Editor, Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO)

Job Summary EMLO is an Oxford-hosted catalogue of early modern correspondence, now managed within the Bodleian Libraries. You will work with the editorial team to add and improve metadata for letters in the Bodleian’s manuscript collections, identify items of research interest, and support the ongoing developme Job Description This is a full-time post, working 37.5 hours per week. This role is primarily library-based, but working from home one or two days per week may be possible by agreement. Due to the nature of this post,…

Job Summary

EMLO is an Oxford-hosted catalogue of early modern correspondence, now managed within the Bodleian Libraries. You will work with the editorial team to add and improve metadata for letters in the Bodleian’s manuscript collections, identify items of research interest, and support the ongoing developme

Job Description

This is a full-time post, working 37.5 hours per week. This role is primarily library-based, but working from home one or two days per week may be possible by agreement.

Due to the nature of this post, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a satisfactory Basic DBS check due to working unsupervised with the library’s manuscript collections.

Job Requirements

You will have a relevant first degree and a postgraduate qualification in early modern history, literature, or equivalent experience. You will have palaeographical skills sufficient to read English secretary-hand of the 16th and 17th centuries, along with a strong understanding of early modern documents and their value for researchers. You will bring excellent IT skills, outstanding attention to detail, strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, and the confidence to work both independently and collaboratively. Experience with early modern texts or scholarly databases would be an advantage.

Job Responsibilities

As part of the editorial team, you will: use Bodleian manuscript catalogues and calendars to identify letters that could be included in EMLO from some of the major collections of state and private papers identify inadequate calendar entries in the existing EMLO database and upgrade these where possible (e.g. there are entries derived from an old card catalogue created in the Bodleian where the editor deemed that a letter was ‘undecipherable’) identify stray or ‘orphaned’ items of early modern correspondence, often found in miscellaneous guard-books or collections of papers acquired singly identify older editions of letters now in the Bodleian collections and record these in EMLO, adding letters not included in the edition if appropriate liaise with the curator of early modern manuscripts to identify materials and prioritize work liaise with colleagues in BDLSS and in the EMLO team (the Senior Editor and the Editorial Assistant) to develop best practice.