Apply for Digitization of the Archives of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva Job Vacancy | Position

With its 135 years of historical past as the world’s oldest worldwide political group, the Inter‑Parliamentary (IPU) has amassed in its archives an exceptionally wealthy assortment of paperwork, photos and memorabilia courting again from late nineteenth century by way of to immediately. Among its treasures, the IPU archives comprise distinctive paperwork referring to a minimum of 27 Nobel Peace Prize laureates who had been related to the Organization in a technique or one other. Given its current non-digital type, the assortment can’t be consulted simply with out help and is due to this fact not well-known. For this purpose and as half of its efforts to advertise the digital transformation of parliamentary establishments globally, the IPU will start the course of of digitization of its archives beginning with the section comprising supplies from the first fifty years of the IPU’s existence (1889-1939).

An preliminary evaluation of this section has revealed that it included some 355,800 pages of printed, typed and manuscript texts in addition to quite a few images, drawings and press cuttings saved in altogether 247 customary archive packing containers. Their bodily preparation for digitization has already been accomplished.

In late 2022, the IPU commissioned a Roadmap Study overlaying each the technical and monetary facets of the archives’ digitization mission and analyzing obtainable choices in the mild of expertise and greatest practices of a particular quantity of different organizations and establishments identified to have carried out related initiatives. The Study included a number of sensible suggestions and paved the means for the begin of the mission’s implementation part that ought to embrace a fund‑elevating marketing campaign to be carried out with a proactive participation of an exterior Senior Consultant whose tasks are described beneath.

The most important goal of this place is to make sure the profitable execution of the archives’ digitization mission in an orderly and cost-effective means, with particular consideration paid to the technical high quality of the end result, by way of environment friendly teamwork with service suppliers, and by operating all actions in accordance with permitted mission plans, designs and specs.

Organizational setting and reporting relationships

The Consultant will report back to the Director for Member Parliaments and External Relations. The day-to-day supervision of the Consultant’s work in addition to all needed sensible help can be the duty of the Chief of the IPU Archives (at present a professional bono place).

Accountabilities

The Senior Consultant can be anticipated to:

• Get acquainted in a hands-on means with the total assortment of archived IPU supplies from 1889 to 1939, together with the corresponding printed and digital catalogues.
• Develop a piece plan primarily based on the findings and proposals of the Roadmap Study and that covers all phases of the sensible implementation of the digitization mission as much as the supply of the ultimate product.
• Prepare detailed technical phrases of reference to be shared with each potential donors and repair suppliers.
• If needed, resort to third-party skilled help when getting ready attractively laid-out printouts, digital displays and different illustrative supplies highlighting the general goal and cultural worth of the IPU archives’ digitization mission, and when setting out its technical and monetary parameters for donors and the media.
• Analyze info relating to the two various fundraising methods described in the Roadmap Study and suggest sensible methods of implementing the greatest technique.
• In collaboration with related companies and particular person employees members of the IPU Secretariat and significantly with the Division of Support Services, suggest funding agreements with donors and proactively take part in associated fundraising actions guaranteeing monetary sustainability of the archives’ digitization mission.
• In collaboration with the Division of Support Services, handle administrative and logistical preparations referring to the group, in conformity with relevant IPU insurance policies and guidelines, of aggressive tenders amongst digitization service suppliers with confirmed data of success in initiatives of digitization of cultural heritage, with the ultimate product (a web-based database) delivered on a turnkey foundation. Absolute assure of secure transportation and dealing with of archive supplies have to be a compulsory situation.
• Project-manage the IPU relationship with the digitization service supplier chosen by way of the tender, guaranteeing efficient high quality management of the digitization course of, of pre- and post-digitization duties and of metadata creation.
• Identify optimum options relating to the selection of digital archives administration instruments and of long-term digital archives preservation software program. Implement these options with the help of a digital preservation service supplier chosen by way of a second aggressive tender.
• Control mission expenditures inside permitted funding and hold administrative data in respect of mission actions.

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• Prepare mission studies for submission to donors and the IPU governing our bodies.
• Help develop a communication coverage highlighting the distinctive cultural worth of the IPU historic archives and supply common updates (by way of the IPU web site and in social media) on progress in the implementation of the digitization mission.
• Support visibility of key mission donors.
• Carry out such different duties as could also be required to make sure the success of the archives’ digitization mission, and that are according to the general tasks of the place.

Required expertise and experiences

• Advanced University diploma in library science, archives and data administration, or a associated discipline
• A minimal of 5 years of work expertise in a discipline referring to archiving and data expertise
• Prior participation in high-value digitization initiatives
• Previous work expertise with worldwide organizations can be a bonus
• Demonstrated mission administration expertise and data of donor insurance policies and funding modalities
• Perfect written communication expertise, with analytic capability and skill to elaborate enticing and convincing displays, and skill to synthesize mission outputs for reporting functions
• Excellent oral communication expertise
• Perfect command of written and spoken English or French is crucial, good data of the different of the two languages is extremely desired.

Contract size

The place of the Senior Consultant can be initially opened for a interval of twelve months, from 17 February 2025 till 13 February 2026, working at 80% (4 days every week). Conditions for potential renewal of the contract can be introduced three months earlier than the finish of the preliminary time period.

Remuneration

Interested candidates ought to point out their proposed each day payment for a working day of seven and a half hours.

Location

The place can be primarily based in the Archives constructing at the IPU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Nonetheless, relying on the nature of the undertaken duties and with the consent of the supervising officer (Chief of the IPU Archives) some of the duties could be carried out remotely.