Volunteer Project Brief Society of Antiquaries of London

Volunteer project brief – Society of Antiquaries of London

Founded in 1707 and based in Burlington House, Piccadilly, the Society of Antiquaries of London is a registered charity charged with “the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of antiquities of this and other countries”. Its main focus is to foster public understanding of heritage and the historic environment through the dissemination of knowledge and the encouragement of research. Its library is one of the leading archaeological libraries in the UK, and possesses a wide and diverse collection ranging from books, periodicals and journals, to manuscripts, broadsheets and works on paper. The Society’s museum existed before public national museums such as the British Museum came into being, and comprises a diverse range of objects and works of art – it is as much a history of collecting and historical enquiry as it is a collection reflecting the archaeological and historic past.

The Library of the Society of Antiquaries of London welcomes volunteer applications to help us conduct a journal collection review. The project will be of particular interest to students and recent graduates of Library and Information Studies, as well as subjects relating to History, Archaeology and the History of Art. This project is long-term, offering long- and shorter-term volunteering opportunities. We anticipate it to run between November 2017 and August 2019, with potential further projects emerging. Days available are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, however, a precise schedule and a level of commitment will be agreed on individual basis.

The successful volunteers will carry out a stock review and an audit of the journal collection. The placement would also involve an opportunity to work with our special collections to help us determine gaps in cataloguing of Proclamations and Broadsides, as well as creating electronic index lists of some discrete collections within our Prints and Drawings and Photographic collections.

The information gained from the project will help the Society to better understand its collection, improve its public access by making cataloguing records more accurate, and inform future decisions regarding electronic access to some of the titles.

The volunteers will benefit from an insight into collections, and the organisation of a Learned Society. They will develop and improve their analytical and research skills, and will be able to learn how to plan their own workload while working in a small team within the Heritage Industry Sector. Volunteer Project Brief

Project Journal Collection Review Background & Project Overview Main project time allocation –75-80%

The Library’s journal collection comprises of circa 3000 current and ceased titles of British and foreign journals. We also hold a significant number of monograph series titles, both current and no longer published. Our particular area of strength is British county historical and archaeological journals in addition to the Society’s own publications. The scope:

The journal collection review will involve: identification of gaps in our continuous collections, stock audit, review of cataloguing /indexing /shelfmark data, and audit of electronic availability for the most popular titles, as well as monitoring the holdings of other institutions.

Additional projects time allocation – 20-25%

There will also be an opportunity to work with our special collections to help us determine gaps in cataloguing of Proclamations and Broadsides, in addition to creating electronic index lists of some discrete collections within our Prints and Drawings and Photographic Collections.

Person specification Essential:  Good research skills and ability to search through library union catalogues, e.g. Copac, Suncat and WorldCat.  Basic understanding of how library management systems work to facilitate using cataloguing and acquisition records.  Good organisational and analytical skills, with excellent attention to detail and a systematic approach.  Good IT and MS Office skills, particularly Excel and Word.  Ability to organise own workload and work unsupervised.

Desirable:  Interest in history, archaeology, history of art and /or related subjects.  Interest in working with collections involved in the project: journals, printed ephemera, prints and drawings and photographs.

Other considerations:  Please note, the project involves climbing ladders and retrieving items stored at height.

How to Apply Please send a CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) and a completed VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM as email attachments to [email protected]. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a telephone interview.