Project Cataloguer (Fixed Term)

Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries is a two-year project funded by Wellcome that will make approximately 8,000 unedited medical recipes in over 180 medieval manuscripts discoverable to researchers worldwide. We are looking for a Project Cataloguer to join the team in producing a groundbreaking resource that will transform the ability of health researchers and historians to access and analyse a corpus of texts that document and reveal the daily practice of medicine in the medieval period.

The Project Cataloguer will be responsible for the transcription of medieval medical recipe texts, working in collaboration with two other Project Cataloguers. Experienced in using Transkribus (https://readcoop.eu/transkribus/), the postholder will take the lead in preparing transcriptions and exploiting the platform's Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) capabilities in using existing or developing new HTR models and accelerating the transcription process. This is an exciting opportunity to deploy excellent palaeographical skills and an ability to read and describe Latin and Middle English manuscripts as part of a major and novel digitisation project at one of the world's great libraries.

She / he will work closely with existing Project Cataloguers and contribute to their work to situate the manuscripts in their intellectual, cultural and material contexts through the preparation of detailed catalogue descriptions. These descriptions will be encoded in TEI format using the XML editor Oxygen and following in-house guidelines drawn up in collaboration with the Bodleian Library (https://msdesc.github.io/consolidated-tei-schema/msdesc.html) and prepared for publication alongside cover-to-cover digitisation on the Cambridge Digital Library (https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/). Knowledge of TEI for cataloguing is desirable, though training will be provided.

The postholder will play a role in disseminating results via the project website, presenting to relevant scholarly networks, writing blog posts and undertaking other outreach initiatives. She / he will participate in online and in-person project workshops, a hackathon for postgraduate students, and a concluding symposium.

Research skills in the History of Science or Medicine and familiarity with medieval recipes and medical culture would be an advantage. Applicants must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, IT skills, and be able to work both on their own and as part of a team. Applicants should hold a postgraduate qualification in a relevant field, preferably a doctorate, or have equivalent professional experience.

Informal enquiries are welcomed by Dr James Freeman, Principal Investigator and Medieval Manuscripts Specialist, 01223 333140, e-mail: jaf50@cam.ac.uk.

The post is available from Monday 3rd July 2023 for one year, from the date of appointment. Working patterns can be discussed at the interview stage.

The closing date for applications is Friday 14th April. Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th April.

Please quote reference VE35849 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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