Collections Assistant :Effective Collections Project, Ditchling Museum
www.ditchling-museum.com
21 hrs per week (to be agreed on appointment) for 6 months. Successful applicant will be
responsible for their own tax and national insurance contributions.
Fee: £4,500 (Freelance), VAT included.
Start date: As soon as possible; mid November 2011 at the latest.
End date: Mid March 2012
Ditchling Museum seeks to employ a Collections Assistant to work with the Collections Curator on
our Effective Collections Project which is funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
http://www.museumsassociation.org/collections/effective-collections
Ditchling Museum holds a significant collection of work by the prominent artists who made their
home in Ditchling in the early part of the twentieth century. The Museum is accredited and has been
awarded a substantial Heritage Lottery Fund grant to redevelop the site; this will include the
conversion of a cart lodge into a new entrance, refurbished education space, and a new collection
store.
Ditchling Museum is keen to promote its sense of place through its collection of works and to this
end, a fundamental part of the Effective Collection’s Project was a Collection Review; this has been
completed, and the task is currently to ensure that all collection pieces fit with the Acquisitions &
Disposals policy. Through the Effective Collections strategy the Museum is now in a position to
employ an assistant to work alongside the Collections Curator with this exciting and innovative
project. The successful candidate will be involved in processes relevant to the aims of Effective
Collections, researching objects to ensure they fit with the Acquisitions & Disposals policy and also
administering disposals.
Job Description
Working under the instruction of the Collections Curator, these are jobs the successful candidate
might typically be undertaking:
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Researching objects in terms of status and relevance to the Acquisitions & Disposals policy,
and provenance using Day Books, Transfer of Title forms, and searching the database.
Accessioning and deaccessioning objects.
Processing and documenting disposals in accordance with the Museums Association’s
Disposal Toolkit – Guidelines for Museums, and The Code of Ethics for Museums
Skills – Essential
2 years museum experience.
Working knowledge of current collections issues in museums.
Object handling training/experience.
Working knowledge of documentation systems (SPECTRUM).
Experience of using museums databases (Ditchling Museum uses MODES XML).
Methodical and well organised.
Flexible.
Skills – Desirable.
MA Museum Studies.
Experience of the process of accessioning and de accessioning objects.
Please send a CV and letter of application to:
Donna Steele - Collections Curator
Ditchling MuseumOffices at Spatham Lane
Ditchling
Sussex BN6 8XL
Or by email to donna.ditchling@btconnect.com. Closing date: Monday 17th October 2011 noon
Interview date: Thursday 27th October 2011
Ditchling Museum is an equal opportunities employer
NB: The collection is stored within several locations in Ditchling and Eastbourne. Please note that
public transport provision is extremely limited in Ditchling.