Digital Curator

Description

The research landscape is changing rapidly in the digital age, with scholars able to ask new types of questions and answer them in novel ways. As one of the British Library’s Digital Curators you will play a role in the exciting transformational steps that will change the way the Library provides access to its collections in digital form. You will also assist in the development of programmes to train staff in the opportunities for and practices of digital scholarship.

The work will involve tracking developments in digital scholarship, creating partnerships which can support the Library’s strategic objectives and encouraging, supporting and assisting curators to realise their vision for integrating digital content into a seamless research experience.

You will have a good understanding of digital scholarship, preferably gained from working in a research library, academic or other appropriate environment. You will have excellent information technology skills, including web-based skills and experience of the tools and technologies that support digital scholarship. Excellent Project Management, oral and written communication skills are also essential for this post.

Job purpose:
To contribute to the development and implementation of the Library’s Digital Scholarship Strategy.  To support curators and other professionals in the integration of digital collections and digital tools into routine curatorial functions. To lead the project management of complex digital or digitisation projects, working closely with curators in discipline areas.  To train and advise staff throughout the Library in digital scholarship.

Key areas of responsibility

• To track developments in digital scholarship and the demand from users for new ways of researching which can exploit digital content
• To create partnerships, internal and external, which can support the Library’s strategic objectives in acquiring digital content, or exploiting the collection in digital ways
• To develop models of digital scholarship for arts and humanities and the social sciences and helping to integrate these within curatorial areas
• To encourage, support and assist curators in discipline areas to realise their vision of integrating a variety of formats into a seamless research experience or of digitising particular parts of the Library’s collections
• To lead on the delivery of major projects requiring complex project management and deep knowledge of digital scholarship, including managing dedicated resource
• To train staff throughout the Library in the opportunities for and practices of digital scholarship.

Resources managed

• Curators, support staff, and project budgets [will vary]

Main tasks

• Content development and collection management
• To contribute to implementing the annual Digital Scholarship Action Plan
• To research and scan Higher Education policy and practice, notably but not exclusively in digital humanities and the social sciences.
• To identify digital scholarship opportunities that the Library should pursue to support the researcher, and disseminate to colleagues information about new methodologies and technologies emerging
• To develop in collaboration with Library curators partnerships with research groups in the UK or overseas to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship in developing joint projects or sharing expertise which can support the researcher
• To examine trends in digital publishing in order to support curators in their content development decisions
• To identify in collaboration with external researchers, partners and Library curators ways in which to exploit the collection in digital terms, both through digitisation and integration of formats, which can expand our or researchers’ understanding of the collection
• To actively support curators by examining with them how to realise their vision of digital scholarship.
• To train and advise curators and other staff in all aspects of digital scholarship, especially digital scholarship methodologies, and help them plan and develop proposals for digitisation, bring formats together, or introduce digital tools to aid the research experience
• To develop business plans and proposals for major digital scholarship projects.
• To manage major digital scholarship projects.

Resources management

• To manage project-based staff as required and work within budget on a project-by-project basis
• To resolve queries in regular meetings with DFM representatives
• To review Continuous Improvement (CI) opportunities within the department, co-ordinate CI discussions, establish priorities and undertake projects that drive continuous improvement locally and corporately
• To motivate, encourage and manage direct reports, give feedback on performance on a frequent basis, undertake performance Management Review (PMR) reports for self and others on time and filed by end of the appropriate review cycle.
• To review, input to and implement feedback from the regular Staff Surveys undertaken for the directorate
• To review, input to and implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities that contribute positively to BL reputation
• To contribute towards directorate Key Performance Indicator activities and directorate performance evaluation.
• To work closely with teams in other directorates, especially EIS, SM&C and O&S to improve connectivity in project work and the realisation of that part of the Library’s vision that relates to digital

Personal and professional development

• To maintain contacts in specialist field of studies and keep abreast of new and emerging research trends and methodologies that are relevant to digital scholarship
• To produce a personal scholarly contribution based closely on research on the collections – through publication, paper-giving at conferences, lectures, etc.
• To participate in the directorate’s training and up-skilling programme on a regular basis.

Other

• Expected to demonstrate a willingness to take on a range of tasks and to develop new skills, as appropriate, in own or other departments/directorates to support the delivery of the Library's services as required by line management

Minimum requirements (essential)

• First degree level qualification or equivalent experience, knowledge and skills
• Keen interest in and good understanding of digital scholarship
• Excellent information technology skills, including web-based skills
• High level of project-management skills and experience
• Experience with tools and technologies that support digital scholarship
• Employment experience in a research library, academic or other appropriate environment
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• The ability to undertake ‘internal consulting’, advising colleagues on best practice, etc.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to interpret curatorial and technical vocabularies.

Additional requirements (desirable)

• Qualified information professional (Chartered Librarian or equivalent)
• Good understanding of the overall content and make-up of the Library’s collections, in particular those relating to the arts and humanities and social sciences.

Additional information

The team of Digital Curators is key to our future strategy for developing and interpreting the collections for users. They will report to the Head of the Digital Curator Team and their time will be allocated among the various curatorial groupings according to need, collaborating with curators on a daily basis.   Digital Curators will both guide and support curators in adopting new ways of collecting e-material, and adopting digitisation and digital tools. Curators are expected to be proactive in integrating digital scholarship into their roles, and they will be supported by training, partnership working with other institutions and by the Digital Curator who will be allocated to them. Digital Curators will develop and implement major digital scholarship projects.