Job Details

You’ll join a collaborative, curious, and supportive team where ideas are welcomed, learning is encouraged, and expertise is valued. Whether helping researchers discover the richness of our collections, supporting the delivery of the museum research strategy and programme, or contributing to digital scholarship, you’ll be part of a culture built on trust, respect, and a shared passion for knowledge. 

IWM’s Research Room and Reference Library are central to how scholars, students, writers, families and the public engage with our world class collections. 

As a Research Support Librarian, you will play an essential role in: 

• Supporting academic, personal, and commercial research 
• Improving access to physical and digital collections 
• Contributing to new digital scholarship services 
• Strengthening IWM’s research presence across the sector

Your expertise will directly enhance how thousands of researchers interact with IWM’s stories, collections, and knowledge, helping ensure our research offer remains of the highest standard 

What You’ll Be Doing 

You’ll play a hands-on, varied role supporting researchers, developing collections, and shaping new services. A typical week may include: 

• Supporting the day-to-day running of the Research Room and delivering a first-class researcher experience 
• Helping researchers navigate IWM’s collections using print, digital and online resources. 
• Developing and maintaining the Reference Library collection in line with IWM policies. 
• Delivering information and digital literacy sessions to staff, scholars, and visiting researchers. 
• Supporting the development of digital scholarship services and innovative, user focused systems. 
• Creating and contributing content for IWM’s online presence, including blogs and social media. 
• Providing mentoring and ‘on the job’ training support to the Apprentice Research Support Librarian. 
• Benchmarking IWM’s services against other leading research organisations to ensure excellence. 
• Working with colleagues across departments to improve understanding and use of research services. 
• Supporting displays, events and public programming that promote the library and its collection. 
• Representing IWM at professional groups, conferences, seminars and external networks as appropriate. 

How You’ll Work 

You’ll collaborate closely with colleagues across Collections Access and Research, Collections and Curatorial, Digital, Learning and Engagement, and other teams. You’ll also work with external scholars, universities, and sector partners helping ensure IWM remains a leading centre for research. 

You’ll be supported to grow your expertise, engage in professional networks, and contribute to sector wide conversations about the future of research services. 

IWM is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunities.

We miss out when people feel IWM isn't for them, and are committed to removing and reducing barriers to make IWM open to everyone.

Our Access and Inclusion strategy has been developed to promote openness, equal opportunities to access, inclusivity and encourage diversity in everything that we do, from employment practices, the services we provide to our visitors to the facilities we make available to public.

At IWM we seek to address the need for greater diversity within our workforce as well as the wider museum and heritage sector. In all our practices we embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity and we welcome applications from suitable candidates of all backgrounds.

We value and respect difference and are committed to building an inclusive culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will do your best at work if you have a work / life balance. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so if this is important to you please raise this with your recruitment contact, as we are open to discussing agile working opportunities during the hiring process. 

We’d love to hear from you if you have: 

• A postgraduate professional qualification in Librarianship. 
• Demonstrable understanding of academic research processes and researcher needs. 
• Demonstrable experience developing and delivering user focused library or research support services. 
• Demonstrable knowledge of computerised information retrieval systems, digital library systems, digital scholarship of digital collections. 
• Experience building strong relationships with stakeholders and internal teams. 
• A proactive, positive approach with excellent communication and problem-solving skills. 

Desirable 

• Knowledge of post-1900 British and Commonwealth history 
• Experience working within museum, cultural or learning sectors. 
• Experience delivering projects on time and within budget.