internship is open to those who have the right to live and work in the UK and runs for 6 months.

About us

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

What we can offer you

• Access to a defined benefit Civil Service pension scheme.
• Flexible working arrangements, including flexi-time.
• We are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
• We are committed to safeguarding children for this reason this post requires an Enhanced DBS disclosure.
• Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn.
• We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Closing at 23:59 on Sunday 08 November 2026