Film Poster Room Volunteer

The British Film Institute (BFI) is the UK’s lead body for film and the moving image. As part of our role, we look after one of the largest and most important collections of film television, and related paper in the world. Our team of experts ensure that this collection is preserved and developed for future generations and made widely accessible to those who wish to access it, from filmmakers, students, researchers, the public, and more! 

Volunteers are to be an important part of helping us care for this collection, protecting our screen heritage for the future benefit of many. Volunteering in the BFI’s Archive is a great opportunity to gain exposure to an often unknown, but vital, part of the UK’s screen sector. 

We are seeking volunteers to help us inventory check the film posters within our collection, to support staff with their future housing and storage at the archive.  

If you: 

• Have good communication skills 
• Have a friendly manner 
• Are interested in what goes on at an archive 
• Are comfortable undertaking simple administrative tasks 
• Like to organise things 
• Would like to learn more about how to handle historic film posters 
• Are interested in Film and screen heritage initiatives

Then we’d love to hear from you! 

Volunteers will get the opportunity to view a large collection of film posters, interact with likeminded volunteers and learn new and interesting skills from a team of experts at the Archive. This project will act as a wonderful first step into making the poster store at the BFI National Archive more accessible for a wider community and support greater interaction and understanding of our paper collections as a whole. 

To help you undertake this volunteering opportunity, you will be given a full induction and training session which will be based at the BFI National Archive in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. You will also have a dedicated supervisor, as well as any relevant equipment to aid your safety and protect our poster collection.   

This volunteering opportunity will be once a week for a mutually agreed time and day. You can choose how much time you give to us to help us in the poster store, and we will make sure this aligns with other volunteers, so you won’t be volunteering alone. We ask that the days/hours you donate to us are agreed at least two weeks before you are due to start so we can plan for when you are with us and ensure you can access any support your needs. 

Expenses for travel to the Archive will be reimbursed, and as such as would be looking for volunteers who will be travelling from within the Hertfordshire area. There is also a kitchen available at the Archive throughout your volunteering days. 

The BFI’s doors are open to everyone regardless of background or personal circumstance. We don’t need you to have prior experience of an archive, so if you don’t think our volunteering opportunity is for you, please think again and know that you are welcome. We want to hear from you and why you’d like to help us in our poster store.  

If you are interested in this volunteer project with the BFI, please apply. If we progress your application, you will be invited to have a conversation with us about the volunteering opportunity and what you’d like to get out of it. You will also be taken on a tour of our Archive so you can get a better sense of the environment this opportunity will be based in. 

Please note, the volunteering opportunity may require you to lift and transfer posters from one room to another, work at height, and spend time in temperature controlled (cold) storerooms, so please consider this before submitting your expression of interest to us (details below). 

All Volunteers must be 18 years old or over for health and safety reasons. 

Please submit your application by 24th February 2025. If you haven’t heard from us by 20th March 2025, please assume we are not progressing with your interest to volunteer with us on this occasion.  

We look forward to your applications and are excited to have you onboard!