Contract Details
- Title: Community Participation Lead
- Reports to: Librarian
- Contract Type: Temporary – 18 months
- Salary: £30,000 per year pro rata (£15,000 per year for 2.5 days per week)
- Hours: 17.5 hours per week (flexible)
- Closing Date: 27 September 2023, 5pm.
- Start Date: Mid-October 2023
About The Portico Library and Newsroom
The Portico Library, located in the heart of Manchester, is one of the city’s oldest institutions. This subscription library and newsroom boasts a historic collection of over 25,000 books and archives spanning 450 years. The Portico Library became a charity in 2017 with a mission to engage with Manchester’s diverse communities and visitors, exploring, sharing, and celebrating their stories alongside the city’s literary and global heritage. The Library’s core values are:
- Welcoming to All: Reflecting our City
- Creative: Promoting Curiosity
- Equitable: Reading the Past to Improve the Present
- Collaborative: Community Making
Position Summary
We seek an energetic Community Participation Lead with a proven track record in co-production of activities to assist in delivering the 18-month project titled “People, Purpose, and Place in Historic Books.” This part-time role is offered on a fixed-term contract funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) as part of the Dynamic Collections campaign. Working closely with the Librarian, Creative Producer, and Collections and Access Librarian, your role will be pivotal in implementing community engagement activities. These activities aim to enable people to explore our historic book collection critically and creatively, connecting it to their cultural heritage and interests.
Role Responsibilities
- Oversee Critical Friends Meetings: Organize bi-monthly meetings over 18 months.
- Project Evaluation: Collaborate with an external evaluator to set evaluation frameworks, monitor outputs, and deliver a final report guiding the Library’s development.
- Public Events: Work with the Creative Producer to plan and execute six public events or creative interventions inside and outside the library.
- Cataloguing Collaboration: Collaborate with the Community Cataloguer and Collections and Access Librarian to revise book descriptions and indexing to implement people-centered cataloguing.
- Research Workshops: Conduct at least six research workshops for stakeholders, critical friends, and volunteers.
- Video Production: Partner with an external producer or production company to record, produce, and promote three short videos about using the collection.
- Education Pilot: Collaborate with an external artist or educator to pilot a cross-disciplinary project around folklore, myth, and magic for Key Stage Two age children.
Requirements
Essential:
- Experience in community co-production
- Managing partners and community organizations
- Ability to work independently and within a team
- Computer literacy
- Project planning, monitoring, and evaluation
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Commitment to Equal Opportunities, anti-discriminatory, and decolonizing practice
Desirable:
- Experience in heritage or community settings
- Understanding of historic collections’ use in community engagement
- Experience with East Asian communities or heritage
Additional Information
- Some work outside normal hours (evenings/weekends)
- Some travel in Greater Manchester and to Lancashire/Yorkshire
- Some remote work may be required
Application Process
Please submit a CV (including referees’ contact information), an Equal Opportunities form, and a Supporting Statement (max two pages) explaining your interest in the role and suitability. Highlight relevant knowledge, skills, and experience using examples. Submit all documents by email to admin@khes.co.uk or by post to Unit 2, Mossfield House, Chesham Fold Rd, Bury, BL9 6JZ by 27 September, 5 pm.
Shortlisting and Interviews
CVs and Supporting Statements will be assessed against the required skills criteria. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interviews during the week commencing 2 October 2023, with details provided via email.
Access Information
The Portico Library is committed to accessibility. Please note the building has limited access for people with mobility concerns. Contact the Librarian for any special requirements.
Equal Opportunity and Safeguarding
The Portico Library values diversity and follows equal opportunity policies. We encourage candidates with protected characteristics to apply. All staff members must commit to safeguarding principles, and this role will require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
