Current jobs related to Collection Processing Archivist - Atlanta - Emory University

Collection Processing Archivist

Department: Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Rose Library)

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Position Availability: Immediately

Position Summary

Reporting to the Head of Collection Processing, the Collection Processing Archivist processes manuscript and Emory University Archives collections; accessions newly acquired collections and additions to existing collections; creates descriptive tools including catalog and resource records for material in all formats, including digital; and completes post-processing copyright risk analysis reports that will influence digitization projects and online access to collections. The Collection Processing Archivist also provides reference services to researchers, which may include Emory students and faculty, visiting scholars, and members of the public, and may also provide outreach on behalf of the Rose Library by contributing to social media, programs, exhibitions, or library publications. The incumbent is responsible for recruiting, training, mentoring, and supervising 2-4 graduate students who will comprise a processing team and create meaningful learning and employment experiences for Emory University students. Administrative responsibilities include contributing to unit and division annual planning and reports. The Collection Processing Archivist also works with Collection Development staff to pack and acquire new collections. Finally, the Collection Processing Archivist is expected to contribute to the library and professional community through committee service, conference presentations, and/or scholarship.

Essential Responsibilities & Duties

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF COLLECTIONS

• Arranges and describes manuscript and University Archives collections in all formats in accordance with current library and archival standards.

• Hires, trains, supervises a team of students to arrange and describe manuscript and University Archives collections in all formats in accordance with current library and archival standards.

• Contributes relevant input and suggestions to inform decision making during annual processing planning.

• Performs high-level collection analysis, assessment, and appraisal of the archival, intellectual, and institutional value of collections in all formats.

• Creates work plans to record basic information about the collection and processing, including the arrangement scheme, the estimated duration of the project, and any decisions made during the project.

• Contributes to reparative redescription projects and utilizes national and local best practices for creating anti-racist and anti-oppressive archival description.

• Conducts copyright risk assessment on collections during processing and completes post-processing risk reports to prepare for potential digitization.

• Helps to select and prepare collection material for digitization and online access.

• Collaborates with Digital Archives Unit in the digital project workflow to identify and create the appropriate access for born-digital and digitized content.

• Creates finding aids for each collection, describing the creator of the records and the subject content of the collection including detailed container inventories and maintains collection data, including description, in the library’s instance of ArchivesSpace and/or other relevant systems.

• Creates MARC format bibliographic records for each collection, which are included in both WorldCat and the library’s local catalog.

• May also produce other descriptive tools such as local indexes as needed.

• Determines and performs basic preservation work such as removing rusty metal hardware, unfolding and flattening documents, and transferring material to new, acid-free folders and boxes.

• May participate in collections and stacks management activities and projects such as stacks shifting, preservation surveys, digital content inventories, and records surveys.

COLLECTION ACCESSIONING AND ACQUISITION

• Creates accession records for each acquisition according to accessioning policies and workflows.

• Partners with Digital Archives Unit to accession born-digital materials.

• Determines appropriate levels of arrangement and description based on collection condition, local policy and practice, and professional judgment, in consultation with the members of the Collection Processing, Digital Archives, and Collection Development units. Processes newly accessioned collections and additions within existing collections to the chosen level.

• Creates or edits descriptive records following processing.

• Communicates with donors following acquisition of material regarding processing of materials, subsequent donations, and ongoing stewardship of the collections.

• Travels with curatorial and/or other Rose Library staff to pack new acquisitions either locally or remotely.

REFERENCE AND PUBLIC SERVICES

• Provides reference assistance in person and by phone to Emory students and faculty, visiting scholars, and the public as needed and assigned, including, at least, 3-6 hours of weekly reference desk shifts.

• Occasionally answers written reference questions relating to collections of which the incumbent has special knowledge.

• Oversees reading room security by monitoring use of materials in the reading room, as well as working with researchers to explain the rules of care and handling for manuscript and archival material and rare books.

• Participates in the planning or staffing outreach and engagement events on behalf of the Library, including occasional evening or weekend events.

• Provides occasional oversight for service providers working in secure, non-public areas of Rose.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

• Prioritizes work according to unit, departmental, library and university needs.

• Contributes to regular written reports, including quarterly and annual processing reports and the unit general report.

• Contributes to the planning, development, and documentation of the unit’s policy and procedures manuals.

• Work with Digital Archives unit to ensure the Digital Archives and Collection Processing units’ plans and procedures are aligned.

• Proposes, plans, and leads special projects to advance the mission of the unit and the Rose Library.

• Makes recommendations on personnel selection, staffing requirements, and equipment and supply needs.

• Contributes to unit and division-wide annual and strategic plans.

• Performs other duties as needed to accomplish the goals of the unit and library.

• Acts as a resource for fellow staff for procedural issues and archival theory.

• Develops student workers in a positive and proactive manner ensuring individuals have opportunity to acquire a broad knowledge of library operations and services as well specialized skills.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participates in appropriate professional and scholarly associations and organizations including maintaining membership and/or accreditation; attending meetings, conferences, workshops; and serving in appointed or elected positions.

• Maintains up-to-date professional knowledge and skills in areas related to primary job assignment as well as maintains general knowledge of current trends in higher education, academic libraries, and information and educational technology.

• Provides reference assistance to Emory students and faculty, visiting scholars, and the public as needed and assigned.

• Adheres to guidelines outlined in the Handbook Governing the Librarian series for Faculty-Equivalent Librarians to ensure appointment, appointment renewal and promotion-in-rank.

• Participates in library and campus committees as appropriate for service purposes.

