Arnos Vale Cemetery Interpretation and Education Plan

							Arnos Vale Cemetery Interpretation and Education Plan
Researcher – Person Specification
6-month contract, full time. £18,000 p.a. pro rata

Essential:
   1. A proven track record in self-directed academic research, preferably in social
       or socio-economic history.

   2. Experience of working in archives, using primary sources.

   3. Experience of working in academic libraries, including familiarity with
      catalogue search and retrieval systems.

   4. Familiarity with academic referencing conventions

   5. Meticulous attention to detail, and a methodical approach to recording
      information.

   6. IT proficient.

   7. Ability to work to deadlines and under pressure.

   8. Ability to prioritise effectively and to manage several tasks simultaneously

   9. Ability to work efficiently with minimal supervision.

Desirable:
   1. Experience of cataloguing.

   2. Experience of using and developing databases.

   3. Familiarity with and experience of digitisation processes

   4. A higher degree qualification.

   5. A strong and developed interest in the local history of Bristol.

   6. Confident and effective communicator

   7. Ability to absorb and process information quickly and reliably.

   8. Familiarity with basic copyright law.

The researcher will be responsible to carrying out a programme of research to the
brief outlined below. As well as library and archive-based research, principally in the
Bristol Record Office and College Green Library, the job involves
creation/compilation of contact lists and photographic records. This research will
contribute to the development of interpretation and education facilities for visitors to
Arnos Vale Cemetery, which is undergoing a £4m programme of restoration and
development
Research Brief

Prior to the detailed development of content for different interpretation and education
resources the Trust will appoint a researcher to review, consolidate, and extend its
knowledge about the history of the site.

The objective of the research programme is to create a core archive of information
about the site. This archive will be an essential resource for creating high-quality
material for visitors and education audiences. It will also be an important facility for
the Friends and for volunteer guides, and in the longer term may become a part of
the Family History Research Centre which the Trust plans to establish.

The core archive should include:
     1. Originals or copies of all known historic images of Arnos Vale, including
        photographs, plans, surveys and artworks.
           Wherever possible, high-resolution digital copies of these images
              should be produced. (These will be necessary for the production of
              graphics as part of the interpretation scheme).
           The image collection should be catalogued, and all information about
              the date and provenance of each image should be recorded.

     2. A digital image log of the site and buildings recording all historic features
        which relate to the creation, use and development of the cemetery between
        its foundation and the present day. For example, this should include
        photographs of the following:
            The cremation furnaces and the coffin lift beneath the non-Conformist
               chapel
            Interior and exterior elevations of all buildings
            Pathways and routes around the cemetery
            Memorials
            Landscape features e.g. trees which are believed to have formed part
               of the ‘garden cemetery’ planting scheme.

   3. A catalogued collection of all known primary sources relating to the site and to
      the individuals and families buried or remembered there. This catalogue
      should include:
           Accurate and comprehensive information about holdings, i.e. libraries
          or other public or private collections where different documents can be
          consulted: e.g. the biography of Captain James Hosken held in the
          archive of the ss Great Britain Trust
           Details of date and authorship
      Wherever possible the Trust should seek to obtain digital and hard copies of
      primary sources.

   4. A catalogued collection of all known secondary sources developed as an
      outcome of research by individuals or groups who have worked on the history
      of Arnos Vale Cemetery. Notable amongst these are:
           Reference notes developed by the Friends as part of the work carried
             out to deliver the key visitor service of guided tours around the site.
           Published and unpublished research relating to specific burials e.g.
             Rajah Rammohun Roy

   5. A record of other monuments, institutions, sites etc. associated with
      individuals buried or remembered in the cemetery, e.g. the tablet in St
       Augustine’s cathedral commemorating Mary Carpenter, the Wills family’s
       public buildings.

   6. Supplementary material: the core archive could usefully be extended to
      include material on a range of subjects relevant to the cemetery, e.g.
           Victorian attitudes to death
           The social and economic history of Bristol from the early nineteenth
             century onwards.
           Social customs and religious rites associated with death in different
             faith/ethnic communities, e.g. Hindu, Somali, Polish Catholic, Spanish
             Catholic, Irish Protestant
           The art and architecture of Victorian cemeteries

   7. A list, including contact and publication details, of bodies and individuals
      carrying out relevant research or having an expertise in subjects relevant to
      the cemetery, e.g. Bath University Centre for Death and Society, UWE Centre
      for Regional History.

   8. A contact list, compiled with their permission and treated with a degree of
      confidentiality as appropriate, of individuals, families, businesses and groups who
      have an association with the cemetery, e.g. the Utting family, undertakers and
      funeral directors, priests and other funeral officiants, gravediggers. This may be a
      useful aid to telling the story of how the cemetery has developed within living
      memory and how it is used today.

Intellectual and Reproduction Rights

It will also be important to ensure that the Trust secures agreement from holding institutions
and individuals that:

      The Trust can use all sources and images for research purposes.
      The Trust can use all sources and images to develop content for educational and
       interpretative materials.
      The Trust can reproduce sources and images in educational and interpretative
       materials, e.g. guidebook, education pack, graphics.
      The Trust can reproduce sources and images in publicity materials e.g. website,
       marketing leaflets.
      The Trust can borrow artefacts for display within the Cemetery, subject to any
       relevant loan conditions being fulfilled.