Colonial Deposit and our Newspaper Collection
A postdoctoral fellowship for early career researchers, as part of the Joanna and Graham Barker Fellowship Scheme.
Co-design a research project with the Library exploring our collections of newspapers from Commonwealth countries, where you will be embedded in our expert curatorial and research teams. Applications are now open on our recruitment portal and will close on 15 July 2026.
Open to postdoctoral, early-career researchers who hold a doctorate in a relevant subject or have equivalent experience. The Fellowship will begin on 1 September 2026, and can be undertaken over 12-months full time, or longer part time. Fellows will be contracted for the duration of the fellowship, receiving a salary of £35,993 per annum and employee benefits.
About the theme
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 applying at different periods and in different geographic regions. This means that our collections 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 titles and stories for exhibition and outreach work.
There are many aspects of colonial deposit of newspapers that could be explored as part of this fellowship. We are open to any form or focus of proposal but are particularly excited for researchers to approach our collections through the following research themes:
- The collecting of newspapers from specific British Commonwealth regions or nations. While we welcome researchers who want to focus on any geographic area of the British Commonwealth, we are particularly interested in research into newspapers from Africa/African nations; Southeast Asia/Southeast Asian nations; or The Caribbean/Caribbean nations
- An exploration of the administrative history of colonial deposit
- The British Museum/British Library’s relationship with colonial deposit at an individual, collection or legislative level.
This project will be supervised by Dr Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator for News & Moving Image.
Download the full project outline (PDF, 125.1KB).
About the fellowship scheme
Thanks to a generous donation from Joanna and Graham Barker, this early career fellowship scheme is 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 to provide 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 world.
Structure, outputs, eligibility and how to apply
Fellowship structure
Fellows will be hosted and supervised within the relevant area of the Library and supported by the Research Development team. They will be embedded within their team, provided with desk space and ICT equipment and will benefit from privileged staff-level access to collections.
The Fellow will also be invited to join departmental meetings enabling them to learn more about curatorial activities and the wider collections. They will be offered mentorship, networking, and assisted in identifying opportunities to gain experience in institutional research culture, public programming, and collections-based scholarship. They will be able to access the wide range of workshops, talks, training and expertise available at the Library, including but not limited to: the Digital Scholarship Training Programme, Cultural Property Training, Researcher Packed Lunches and Carbon Literacy training.
Outputs, training and development
By the conclusion of the Fellowship, each Fellow will have:
- advanced a significant programme of original research demonstrating the value of collaborative, collections-based research within a national cultural institution
- produced or prepared substantial professional or scholarly outputs, in line with their submitted research proposal
- contributed meaningfully to the interpretation and visibility of British Library collections through presentations, public engagement work, and other activities
- presented their work at an internal staff talk and submitted a written report of 1000 words upon completion of their project, detailing collections used, findings, outputs, planned future activities and recommendations. This report will be uploaded to the Library’s Shared Research Repository
- supervised a 3-month PhD Placement supported through the Library’s PhD Placement Scheme.
Eligibility
To apply for a fellowship, you must meet all the following criteria:
- hold a doctorate in a relevant subject or have equivalent professional experience and skills
- have a demonstrable commitment to working with the cultural and heritage sector
- be based, and be eligible to work, in the UK for the full period of the fellowship
- self-identify as an postdoctoral Early Career Researcher in accordance with the AHRC guidance on training and developing early career researchers in the arts and humanities: ‘In encouraging self-identification, we hope to recognise the breadth of the arts and humanities research community and the diverse career paths which early career researchers follow... Eligibility is determined on the basis of funding history, and we do not consider years post-PhD or job title to be a marker of career progression.’
If you have passed your viva before the application deadline with minor corrections, you are eligible to apply. You will not be eligible if you must make major corrections which need to be re-assessed so the final submission of your thesis falls after the application deadline.
How to apply
Submit your application on our recruitment panel.
To apply, please:
- refer to the detailed research theme description
- complete the application form in our recruitment portal
- attach a short CV (max. 2 pages)
- attach a research proposal, including (max. 2000 words):
- Aims and objectives – What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work? Why is it important?
- How it aligns with the research theme – What are the potential direct and indirect benefits to the Fellow, the Library, and the wider cultural and heritage sector?
- Methodology, including indicative timescale and outputs – How are you going to deliver your proposed work? Please include an outline budget. You may also wish to include a Gantt chart or other visual aid to support this section.
- Professional development and career aspirations – Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career, and how will you use it to benefit others?
The assessment panel will consider the following criteria:
- development of the research theme and how well this complements British Library collections, resources, expertise and need
- the significance of the proposed research within the wider intellectual and cultural landscape
- how well the proposal fits with applicants’ research interests and expertise, as well as future aspirations
- commitment to working within the cultural and heritage sector, and capacity to manage a collaborative research project
- ability to support others, and promote meaningful research engagement and impact
- ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, for internal and external audiences
Once selected, the Fellow will further refine the research topic and incorporated PhD Placement alongside the Library Supervisor and Research Development team, in order to gain maximum benefit from the collaboration.