Barker Postdoctoral Fellow in Colonial Deposit
The British Library Closing date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026
- Full time
- £30k-£40k
- Apply now
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 "> published -
Job Summary
Job Description
Location: St Pancras
Contract: Fixed term (12 months)
Hours: Full time (36 hours)
Grade: B
Salary: £35,993 per annum
This is the starting salary for this role, unless the successful candidate is able to evidence being in receipt of a higher salary, in which case this may be reviewed.
About the role
Co-design a research project with the Library for a 12-month funded-fellowship, where you will be embedded in our expert curatorial and research teams.
Thanks to a generous donation from Joanna and Graham Barker, these fellowships are designed to support and equip researchers, creatives and cultural professionals with the practical skills, professional insight and interdisciplinary experience needed to thrive in a rapidly changing knowledge landscape. A key element of this opportunity is a structured pathway for Fellows to gain transferable, future-facing skills, project- and line-management experience, feel supported within our research community, and generate new expertise for the wider cultural and academic ecosystem.
We are inviting research proposals that develop the theme of 'Colonial Deposit and our Newspaper Collection.' This fellowship will be supervised by Dr Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator for News & Moving Image, and supported by the Research Development Team.
Legal deposit for books has existed in Britain in some form since 1662. However, national newspaper collecting followed a slightly different path, particularly Colonial deposit which saw different rules applied at different periods and in different geographic regions. This means that our collection of newspapers from Commonwealth countries, while significant, are varied in their completeness.
You will help widen knowledge and understanding of this area of our newspaper collection, identify unique material for future digitisation and gaps for acquisition, and highlight lesser-known titled and stories for exhibition and outreach work.
Job Overview
- Job Title: Barker Postdoctoral Fellow in Colonial Deposit
- Salary: £30k-£40k
- Hours: Full time
- Artform: Libraries
- Role: Research
- Contract: Temporary
- Closing date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026
-
Location:
London
How to Apply
Please apply on the British Library Website.
About The British Library
We are the national library of the UK. Our shelves hold over 170 million items - a living collection that gets bigger every day.