Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Book, Paper or Photograph Conservation

Job Posting Title:

Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Book, Paper or Photograph Conservation

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Hiring Department:

Harry Ransom Center

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Sep 01, 2026

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2028

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Application review will begin on January 20, 2026.

The Harry Ransom Center's Preservation and Conservation Division announces an opening for the Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Photograph or Paper Conservation. This fellowship is a temporary, two-year, full-time position. This position is 40 hours/week, receives full health and retirement benefits, and considerable time off including vacation, sick leave, and holidays. Generous funding for professional development is provided.

As an integral member of the Ransom Center's preservation and conservation staff, the Fellow will perform a full spectrum of conservation treatment activities in their area of specialization. Depending on the successful candidate's area of work, the position will report to either the Senior Photograph Conservator or the Head of Book and Paper Conservation. The fellowship offers an opportunity to acquire advanced training while working in a highly collaborative environment that includes six conservators (book, paper, photograph, preventive) and one preservation technician. There is ample support for historical or technical research to evolve from the treatment projects undertaken. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across the Ransom Center (e.g. archivists, curators, digital collections staff) and learn broadly about the functions of a library, archive and museum. The Fellow will have the opportunity to learn about and participate in the Campus Conservation Initiative, a collaborative conservation undertaking with UT Austin's largest libraries and archives, centered at the Ransom Center..

The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research center at The University of Texas at Austin. Our extensive

collections

provide unique insight into the creative process of some of our finest writers and artists, deepening the understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts.

The collections include nearly 1 million books, more than 42 million manuscripts, 5 million photographs, and 100,000 works of art. Highlights include Robert De Niro's archive of scripts, notes, costumes, and props; the earliest known extant photograph made with the aid of the camera obscura, the Niépce Heliograph; E. E. Cummings's wooden paint box; manuscript drafts by Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing; Jack Kerouac's notebook documenting his writing of On the Road; original works by Frida Kahlo, including her iconic self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird; the Gernsheim Collection, containing some of the world's finest examples of photographic art and science; some of Albert Einstein's unpublished notes and calculations for his work on general relativity; Gabriel García Márquez's manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks, and more (digitized for easy perusal); and one of only 20 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world.

Purpose

Consult with collection managers and carry out treatment of rare and unique materials from the Ransom Center collections. Participate in activities relating to the preventive care of collections. Engage in professional and public outreach activities. Undertake research and/or collaborative projects.

Responsibilities

Perform the full spectrum of photograph or paper conservation treatment activities, including:

• Examination, with written and photographic documentation
• Identification of historical materials, structures and their condition, including technical research as needed
• Dialog with curators and collection managers about treatment choices
• Carry out minor and complex single-item treatment and housing for collection items

Participate in preventive care activities, including:

• Providing protective enclosures for complex collection holdings
• Monitoring collection and exhibition environments
• Conducting IPM processes

Required Qualifications

Master's degree from a recognized graduate art conservation education program, with a demonstrated concentration in photograph or paper conservation, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Must have received degree in 2023, 2024, 2025 or anticipate a graduation date of no later than August 2026. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Fluency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with historical and contemporary photographic collections. Experience collaborating with curators, special collections managers, archivists, conservators and technicians in a team environment.

Salary Range

$52,000, plus benefits and professional development support ($3,500)

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Use of manual dexterity
• Lifting and moving

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an

equal opportunity/affirmative action employer

, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original

documents

to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish)

[PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (English)

[PDF]
- Right to Work Poster (Spanish)

[PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in

HOP-3031

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The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may

access the most recent report here

or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.