Placement Opportunities Available

Expanding our Interpretation Activity 

Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives document the experiences of everyday people, and the extraordinary individuals and organisations who have fought for social, political, and cultural change. The history of protest and campaigning (from the late-nineteenth century right up to the present day) is a vibrant area of the collections, and one that is continually expanding through acquisitions that help us to record contemporary, as well as historic, struggles.

We are committed to telling a range of stories represented in our collections through our interpretation work, our programming, and our social media campaigns. As part of this ongoing process, we are looking for students to work with some of the areas of the collections that are currently underrepresented.

Initially, we are looking for students with interest and expertise in the histories of Black and Asian British radicalism and anti-racism to work with our collections, with a view to developing new content for the programme and/or website.

The placement will focus on one or more of the following research areas:

• Black and Asian activism and political representation. Relevant materials from the collections include the Bernie Grant archive (material on Labour Party Black Sections); Feminist Library (e.g. Camden Black Lesbian Group); Caribbean Times and Asian Times archives; Parliamentary Profiles archive; labour history pamphlets and manuscripts.
• Black Queer London, using the Capital Gay and Gay News Archives, along with newsletters and ephemera documenting Black LGBTQ+ experiences since the 1980s.
• Anti-racism in the twentieth century. Materials include Unite Against Fascism; Format archive; Morning Star archive; Bernie Grant archive.

Due to the nature of this project, remote working is not possible.

Start and end date of the placement: w/c Monday 7 February 2022. Some flexibility is possible. End date will depend on the exact start date and the student’s work pattern.

Hours of work: 26 days over 3-6 months. Exact days and hours by mutual agreement.

Essential criteria: This placement will suit students whose research interests cover: modern Black and Asian British history, particularly Black and Asian radicalism and political representation, or the history of anti-racism. Students will have strong written communication skills, with an interest in public engagement, including events.

Expected project outcomes: Outcomes to be agreed with the student during the course of the placement and delivered in collaboration with members of Bishopsgate Institute staff. They might include blog posts/articles for the Bishopsgate Institute website, social media content and public events or courses.

Deadline for expressions of interest: 10th January 2022 at 17.00

As the archive of Crown and State government, The National Archives (TNA) holds a vast range of records on life in the British Isles and beyond over the past 1000 years. TNA is pleased to invite LAHP students on placement for periods from four to twelve weeks, full or part time, depending on student requirements. We currently have placement opportunities in our Collections Expertise and Engagement department, our Archive Sector Development department, and our Research and Academic Engagement department. Placement work will focus on activities that enhance information about the contents of our document collections, improve access to records, broaden engagement to users beyond established academic and research communities, and support our role as archive sector lead. For the length of the placement, we will ensure that students are embedded in a small team, working closely with experienced specialists, but they will also work across TNA departments to gain a broad understanding of the varied work and wide responsibilities of this government organization. Depending on the department and the interests of the individual student, placement work might involve analyzing and reporting on survey data to support policy planning, contributing to cataloguing projects, or supporting digital humanities research.

Start & end date of placement: Ad hoc placements to be agreed with the student, please contact research@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Hours of work: To be agreed with the student

Essential criteria:  Student placements at The National Archives will suit students with an interest in cultural heritage or the GLAM sector and who would like to build their skills, knowledge and expertise across a range of areas. There are no minimum skills requirements, but we expect successful placement students will demonstrate a keen interest in the work of The National Archives and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Expected project outcomes: Project outcomes vary from project to project but student work may contribute to cataloguing projects, and therefore to our catalogue Discovery, to ongoing research projects, or support policy planning. Students may also have the opportunity to contribute to blog posts for The National Archives’ website and to public engagement events.

Deadline: No specific deadline, placements are available throughout the academic year

To apply, please complete the expression of interest and return it to lahp.partners@london.ac.uk 

For further details, please contact either lahp.partners@london.ac.uk or research@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Recording the 20th century library

The project intends to make the provenance information in an early-20th century accessions register accessible today. It can be completed remotely, and would fall into three parts, which can run concurrently:

1. Transcribing the handwritten ledger entries in summary. They record the author, title and date of the book, and details of who donated it or where we bought it, and when we acquired it. Most of this data hasn’t previously been included in our main library catalogue.
2. Matching the entries to books in the library catalogue today, and updating the catalogue entry with the provenance info.
3. Researching interesting or major donations – who gave the books, what books were given – and writing that up for library website and social media channels.

Start & end date of placement: Ad hoc placements to be agreed with the student

Hours of work: Negotiable, part-time preferred

Essential criteria:  Ability to read or to learn to read early 20th century handwriting.

Expected project outcomes: Improved library cataloguing including details of early 20th century donors. Major donor summary information written up for documentation on library website.

Deadline: No specific deadline, placements are available throughout the academic year

To apply, please complete the expression of interest and return it to lahp.partners@london.ac.uk 

For further details, please contact either lahp.partners@london.ac.uk or Katie Birkwood (Rare books and special collections Librarian) katie.birkwood@rcp.ac.uk