Head of Cataloguing. UK National Archives. Open until 21 May 2010

JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title Head of Cataloguing
Department Digital Preservation and Resource Discovery
Reports to Head of Digital Preservation and Resource Discovery
Band G Salary £40,330 + excellent benefits

Job purpose
Context
In 2009, The National Archives committed itself to moving towards an integrated common Resource Discovery System and Catalogue which would describe both central and local records and enable the on-line delivery of digital images and born digital material.
Central to the success of this initiative will be the development and implementation of effective Resource Discovery tools enabling the finding, retrieval and access of Catalogue entries and the archive resources they describe. At the core of these Resource Discovery Tools will be a knowledge base developed using advanced search technology and text analysis tools using ontologies and taxonomies. The aim is to present to our users in friendly, self evident and relevant terms the Catalogue and the resources described by it.
Purpose
In order to deliver this effectively there is a requirement for a Head of Cataloguing to lead the transformation of the Cataloguing team. The team will extend its responsibilities and reach to
develop and maintain the content of the knowledge base and ontologies so that it will deliver fundamentally improved access to our resources (in particular online)
whilst also retaining its current focus of
quality control for all material into the catalogue, ongoing maintenance of existing descriptions, and the development of cataloguing approaches to an increasing number of digital resources
Reporting into the Head of Digital Preservation and Resource Discovery you will provide expert advice and input on cataloguing, to address the challenge of integrating paper and digital resources within The National Archives.
Using both good technical knowledge of the development of knowledge bases and ontologies, and of the successful delivery of business change, you will manage business risk and the broader organisational impact.
Using strong leadership and engagement across the organisation, you will motivate and manage a team to ensure continued effective delivery.

Role and responsibilities
Initial analysis what we do today, identify where change can be made to how we operate that does not impact on core day to day business, make recommendations on that basis, and implement agreed change to take on the new ontology and knowledge base work. This will involve analysing what the new business is, what’s needed to maintain the new knowledge base and ontologies identifying the existing skills that are transferable to support the new knowledge base and ontologies where appropriate, develop additional skills within the team to deliver the capability required Provide intellectual expertise and thought leadership in the development of the content of the new Knowledge Base and ontologies Day-to-day management of the Cataloguing team to ensure in particular that the catalogue is appropriately managed and that an appropriate quality of cataloguing process and catalogue data is maintained To provide expert advice and guidance to the Head of Digital Preservation and Resource Discovery to address the challenge of integrating paper and digital resources within The National Archives To provide expert advice and knowledge on ontologies and taxonomies to support the Head of Digital Preservation and Resource Discovery in delivering the Catalogue Knowledge Base resource discovery project Strategic influencing and relationship management at senior levels both internally and externally to ensure that the strategic co-ordination of cataloguing activities across The National Archives and from external contributors is maintained to the necessary standards To engage with the wider heritage sector to advocate the practice of user generated cataloguing and suggest ways which changes could be made in The National Archives to further realise the benefits of this radical approach To actively ‘horizon scan’ for developments in relevant fields (e.g. linguistic, search technologies, text mining) and develop proposals for their implementation and adaptation at The National Archives as necessary and appropriate Person specification
Essential:
Information Management, Librarianship, Archival or IT qualification to degree level or equivalent relevant experience

Demonstrable experience of designing, developing and implementing thesauri and/or ontologies using current techniques and technologies A demonstrable passion and enthusiasm for the subject of cataloguing, thesauri and / or ontologies which translates into a desire to advocate and deliver change that provides tangible benefit and positive impact to an organisation Demonstrable change management experience and with the ability to lead, engage and motivate teams Experience of representing an organisation to external audiences, inspiring confidence in others through the demonstration of knowledge and expertise Ability to analyse / problem solve and quickly understand and assimilate the details of complex systems, translating issues clearly and concisely to a non-expert audience Good communication skills with the ability to engage, negotiate and influence key stakeholders and manage competing requirements of multiple stakeholders (both internal and external), managing expectations Strong leadership and management skills Demonstrable knowledge of computerised search tools and techniques and of text mining/analysis tools and techniques
Desirable Awareness of semantic search technology An experience of leading the development and maintenance of a catalogue within an archival environment Health and Safety Risk Assessment Normal office environment Location Kew, West London Working arrangement Full-time, Permanent Starting Salary £40,330 plus generous benefits package, including pension, childcare vouchers, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, subsidised staff restaurant and opportunities for training and development. How to apply Please complete an applicant details form and email it along with a comprehensive CV and a Supporting Statement that fully addresses the job requirements in the person specification, to careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk Please quote reference number 1431 in the subject line.

Supporting Statement Please explain how you meet each point on the person specification. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section. Please put your name and post applied for on each sheet. For further information Please contact the Recruitment Team on 020 8392 5203. Nationality rules Applicants must be British or Commonwealth citizens with the right to live and work in the UK, or nationals of states of the European Union. Closing date Friday 21st May 2010 at midday Interviews Friday 4th June 2010