Archivist

Archivist (Landscapes Unlocked)

Derbyshire Record Office is a combined archives and local studies service based in Matlock, in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, just outside the Peak District National Park.  To find out more about what we do, take a look at our social media on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, our blog and Google Arts & Culture page.

We are now looking for an enthusiastic and confident archivist to join our team to deliver Landscapes Unlocked, a joint project between the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA), Peak District National Park Foundation and Derbyshire Record Office.  Landscapes Unlocked is funded by Archives Revealed, a funding partnership of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives.

The project will preserve and catalogue the extensive photographic archive of the National Park – approximately 40,000 images currently held at the PDNPA offices in Bakewell.  The collection will become the first publicly accessible photographic archive from a UK National Park and is rich in images that document landscape change, the places, life and people within the UK’s first national park.  

As the project’s archivist, you will enable the photographic archive to be made publicly accessible for the first time, ready to celebrate the Peak District National Park’s 75th birthday in 2026 and opening up its potential for learning, helping park staff and climate scientists to understand landscape change and supporting nature recovery.

What you will be doing:

• Devise a new arrangement for the archives of the Peak District National Park Authority already held at DRO to amalgamate them from five collections into one and enable the photographs and any new accruals to be easily added to the collection.
• Survey the photographs at the PDNPA Headquarters and determine priorities and a timetable for dealing with the collection
• Build relationships with stakeholders, including landscape and climate scientists, PDNPA staff and local residents, to agree selection criteria that will enable the collection to be weeded
• Weed and catalogue the collection, using volunteers to assist
• With the PDNPA and stakeholders, select 3000 images to be digitised and hosted online
• Promote the project through public engagement activities and social media
• Occasionally respond to customer enquiries about the collection and facilitate access

What skills and experience you need:

• An archive qualification or equivalent experience
• Being highly organised and able to meet deadlines
• Confident at deciding selection criteria and making decisions
• Experience of cataloguing archives to professional standards, such as ISAD(G)
• Being a confident communicator, able to build relationships with partners and stakeholders
• Providing good quality customer service and doing archival research
• Being inclusive and friendly, treating everyone with respect
• Communicating clearly, both in person and in writing
• Working well independently and as part of a team
• Fluency with IT, particularly Microsoft Excel
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills
• Able to drive

What we offer you:

• 27 days of annual leave
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts at selected county leisure centres
• and much more!

If you would like to have a chat with someone to see if this post is right for you or visit the Record Office to find out more about what we do, please email sarah.chubb@derbyshire.gov.uk or ring 01629 539201.

When writing your application, please look at the attached job description and personal specification and show us clearly and with examples how you meet all the essential skills and knowledge we’ve asked for – and where possible the desirable ones as well.

Provisional Interview Date 12 May 2025.