Vacancy for Digital Archive Assistant (Trainee) at Parliamentary Archives

Digital Preservation Coalition; London; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

The Digital Preservation Coalition is seeking a Digital Archive Assistant (Trainee) to join their Preservation & Access Team, based at the Parliamentary Archives. This fixed-term role will provide excellent training and development opportunities within a high-profile archive, focusing on preserving significant digital collections. You will work independently on practical tasks while receiving mentorship and guidance to support your career in digital preservation.

Benefits

Training and networking opportunities

Mentorship for future applications

Qualifications

• No postgraduate qualifications in archives/information management.
• Experience or interest in preservation of physical and digital records.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and develop digital preservation services.
• Work independently on practical tasks after training.
• Safeguard digital collections during relocation.

Skills

Interest in digital preservation

Self-motivation

Ability to work independently

Job description

• Vacancy for Digital Archive Assistant (Trainee) at Parliamentary Archives

Vacancy for Digital Archive Assistant (Trainee) at Parliamentary Archives

30 May 2023

London, UK

Fixed Term

Background

Based in the Preservation & Access Team, this post is an opportunity for a self-motivated individual with an interest in digital preservation to gain experience maintaining and developing our services in a modern and high-profile archive.

Preservation & Access (P&A) is one of four teams in the Parliamentary Archives, which is based within the House of Lords but jointly funded and a shared service with the House of Commons. The Parliamentary Archives provides innovative and expert information management, preservation, access, and outreach services enabling anyone in the world to use Parliament’s records, both now and in the future. We hold over 13km of physical records dating back to 1497, 4.7TB of born digital records and 22.1TB of digitised records.

This is a particularly exciting and interesting time to join the Parliamentary Archives. The Archives Relocation Programme (ARP) has agreed to relocate our collections and some associated services from our current home in the Palace of Westminster to The National Archives in Kew. The move of our physical collections and associated services is expected to take place by Summer 2025, with digital collections to follow.

Over the next year, the Digital Preservation team will work with Archives colleagues and ARP to ensure that Parliament’s digital collections are safeguarded throughout this move and will help to define Parliament’s requirements around access, preservation and transfer of digital records in the future.

Main objective

The Digital Archives Assistant works with both digital and physical records, with a strong focus on preserving and adding to our significant digital collections. They are a core member of the team and once trained, work independently on a wide range of practical tasks. This role is also a training post, and you will have excellent learning opportunities across the Parliamentary Archives and the ability to direct your own development.

The post is offered on a fixed-term basis from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, with possibility of extension. Reporting to the Digital Archivist, you will be supervised and mentored by colleagues with the aim of preparing you for a career in digital preservation or the wider archives and information sector. You will be supported in your career development with training and networking opportunities, as well as mentoring for future job or university applications.

This post is not designed for applicants who have completed a postgraduate qualification in archives/information management or similar.

The knowledge, skills and experience required for the post are outlined below. Each element will be assessed in the examples you provide in your application form. Should you be shortlisted these areas will be assessed in more depth at interview and, if appropriate, in a test.