Irene Manton Archive Project Archivist

This role will be based on the university campus with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements

Do you have a passion for archive collections and making them accessible to allow society to benefit? Do you have an appreciation of animation and creative industries archives, their challenges and opportunities? Are you committed to meeting goals with high-quality outcomes?

Cultural Collections & Galleries has recently been awarded funding from The National Archives, through the Archives Revealed programme, to catalogue the Irene Manton Archive.

Irene Manton (1904–1988) was a pioneering botanist whose research on ferns and algae helped advance 20thcentury biological study through her use of ultraviolet and electron microscopy. A long serving Professor of Botany at the University of Leeds, she made significant contributions to mid-20th century developments in the field. Her archive offers valuable insight into her scientific work, the international networks she participated in, and the experiences of a woman working in a male dominated area of science. It also reflects the unique connections she drew between art and scientific practice. This project will make her archive fully discoverable, supporting new research into women’s roles in academic science and the visual culture of botanical study.

Cultural Collections & Galleries at the University of Leeds holds world-class collections encompassing archives, manuscripts, rare books, and the University’s institutional archive and art collection. Access is delivered through our research centre in the Brotherton Library, our two public galleries, and increasingly through rich online content. Resource discovery and the management of collections data are major challenges for the service and are a focus of efforts to effectively showcase our distinctive offer to the University and wider research community.

As Project Archivist your main responsibility will be to ensure the collection is catalogued to exceptionally high standards. You will develop an appraisal and cataloguing approach for processing electron microscope images. In addition, you will create index terms and authority records, to ensure discoverability of the collection online. You will assist with the physical management of the collection and work with colleagues in our Digitisation Team to make available a selection of high quality digital images from the archive. You will also support the work of the Project Collections Assistant and Team Assistant. You will promote the Archive at research events, through blog posts and help develop an end of project exhibition and launch event to showcase the collection highlights.

Please note that due to Home Office visa requirements, this role may only be suitable for first-time Skilled Worker visa applicants if they are eligible for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent. ;

What We Offer In Return

• 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
• Generous pension scheme plus life assurance– the University contributes 14.5%
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Tim Procter, Interim Associate Director

T.J.Procter@leeds.ac.uk