National Jazz Archive VOLUNTEER SPECIFICATION

NJA’s mission: To Inspire and Share the Story of British Jazz…

About the National Jazz Archive:

The National Jazz Archive (NJA) holds the UK’s finest collection of written, printed and visual material on jazz, blues and related music, from the 1920s to the present day. Its vision is to safeguard and share this heritage for future generations of enthusiasts, professionals and researchers.

With the help of a three year Heritage Lottery grant awarded in 2011 previous work has been carried out to catalogue and conserve key parts of the collection for the first time and digitise a significant amount of the archive’s material to be made available online. The funding also facilitated a programme of events and activities for the community and provided opportunity for volunteers. Together with the NJA’s attendance at UK Jazz festivals and events, the profile of the NJA has increased and helped to establish the NJA as the UK’s foremost national jazz research resource.

Development:

As a measure of NJA’s growing recognition as a valued cultural heritage resource for the UK, it has recently secured its second HLF grant to support an ambitious 18-month project to expand the Archive’s holdings in collaboration with local and national organisations, inviting community groups of all ages to participate at the heart of the process.

The Intergenerational Jazz Reminiscence Project, overseen by the NJA Board of Trustees, is coordinated by Project Manager: Angela Davies and Project Archivist: Layla Fedyk, both appointed for its duration. As part of the commitment to provide new opportunities and skills for project participants, we are seeking volunteers on a part time basis to assist the Archive in its obligations during the project.

Role Purpose:

To assist the Project Archivist in archival duties for The Intergenerational Jazz Reminiscence Project including cataloguing, research, indexing, preservation and collection handling.

Start Date:1 March 2016

Duration: Ongoing as required by the project

Position Title: Volunteer Archive Assistant

Reports to: Project Archivist

Expenses: Expenses refunded for the cost of a Zone 1-6 London travel card.

Working Conditions: Some lifting and carrying of heavy boxes may be required.

Location: NJA Office, Loughton Library, Essex and some remote working depending on the nature of activity.

Key areas of assistance:

  • Report to the Project Archivist to support the archival processing of incoming records created and donated for the IJR Project.
  • Attend training provided by the Oral History Society / British Library on various aspects of creating and processing oral history records.
  • Assist in the transcription of oral history records according to NJA transcription procedure.
  • Assist in cataloguingincoming oral history, manuscript and artefact records into the CALM database.
  • Assist with indexing of newly catalogued records in the Pastview system.
  • Assist in preservating collected and donated digital and physical material as required.
  • Contribute to social media blogs, twitter and podcasts, monthly e-newsletter, for volunteer involvement and perspective on the project.
  • Write a report,with guidance, on your involvement and perspective on the project.
  • Work with the Project Archivist to source and prepare material for events, project activities and final exhibition.
  • Assist at events, activities and exhibitions as the opportunities arise.
  • Undertake such duties in line with the Healthy and Safety at Work Act 1974 and NJA and Library Code of Practice.

Person Specification

Essential qualifications and experience:

  • Eligible to work in the UK.
  • Competent and experiencedwith IT, databases, Microsoft Office Applications, online systems.
  • Experience with research and using standard reference resources.

Desirable:

  • Previous experience working in an archive, or with archival processing.
  • Previous experience or interest in working fornon profit organisations.
  • An appreciation for or knowledge of jazz music.
  • Knowledge of Essex Libraries and the Essex Record Office.
  • Experience of CALM cataloguing software.
  • Experience with social media account management.
  • Experience with image, film and sound records.

Aptitudes:

Essential:

  • IT literate and a willingness to develop new skills.
  • Good communication skills and experience of team work.
  • Proven ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
  • Proven ability working to deadlines and targets.
  • Accurate and methodical in inputting data.

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of website applications and Internet sites

How to Apply

To applyto become a NJA Volunteer, please submit a CV and covering letter responding to the Person Specification.

Send your application to Layla Fedyk at: , by 28 February 2016. Please get in touch using the email address above, if you have any queries.

National Jazz Archive, Loughton Library, Loughton, Essex IG10 1HD

Volunteer Specification created by Project Archivist: Layla Fedyk, 26, 1, 2016.