Cataloguer, Visual Arts

Location: St Pancras
Contract: Fixed term for 12 months
Hours: Part time for 21.6 hours (0.6 FTE)
Grade: C
Salary: £28,119 per annum FTE (£16,871 pro rata per annum)

About the role
We are seeking a Cataloguer to work on the Vijayanagara Research Project archive, a collection comprising modern architectural drawings, photographs and maps documenting Hampi, Vijayanagara—a UNESCO World Heritage Site in south India. The Cataloguer will join a team of specialist curators in the Visual Arts section of the Asian and African Collections Department at the British Library.

The British Library holds an extensive visual archive of historic prints, drawings and photographs relating to South Asia. These include the Archaeological Survey of India photographic collections, Indian court paintings from the early Mughal period through the early twentieth century, and substantial holdings created by British and European artists who travelled and worked across the subcontinent. Donated in 2016 by Dr John Fritz and Dr George Michell, the Vijayanagara Research Project forms a recent addition that enriches and complements these historic collections.

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate strong knowledge of South Asian architecture and art history and will work closely with the Head of Visual Arts to research, organise, catalogue and refine metadata for this collection.

* Please note that there is no scope for remote working in this role; the successful candidate will be expected to work onsite at the Library's St Pancras site.

For more information, please refer to the Job Profile.

About us
We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

What we can offer you
- A competitive salary.
- A fantastic pension scheme with minimum employer contributions of 28.97% (this may be higher dependent on grade).
- Flexible working hours, with the ability to take up to 5 days flexi leave in a 3-month period.
- 25 days' holiday.
- Full details of employee benefits can be found on our Careers: Benefits

Things you need to know
- We are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
- Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
- Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn.
- We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Closing date: 18 January 2026

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

Museum Website: https://ce0752li.webitrent.com/ce0752li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=5071482BMD