Required Qualifications

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science or Archival Studies OR equivalent education and experience (relevant subject expertise combined with professional library education and/or experience).

• One to two years of experience arranging and describing archival or manuscript collections, including born-digital materials, in an academic library setting.

• Knowledge of arranging and describing archives and manuscript collections, preferably in a special collections library in an academic environment.

• Knowledge of issues relating to archives and manuscript collections.

• Knowledge of current national archival and descriptive standards and best practices, including working knowledge of MARC, EAD, DACS, and other archival descriptive standards.

• Knowledge of conservation and preservation, including digital preservation, needs of archival collections.

• Ability to build and sustain effective interpersonal relationships with library staff, faculty and students, off campus faculty and administrators, campus administrators, etc.

• Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively both as a team member and independently and to promote teamwork among colleagues.

• Evidence of analytical, organizational, communication, project, and time management skills and demonstrated ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and complete tasks and projects on time and within budget and in accordance with task/project parameters.

• Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and an ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty and student population.

• Capacity to thrive in an ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a major research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.

• Demonstrated knowledge of current trends and issues in academic libraries, higher education, and relevant subject disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in Southern history and/or Southern culture, African American history, or English-language literature and strong grounding in social sciences or humanities.

• Familiarity with the use of bibliographic information systems (such as Alma) and archival information management systems such as ArchivesSpace.

• Familiarity with digital forensics tools and methods (such as the BitCurator environment, disk imaging, write blocking, etc.)

• Demonstrated ability acquiring and using new computing skills, such as learning new software applications, installing tools and applications on workstations, and exploring innovative tools and services.

• Exposure to coursework or demonstrated experience specifically addressing digital libraries, digital archives, digital preservation, digital forensics, project management, and/or electronic records.

Applications may be submitted as Word or PDF attachments and must include:

1) Current resume/vita detailing education and relevant experience;
2) Cover letter of application describing qualifications and experience; and
3) The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University recognizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as core values integral to achieving our mission to enrich the quality of life and advance intellectual discovery by connecting people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. We commit to equitable access to and description of information in addition to the building of collections that align with the teaching and research needs of Emory to represent and respect the diverse and multiple experiences of our ever-changing communities. Please reflect upon your experience in furthering DEI values in your career and how you would advance and foster these principles at the Emory University Libraries. Please limit your response to no more than 3 paragraphs.
4) On a separate document list the names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of 3 professional references including a current or previous supervisor.

Candidates applying by June 17th will receive priority consideration. Review of applications will continue until position is successfully filled. Emory is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks applications and nominations from women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans.

General Information
Professional librarians at Emory Libraries are 12-month faculty-equivalent positions evaluated annually with assigned ranks renewable for 3 or 5 years based on experience and background. Appropriate professional leave and funding is provided. Depending on educational credentials and position, librarians may be considered for a shared/dual appointment between the library and academic department as a faculty member.

Librarian appointees at Emory generally have educational credentials and professional backgrounds with academic library experience and/or disciplinary knowledge and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning, professional engagement and involvement, research and scholarship, creativity, innovation, and flexibility. Such backgrounds will normally include a graduate degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science program AND/OR a discipline-specific master’s OR doctoral degree. In addition to professional competence and service within the library in the primary job assignment, advancement and/or appointment renewal requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library and scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.

Description of Institution and Library
Emory University is internationally recognized for its outstanding liberal arts college, superb professional schools, and one of the South’s leading health care systems. Emory’s beautiful, leafy main campus is located in Atlanta’s historic Druid Hills suburb and is home to 8,079 undergraduates and 7,372 graduate and professional students. As the second largest private employer in Atlanta, Emory University and Emory Healthcare have a combined workforce of approximately, 37,716 and an annual operating budget of $5.6 billion. Emory University received $1 billion in research funding in 2023.

Ranked among the top 20 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in North America, Emory University Libraries in Atlanta and Oxford, Georgia is the interdisciplinary intellectual commons for Emory University. The collections at the nine Emory Libraries include more than 5.6 million volumes, 400,970 electronic journals, over 1.6 million electronic books, and internationally renowned special collections. The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Books Library is home to over 133,976 print titles, 201,134 volumes and over 2,200 collections measuring over 21,815 linear feet of manuscript material. Rose Library’s collections span more than 800 years of history, with particular depth in modern literature and poetry, African American history and culture, political, social and cultural movements, rare books and the University’s archives.

Emory Libraries staff, including student workers, number approximately 350 with an overall library budget of approximately $42 million. Emory University Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), the Digital Library Federation (DLF), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) as well as regional associations including the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) and Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO).

The Emory University Libraries include the Robert W. Woodruff Library, which is also home to the Goizueta Business Library, the Heilbrun Music and Media Library, and the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. Other library spaces include the Science Commons, the Library Service Center operated in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library, the Pitts Theology Library, the Hugh F. MacMillan Law Library, and the Oxford College Library located on the Oxford Campus approximately 30 miles from Atlanta.

Diversity Statement
Emory Libraries recognize diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values integral to achieving our mission to enrich the quality of life and advance intellectual discovery by connecting people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. We champion an inclusive work environment through competency training, reassurance of personal growth, restorative communication practices, and diverse recruitment and retention. We offer exhibits, collections, programming, and research assistance that speaks to the rich needs and identities of patrons from the Emory community and beyond. We encompass opportunities that strengthen these values. We invite you to bring your true self to the library and feel welcomed when you arrive.

– December 2020

Emory University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all applicable Federal and Georgia State Laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action in its programs and activities. Emory University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran’s status.