Special Collections Cataloguer (Music) (Fixed Term)

Ever wanted to work in an institution that is home to one of the world's great collections of cultural treasures and research materials?

Spanning thousands of years of human thought and discovery, Cambridge University Libraries and Archives house unique treasures and research materials made up of nearly ten million books, maps, manuscripts, notated music, photographs and priceless objects.

The role

This role offers an exciting opportunity to improve public access to, and to raise the research profile of, music archives at Cambridge University Libraries and Archives. Our rich and varied archives document composers, performers, musicologists and publishers and collectively comprise a resource of outstanding significance to British musical heritage. These collections often contain a mixture of published and manuscript notated music, ephemera, sound recordings and archival documents.

As Special Collections Cataloguer (Music) you will
Improve discoverability of music collections through descriptive and analytical methods.
Undertake appraisal, processing, listing and cataloguing of collections and the retrospective conversion of finding aids.
Answer research enquiries relating to music collections and assess material for imaging requests.

What we are looking for
Practical experience of working in archives.
Music literacy, such as the ability to read music notation and to place sources in their historical context.
Digital literacy, such as a knowledge of metadata requirements for music materials.

What we offer
Flexible and opportunities such as part-time hours, job shares, and staggered hours.
Generous annual leave allowance of 36 days (inclusive of public holidays).
Exceptional parental leave (including maternity, paternity / co-parent, adoption and shared parental leave).
Discounts on major retailers.
Professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships and access to a variety of training courses.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our department.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

For informal enquiries please contact Anna Pensaert, Head of Music Collections at [email removed].

Application closing date: Sunday 15 November 2026. Interview date: Monday 30 November 2026

For further details please refer to the Further Particulars.

Please quote reference VE51557 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.