Library Assistant (Haud Nominandum Collection)

The University of London is a leading UK provider of distance and digital education internationally, offering programmes to 45,000 students in 190 countries around the world. Although proudly rooted in London, our community and impact are global. We are a national leader in the humanities, and we promote their value to society and the economy through knowledge creation and exchange.

Senate House Library (SHL) is embarking on an ambitious project to transform access to one of the UK’s largest and richest collections of queer literature — the remarkable Haud Nominandum Collection, donated by activist, bookseller and co‑founder of Gay’s the Word, Jonathan Cutbill. With over 30,000 uncatalogued items spanning literature, history, social sciences, pamphlets, newspapers and more, this collection holds extraordinary stories that have too often been marginalised or overlooked. SHL is looking to recruit two fixed‑term posts to catalogue this incredible collection.

The Main Responsibilities Of The Role Will Be To:

• Help address the historic marginalisation and erasure of LGBTQ+ experiences by increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ materials within publicly accessible spaces.
• Catalogue every item in the collection, recording essential metadata to support discovery, research and long‑term preservation, including some potentially sensitive material.
• Supervise and train an intern.
• Contribute to identifying materials for digitisation to remove physical and geographical barriers for users.
• Enable public engagement by preparing materials that will be highlighted in SHL events, exhibitions and community‑focused outreach programmes.

Applicants should be aware that the collection contains sensitive material, including occasional explicit sexual images, which are part of this collection and require professional handling. Workflows and systems will be in place to support employees working with the collection.

To be considered for this opportunity, please submit your application before the closing date at midnight on 4th March 2026. Interviews will be held on the 17th March 2026. Please note the start date for these roles is 1st May 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The University will be unable to sponsor candidates for a visa for this role. Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK for the duration of their employment.

The University currently operates a Hybrid Working framework involving a mix of working remotely and in the office. Typically, the majority of employees will be able to agree to work remotely for up to 60% of their working week, role dependent, however will be required to attend on specific days for training or team meetings.

The University of London is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We particularly encourage applications from members of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities as this group is currently under‑represented at all levels within the University. All appointments will be made on merit, based on the criteria identified in the job description.