Start date Wednesday 1 May 2024
End date Wednesday 31 December 2025
Applications close Friday 23 February 2024
The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) welcomes applications for a full-time Archivist position at the BIAA Digital Repository Office for the Lost Villages of the Upper Euphrates: A Digital Archive Project. The position will be tenable for 20 months from 01 May 2024 to 31 December 2025. The continuation of the position will be linked to the outcome of funding applications. The position will be based in Ankara. There is a two-months probation period.
The BIAA is an academic research centre housing vast resources on archaeological data produced in Türkiye and the Black Sea. Furthermore, the Institute has experience in handling, classifying, storing, digitising and disseminating such data, as seen in the presentation of its own collections online (https://digitalrepository.biaa.ac.uk/). Over the last 5 years the BIAA has significantly invested in the development of its digital infrastructure to preserve its resources and to share them worldwide. The Digital Repository Manager is establishing and organising the office that will provide expanded services of digitisation, storage, and dissemination of digitised data for the academic community and is expanding the Digital Repository System (Islandora).
Job description and Duties
The Digital Archivist will work under the Digital Repository Manager and will be responsible for organising, digitising and cataloguing the photographs according to Library Modern Endangered Archives Program Metadata Template as well as ingesting, verifying and editing digital data in the Islandora system.
The BIAA Digital Repository Office seeks a creative, dynamic, detail-oriented digital archivist for digitalisation of ca. 2,400 slides created between 1970 and 1990 in the Upper Euphrates region of southeast Türkiye. More specifically, the Digital Archivist will be responsible for:
Essential skills or essential demonstrable experience expected for this post include:
• Knowledge of cataloguing and digital archiving standards, classification systems as well as experience of cataloguing in an online environment, especially cultural heritage-related collections.
• Familiarity with and/or ability to learn, analyse, and utilize existing and emerging metadata standards such as Dublin Core, EAD, principles of linked data; ability to use controlled vocabularies and authorities (e.g. Getty TGN, LCSH, VIAF). Ability to rapidly master and implement cataloguing procedures and principles adopted by the BIAA Digital Repository Office.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Good IT skills (including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe Photoshop), ability to work online and familiarity with Teams and SharePoint.
• Familiarity with digitisation procedures.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills in English and Turkish.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• At least one-year experience working with digital archives and/or photographic digitisation projects.
Desired demonstrable skills include:
• Knowledge of the existing guidance and best practice for management of digital cultural heritage archives.
• Experience of managing multiple and diverse flows of information.
• Basic programming experience.
• Previous archival experience, preferably in an academic setting.
• Familiarity with cataloguing systems e.g. Islandora, Dspace, Omeka.
Education and language proficiency
Applicants should have graduated from Information and Records Management, Archaeology or Art History Departments and have a master’s degree in related fields or have equivalent practical experience. Proficiency in English and Turkish is a requirement.
Salary
The Digital Archivist’s annual gross salary between 10,000-12,000 GBP. Salary will be paid monthly. The Institute will pay monthly employer’s contributions to the Turkish national insurance system (SGK) relative to the gross salary and deduct employee contributions from the gross salary.
Interview
Selected applicants will be invited to an interview after 12 March 2024. Interviews will take place in person or online. The selected applicant will be expected to start work on 1 May 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. Interviews will be conducted in English.
Application requirements
To apply, the candidate is required to submit a cover letter (max 600 words), CV and the names and contact details of two referees to Dr Nurdan Atalan Çayırezmez via repository.manager@biaa.ac.uk Shortlisted applicants will be given one week to notify their referees and ensure that references are submitted electronically prior to the interview. Only electronic references will be accepted. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the reference letters have reached the BIAA before 18 March 2024. The BIAA will NOT contact the referees directly. Missing reference letters will disqualify the applicant.