Digital Curatorial Archivist - Our Screen Heritage

British Film Institute

Berkhamsted (Hertfordshire)

Salary: £31,293 - £36,774 per annum

The BFI is seeking a Digital Curatorial Archivist to focus on key areas of digital moving image collections development for the new ‘Our Screen Heritage’ lottery programme while bringing core curatorial knowledge to their work within the BFI National Archive.

Our Screen Heritage will focus on collecting contemporary screen works. It is the third chapter of our screen heritage story, bringing the BFI national collections up to date – to preserve the story of moving-image as it moves into the digital/online era.

This role will form the crucial bridge between curatorial selection and digital preservation, ensuring accurate accessioning, cataloguing and overall digital collections appraisal activity.

Fixed Term Contract: January 2024 to March 2026

Key responsibilities include:
  • As a part of curatorial team, to take responsibility for acquisition, accession and, where necessary, disposal of digital material on offer to the BFI National Archive through Our Screen Heritage programme.
  • To assess acquisition offers, in consultation with curators, as necessary.
  • To document acquired materials and identify any digital conservation work required, in accordance with BFI policy and procedures and relevant international standards.
  • Undertake identification, accessioning and documentation of digital materials at item level. To participate in programme of retrospective born digital collections review and documentation against agreed targets.
We are looking for candidates who have:
  • Good general knowledge of British moving image history and familiarity with UK film and TV industries.
  • Excellent knowledge of cataloguing standards.
  • Excellent knowledge of the use of automated archive systems, spreadsheets and information databases for documentation and collections management, utilising established international standards.
  • Experience of moving image archiving or other appropriate form of heritage collections management.

A full list of responsibilities and minimum requirements can be found in the job description.

About the BFI

We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. We believe society needs stories. Film, television and the moving image bring them to life, helping us connect and understand each other better. We share the stories of yesterday, search for the stories of today, and shape the stories of tomorrow.

At the BFI you’ll enjoy benefits such as excellent support for working parents, 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), tickets to BFI festivals and events plus many others.

We support diversity and inclusion, and as an organisation recognise that we need to address under representation within our teams. As such we strongly welcome and encourage applicants from our under-represented groups; who identify as D/deaf and disabled and/or are ethnically diverse. We guarantee a first interview

Further details

Further details about the role, the BFI and our benefits can be obtained by visiting our website.

First interviews will be held on w/c 12 February 2024

The closing date for this position is 05/02/2024 at 23:59

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