Position at British Library

Head of Conservation Research
Salary UKP31,779- 46,972
The British Library

The British Library is the world's leading resource for scholarship,
research and innovation and is rarely out of the news.  Join us as
we move our knowledge, collections, expertise and cultural heritage
into the digital age.

The British Library's collections have developed over 250 years and
contain more than 150 million items, representing every age of
written civilisation and every aspect of human thought. Three
million items enter our collection of manuscripts, printed
materials, sound recordings and digital materials each year. The
British Library is undergoing a far-reaching and fundamental
restructuring, which includes the creation of a Collection Care
portfolio, embracing Preservation, Conservation, Collection Storage
and Security, and Surrogacy. The area is responsible for the care of
both traditional and digital collections and comprises some 200
staff and UKP9m budget. The new Head of Conservation Research post
being created within Collection Care will be based at St Pancras in
London.

The purpose of the new post is to develop a programme of
collaborative applied research to address the conservation and
curatorial needs of the British Library's collections.  The new post
represents the opportunity to help develop and implement a
conservation research policy and strategy. The postholder will plan
and co-ordinate a programme of applied conservation research in
collaboration with other cultural and educational organisations.
He/She will review past and current projects, and undertake a range
of new research projects using both established and innovative
techniques. The postholder will cultivate applied research
partnerships with universities and other cultural institutions in
the UK and internationally, and seek fund-raising opportunities. In
addition, the postholder will synthesize relevant conservation
research knowledge and apply it to practical treatment
decision-making. He/She will disseminate the results of research to
the conservation community. He/She will work with other Collection
Care managers, and with conservators on projects and manage the
project budgets. The successful candidate will have approximately 7
years' employment experience in a relevant professional conservation
context, at least part of which will have been in a research
capacity. He/She will possess first-level degree in a scientific
subject, or equivalent, and relevant professional qualification.
Knowledge of materials science, mechanisms of deterioration of (in
particular) organic material in library and archive collections is
required, as is a broad knowledge of analytical and examination
techniques. The postholder will need very good networking and
presentation skills. He/She must have very good communication skills
especially the ability to filter and synthesize scientific and
technical data and translate it for a non-scientific audience.
He/She must have a proven track record of collaborative project
working and successful fund-raising. Professional accreditation is
highly desirable, as is membership of, and active involvement in,
appropriate national professional conservation bodies together with
contributions to relevant professional publications and events.

For an informal discussion, please contact

    Helen Shenton
    Head of Collection Care
    +44 20 7412 7594
    helen.shenton [at] bl__uk

For further information and an application pack please telephone +44
1937 546330 (24hrs) or email bl-recruitment [at] bl__uk quoting reference
number PO1-84-2002. The closing date for the receipt of completed
applications is 31 December 2002. Further details on the work of the
British Library can be found at <URL:http://www.bl.uk>

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:33
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