Fellowship at National Archives, Kew

Conservation Research Fellowship
Assessing the impact of dust in archives
The National Archives
Kew, West London

Full-time. Fixed Term Appointment for 12 months.

The National Archives is the UK government's official archive,
containing 1,000 years of recorded history from Domesday Book to the
present. Our experts in conservation and preservation care for a
huge range of documents--from parchments to synthetic materials that
cover a collection of over 10 million records.

Job Purpose: Reporting to the Head of Conservation Research and
Development, the Conservation Research Fellow will develop
appropriate metrics, necessary to assessing the risk of degradation
posed by dust in archives and will provide evidence that will
support a dust management strategy for The National Archives
repositories in two locations, Kew and DeepStore, Cheshire. In
addition, this12 month project will review the current cleaning
regime and evaluate the options for managing dust levels that are
efficient and effectively mitigate the risk of dust. Dissemination
of research outcomes through peer-reviewed publications,
conferences, and other creative means to reach a wide audience is an
essential part of this role.

Reports to: Head Conservation Research and Development

Role and Responsibilities: As the Conservation Research Fellow you
will apply your specialist knowledge and professional expertise to
plan and deliver the 'The Impact of Dust in Archives' research
project, the outcomes of which will inform the future development of
a dust management strategy for The National Archives collections.
Working with key departments across The National Archives the
Conservation Research Fellow will take a strategic lead in ensuring
the development of the project plan and delivery of this research
project within 12 months within an agreed budget. As a specialist
you will be expected to work independently exercising your
professional judgment in making decisions and establishing new
approaches that will help to deliver the overall objectives of the
project.

Including:

    Identify the sources and nature of dust in the Kew and DeepStore
    repositories

    Determine the effect of dust on archival collections and
    enclosures and the factors that influence it

    Quantify the dust levels and rates of deposition across the Kew
    and DeepStore repositories

    Determine the level after which dust becomes a significant risk
    to the archival collection and if this increases as dust levels
    increase

    Define the most appropriate indicator for quantifying the risk
    of damage by dust. (e.g. cumulative deposition, deposition rate,
    infiltration rate, handling of enclosure etc.)

    Quantify the effectiveness of storage enclosures (eg. boxes) at
    mitigating the risk of dust to the collection, and determine the
    factors affecting infiltration

    Appraise different mitigation strategies for reducing the risk
    from dust to the collection stored at both Kew and DeepStore

    Ensure the outcomes of this work are disseminated widely
    throughout the project

Person Specification
Essential:

    Knowledge of the material chemistry of archival collections
    (e.g. paper, parchment, photographs)

    A track-record of undertaking conservation research and
    delivering published research outcomes

    Experience of analytical testing, imaging and data processing

    Strong inter-personal and communication skills to support
    networking and engagement internally and externally

    Ability to project-manage and deliver agreed outcomes on time
    and within budget

    Strong analytical skills: An ability to understand and
    synthesise complex information in order to inform future
    programmes

Desirable:

    Experience of dust monitoring, risk assessment and cost benefit
    analysis

    Post graduate qualification in Conservation Science

Health and Safety Risk Assessment: Normal office environment

If you are a Civil Servant, you will need to obtain permission from
your current department to be loaned to us for the duration of the
appointment

Band: E

Starting Salary: UKP31,870 plus generous benefits package, including
pension, childcare vouchers, sports and social club facilities,
onsite gym, subsidised staff restaurant and opportunities for
training and development.

To apply see

    <URL:http://ig24.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_nationalarchives02.asp?s=EXgIfLQnAyPBgDdPyv&jobid=62022,2354136565&key=23037700&c=595447418668&pagestamp=dbxnixgbvowmnpsloc>
    To submit your application please click the 'Apply for this job'
    button at the bottom of the page in the link. Additionally,
    please upload a supporting statement.

Supporting Statement: Please explain how you meet each point in the
person specification. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities,
experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities,
education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note
selection for interview will largely be based on the information you
provide in this section. Please write on separate sheets, but
remember to put your name and post applied for on each sheet.

For Further Information Please contact the Recruitment Team on
+44 20-8392-5203.

Closing Date Monday 3 September 2012 at midnight

Interviews To be confirmed
Closing Date: Monday 3 September 2012 at midnight


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:13
                  Distributed: Sunday, August 19, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-13-027
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