👉Get free email job alerts!

Lisel Haas Cataloguer, Bertz Associates

  •  West Midlands
  •  Â£30k-40k (pro rata)
  •  Part time
  •  Closes September 29, 2025
  •  Jen Wilbur
  •  projects@bertzassociates.net
  • #Photography

Description

Job Summary

As Lisel Haas cataloguer, you will lead on the cataloguing of the Lisel Haas collection at the Library of Birmingham.

Job Description

The Haas collection, homed at the Library of Birmingham archives, consists of 258 boxes. This is made up of around 90 boxes of developed photographic prints, 93 folders of celluloid negatives, 45 boxes of glass negatives, and around 30 boxes of miscellaneous documents including invoices, letters, lecture notes and more. The collection is yet to be fully catalogued - at the moment, items are boxed, but more work is needed to re-organise them, highlight preservation needs, and digitise highlights. Supported by a National Archives https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-revealed/cataloguing-grant/current-and-past-projects/2024-2025/ - 'Archives Revealed' cataloguing grant, Bertz Associates, in collaboration with the Library of Birmingham, aim for the collection to be fully catalogued and promote public awareness of Haas and her work.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about making archives more accessible to local communities and exploring what they can mean for people today. You must be willing to be an active member of the team, an enthusiastic collaborator, and excited to learn and share expertise with others.

We encourage applications from current students and recent graduates. If you do not meet all points listed below, we would still encourage you to apply and demonstrate your interest in developing those skills and learning.

The job is fixed-term, from November 2025 to September 2026, and part-time, you will work on average two days a week.

Job Requirements

  • Experience of handling and cataloguing archival collections.
  • Experience of making archival collections available, as appropriate, to the public.
  • Experience of digitising archival collections.
  • Demonstrates ownership and accountability for deliverables and commitments given to them.
  • Demonstrates organisational skills - able to implement a plan to an agreed timescale working with both internal and external colleagues communicating requirements clearly.
  • Ability to foster relationships with others which encourage collaborative working and knowledge sharing.
  • Confidence in making decisions using own judgement which enables the project to progress.
  • Takes responsibility for developing own skill and knowledge to ensure optimum contribution to the project.
  • Ability to operate flexibly understanding the requirement to change priorities according to the needs of the project.
  • A commitment to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
  • Desired: Ability to read German to a proficient level.

Job Responsibilities

Key outputs of role

  • Collection level entry to include detailed admin and custodial histories.
  • Every negative described to item level.
  • Every print described to item level; there are at present several discrete series of prints but it is not clear why they are separated the way they are. A successful project will see them sorted in a meaningful way, using the indexes in the collection.
  • All correspondence listed and transcribed.
  • All other material, including office records, books, etc. fully listed.
  • A curated collection of images from the collection digitised and added to Universal Access Preservica for remote access by researchers.
  • Enhanced visibility of the collection on the council's Archives and Collections web pages through creation of content related to the collection for Birmingham City Council's Archives and Collections web pages.

Useful Links

How to Apply

Email a CV and a cover letter of no more than 2 pages to [email protected] by 10am on Monday 29 September

More arts jobs!