Jobs

This role is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) Corporate Archive Service. As part of a dedicated project team working closely with the NTS Archivist, the Digital Archivist will be responsible for establishing digital preservation principles and good practice at NTS. The role includes undertaking a survey of born-digital records currently held in the archives as well as assisting in the procurement of a digital preservation system for NTS. The post-holder will be supported in their work by the Archive Programme Manager and dedicated external consultants.

The role will include opportunities to contribute to other strands of the wider three-year Archives Review Programme, which includes a review of the physical collections and the re-housing of the Trust’s Corporate Archive, as well as liaising with colleagues in Corporate Services to identify born-digital material being created across the organisation.

The Trust recognises that the management of digital archives is a fast-developing field and is happy to receive applications from any qualified individuals with an interest in developing their experience with digital archives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead on a survey of born-digital records already identified as part of the NTS Archive.
• Work with the Archive Programme Manager to review existing born-digital and digitised archival records with a view to making recommendations on cataloguing and access.
• Develop, in consultation with internal stakeholders and external consultants, a digital preservation strategy for the long-term security of the Trust’s born-digital and digitised archives.
• Support the Archive Programme Manager with procurement for and then lead on the roll-out of a new digital preservation system, including documentation and training.
• Develop workflows for a programme to process the backlog of born-digital archives, taking GDPR, copyright, and NTS business needs into consideration.
• Deliver a programme of activities relating to born-digital archives which will contribute to the enhancement of the NTS collections and the Archive Service, with an emphasis on improving staff access.
• Advocate for, and engage with colleagues about, the benefits of long-term digital preservation and best practice relating to digital archives.
• Engage with the wider archive and digital preservation communities as part of comparator analysis to identify good practice and establish monitoring/reporting benchmarks.
• Liaise with the Review Archivist undertaking a review of the physical archive collections to create a collections framework, applicable across the whole of NTS, for paper and digital material that has been identified for permanent preservation.
• Contribute to the development of a vision, strategy, and five-year Action Plan for the Archive Service.
• Work with the Digital Collections Asset Manager to review and improve access to and management of the photographic archive.
• Liaise with colleagues in Corporate Services to continue to develop and manage the retention schedule for digital records created by NTS

The normal day-to-day duties of this role are such that a criminal records check is not required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential
• Degree in a relevant discipline
• A Postgraduate qualification in Archives Administration, or equivalent experience

Desirable
 Driving Licence, valid for driving within the UK

Experience, Skills and Knowledge

Essential
 Demonstrable experience of working with born-digital archives and an awareness of digital preservation practices and systems
 Experience of engaging internal and external stakeholders
 Experience of analysing data and drawing conclusions which can be shared with others
 Expertise in archival good practice and standards within the UK archives sector
 Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Desirable
• Knowledge of, or an interest in, the activities of the National Trust for Scotland
• Knowledge of archives cataloguing systems, such as Axiell Collections (Adlib)
• Experience in documenting processes and workflows
• Practical experience of surveying archive collections
 Experience of working with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
 Experience of change management processes
 Knowledge of managing photographic collections both digital and analogue.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

People Management
• This role will work closely as part of the project team and be required to engage with internal stakeholders including NTS IT team and with external consultants.

Application Deadline: Friday 25/11/2022