Position Title: Documentation Officer (Archive)

Purpose of Role: to oversee and maintain IFI Irish Film Archive documentation and database in accordance with IFI policy and best practice

Reporting to: Archive Policy and Project Manager

Contract: eighteen months fixed term contract (six months’ probation)

Salary scale: Starting salary will depend on experience and will be according to the following Officer pay scale Levels: L1 30,000, L2 30,750, L3 31,519, L4 32,306, LS1 33,437, LS2 34,607 (LS – Long Service Increment, after 3 further years and 6 years respectively).+ 24 days annual leave + other benefits

Other Benefits: Hybrid working options, bike to work scheme, café discounts, enhanced sick pay, film store discount and free cinema tickets.

Key Relationships:

• Collections managers, Special Collections Officer, Archive Technical Officer

• Other IFI Departments

• Collections rights holders and donors

• Other relevant individuals and organisations

Role Context:

The Irish Film Institute is Ireland’s national cultural institution for film. At the IFI’s historic home in Eustace Street, Temple Bar, our diverse audiences and loyal members enjoy our three cinemas, the IFI Irish Film Archive’s research and access facilities, the IFI Film Shop, the IFI Café Bar and our four digital streaming platforms: IFI@Home, IFI Archive Player, IFI@Schools and IFI International. The IFI has developed strategic objectives around four core pillars:

• EXHIBIT – providing audiences throughout Ireland with access to the finest independent, Irish and international cinema

• PRESERVE – preserving and promoting Ireland’s moving-image heritage through the IFI Irish Film Archive

• EDUCATE – providing opportunities for audiences of all ages and backgrounds to learn and critically engage with film through IFI Education

• INNOVATE – diversifying our audiences through the use of new and emerging technologies and outreach strategies

Role Description:

The Documentation Officer will work within the IFI Irish Film Archive and will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of Archive collection documentation.

The Documentation Officer will also coordinate the use of the IFI Collection Database (Lucidea GeniePlus), identifying ways to improve its functionality and the quality of the data it contains.

The Documentation Officer will be responsible for maintaining donor and depositor information, ensuring that this information is up to date and easily accessible by IFI staff. This will involve a high level of personal responsiveness and relationship management skills to maintain donor/partnership communications.

The Documentation Officer will help the Archive to maintain its Museum Standards of Ireland (MSPI) accreditation through updating archive documentation as required by the scheme.

The Documentation Officer  will keep abreast of advances within the profession to ensure international standards of best practice are applied in documenting the IFI’s collections, and  will work with other collections staff to ensure that new policies and procedures harmonise with existing collections management policies. (The IFI uses the SPECTRUM Collections Management Standard and the OAIS Reference Model for Digital Collections).

Candidate Competencies

The successful candidate will have a qualification in Archiving, Librarianship, Digital Information Management, Heritage Studies (or in a related area) and/or equivalent experience in cultural archives and/or libraries.

They will be an enthusiastic, flexible person, with outstanding interpersonal, administration and communication skills, who will be able to work effectively on their own or as part of a dynamic team. They will also have excellent cataloguing and database management experience, ideally using SQL databases. They will have an interest in and knowledge of film and film culture, particularly Irish film.

Key duties include but are not limited to:

• In consultation with collections managers, ensuring that collections documentation is maintained to a high standard in accordance with the IFI’s policies and procedures. Addressing any pre-existing documentation backlog

• Overseeing the Archive’s database, Lucidea GeniePlus. Reviewing recent catalogue records to ensure accuracy and adherence to standards. Liaising with Lucidea helpdesk to facilitate database change requests

• Ongoing normalisation of database records, particularly name authority records (e.g. where a donor or contributor may go by more than one name)

• Working with Archive Technical Officer to ensure that changes in database fields are reflected in IFI scripts for digital preservation

• Maintenance of new and legacy acquisition paperwork and digital records. Facilitating donations and communications with donors

• Maintenance of Archive registers for object entry, accessions and deaccessions across all collection types. Printing out and binding of registers for internal and external inspection

• Creation and maintenance of centralised online repositories for documentation types and best practice for documentation in general

• Acting as an ambassador and an advocate for the Archive and the IFI. Establishing and maintaining contacts with other archives and professional societies to ensure knowledge-sharing and development of best practice. Contributing positively and constructively to the Archive team

• Demonstrating flexibility, pragmatism and a positive approach to issues and problems, liaising with colleagues to solve them. Creating timely and accurate internal reports for line manager and Head of Archive.