Outreach and Communication Officer

0,6 FTE for 12 months
Deadline for sending in applications: 31 January 2025
Letters of application, marked Outreach and Communication Officer to secretariat@cerl.org.
For further information contact the CERL Executive Manager, Drs Marian Lefferts at marian.lefferts@cerl.org

The Consortium of European Research Libraries is a membership organisation for libraries and other institutions (museums of the book, archives) with a special interest in the European written cultural heritage up to the middle of 19th century (early-printed books, manuscripts). Together we develop services that increase the visibility and use of our collections, thereby supporting students, scholars, researchers, archivists, special collections librarians, information professionals and cataloguers in their work. We bring together descriptions of books, information about book production (printers, publishers, bookbindings, printer’s marks) and extensive information about provenance and book ownership (such as owners’ marks, annotations, and library stamps). In this way our distributed collections are placed in a wider context and highlight our shared European cultural heritage.

Many of CERL’s databases are linked to digital copies of original materials held in our member libraries. Our search interfaces are especially tailored to the specialist data we hold, allowing for detailed searching and granular retrieval results. Our CERL Thesaurus is published as Linked Open Data, and may be reused both to build connections between databases and to facilitate searching in large data sets. CERL is a network for sharing expertise, where we discuss and develop standards (e.g. for describing provenance information and bookbinding). But we also support institutions in protecting their collections against theft and criminal damage, and we support the exchange of expertise (e.g. through the Expert Group for Manuscript Librarians and the Working Groups on Retrospective National Bibliographies and Cultural Property). We promote the exchange of knowledge through our website, seminars, conferences and their proceedings, newsletters and blog posts.

You will be a member of the CERL Secretariat, which includes the Chairman, Treasurer, Company Secretary and Executive Manager. You will assist the Secretariat in their ongoing liaison with CERL stake holders – member libraries, partners, projects, researchers and other international (library) organisations and will ensure that collaboration with these stakeholders is efficient and visible in the CERL community and beyond. You will also cooperate with the CERL Engagement and Promotion Working Group which acts as the sounding board for CERL plans for engagement and promotion. Together with the Secretariat, you will prepare proposals and examine these with the Working Group, so that, based on their input, issues are put into practice, refined and improved and make best use of communication technologies as well as human networks.

In the coming year, CERL will migrate its website to a new host, and will make use of this opportunity to modernise the site, improve its navigation, and address issues such as web content accessibility guidelines and cyber security. You will work with the Secretariat, the website developer and the Engagement and Promotion Working Group to arrive at an effective and efficient migration and a visually appealing new website that is fit for purpose.

Additionally, you will work with the Secretariat to ensure

• that available materials outlining CERL’s strengths, activities and potential membership benefits are reviewed and updated regularly,
• that member library portfolios, including contact information, are up to date,
• that CERL delivers a programme of meetings and events that are the most impactful combination of in-person and online events, aiming to reach the widest possible audience, ensuring inclusivity and increasing CERL’s visibility.
• that the network of CERL Grantees receives appropriate public exposure

Together with the Executive Manager you will work to further strengthen CERL’s role and standing in the field of international library organisations (by organising inter-organisational liaison, keeping a watching brief on meetings and conferences at partner organisations and preparing reports for CERL meetings on activities/strategic thinking in other library organisations).

In your role, you will use and further develop the manner in which CERL makes use of the online platforms at its disposal (website, blogs, mailing list, You Tube channel, social media). The Secretariat and CERL Working Groups are especially keen for you to develop an portfolio of short videos for information or instruction purposes.

The starting date is ‘as soon as can be arranged’, and no later than 1 March 2025.

The key aspects of the role are communication, awareness raising, dissemination and liaison, in CERL’s international Special Collections context. We need you to have:

• Demonstrable affinity with Special Collections, early printed books, manuscripts, book history
• Demonstrable communication, marketing and promotion skills
• The ability to prepare appropriate communication materials (using a variety of channels and tools, such as workshops, seminars, instruction videos, etc.).
• Excellent presentation skills (both while giving presentations and in preparing publicity materials)
• Excellent spoken and written English, and a good command of at least one of the following languages: German, French or Italian.

It is useful if you have

• A proven affinity with researchers, librarians and archivists, so that you understand how CERL can best support them
• An affinity with Digital Humanities research, bibliographic databases and thesauri, so that you understand the potential value of CERL datasets and tools within the library and research context.

Within CERL as an organisation we will have to be able to rely on your

• Ability to liaise effectively with colleagues in professional networks, libraries and archives.
• Open and transparent approach to working with colleagues from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and willingness to learn.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to prioritise, organise and balance a complex workload.
• Ability to meet deadlines.

We need you to be an energetic self-starter with good interpersonal skills, who is willing to travel regularly.

The contract is for 0.6 FTE, initially for 12 months.

Your place of work is a combination of home and office, arranged in consultation with the Executive Manager. You are expected to meet and work with the Executive Manager at the KB the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, Den Haag at least once per week.

CERL adopted the CAO (Collective Labour Agreement) of Dutch Research Institutions (CAO-OI) as a guideline. The gross monthly salary is a minimum of €3,019 and a maximum of €4,789 gross per month (equivalent to CAO-OI scale 10 full time, plus 8% holiday bonus and 8.33% ‘December bonus’). Your annual leave will be 25 days. CERL does not offer a contribution to a pension scheme.

For further information, please contact Drs Marian Lefferts, Executive Manager of the Consortium of European Research Libraries (marian.lefferts@cerl.org) – also if you want to arrange a call or a meeting in person. For more information about CERL see this website.

Please send your letter of application, accompanied by your CV (both in English) and the names and contact information for two referees, to secretariat@cerl.org at the e-mail above (please put CERL – Application for Outreach and Communication Officer in the subject line).

The closing date is 31 January 2025.