Assistant Librarian and Archivist, American Textile History Museum, Lowell MA

Posted September 11, 2013

The American Textile History Museum (ATHM) seeks a creative, motivated team-player for the part-time position of Assistant Librarian and Archivist in the Osborne Library. Reporting to the Librarian, this position is responsible for assisting with recording, maintaining and conserving ATHM’s library holdings.  The collection includes books, pamphlets, manuscript collections, photographs, prints, insurance maps, and trade literature, all relating to some aspect of the textile industry.  The Osborne Library serves researchers through on-site visits, telephone, and email inquiries; researchers include in-house staff, national and international researchers, the local community, students, teachers, and families.

 

The Assistant Librarian and Archivist will assist the Librarian in all aspects of library work, including processing manuscript collections using appropriate archival techniques; providing services to researchers; cataloging and processing books, photographs, etc. into the museum database; identifying materials needing repair and conservation; ensuring the use of proper preservation techniques; storing/reshelving materials; helping to prepare information and collections for web-based use; and performing any other functions necessary to the operation of a special collections library.    

 

Primary Responsibilities

• Process incoming and backlogged manuscript collections by accessioning them into the museum’s database, organizing the materials, re-housing documents in acid-free folders and boxes, creating an inventory and/or finding aid, and cataloging into OCLC if warranted.
• Assist on-site researchers at the Osborne Library by explaining library and archival policy, conducting interviews, identifying and retrieving research materials, photocopying documents, and monitoring researchers.
• Answer in-house, telephone, and e-mail requests by searching for the materials, producing required reproductions, corresponding with researchers, and mailing materials.
• Collaborate with the Librarian in setting policy to determine preservation practices, reproduction and usage fees, research use of the collections, and copyright issues involved in digitization.
• Assist the Librarian in maintaining the library’s website, the Chace Catalogue, and other digitization projects.
• Accession newly acquired books and pamphlets into the museum’s database.
• Supervise student interns and volunteers in various library and archival tasks.
• Handle daily library duties including answering visitor’s reference questions, shelving books, maintaining the stack area, and ordering supplies.  
• Provide collaborative support to the museum curator in museum exhibit research and preparation.  Work with museum staff in developing library exhibits that highlight the library’s collections.

Skills and Qualifications

MLS/MLIS with concentration in archival studies from an ALA-accredited program; at least two years’ experience supporting library and archives operations, including collection preservation, online migration, maintenance and digitization of collections. Proven track record of coordinating and completing projects with limited resources, working in a collaborative culture, and being able to manage a changing and varied workload.  Must be able to work independently as well as part of a team.  The candidate possessing skills that include computer data management, collections’ marketing, ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences, strong research interests in American history and willingness to assist researchers, attention to detail, and a sense of humor will have the edge.

This position is part-time (20hrs/week) with no benefits.  To apply: Please submit cover letter, resume, and three professional references to Jane E. Ward, Librarian, at [email protected] (please put Assistant Librarian in subject field) or mail to Jane E. Ward, Librarian, American Textile History Museum, 491 Dutton Street, Lowell, MA 01854.  Application deadline is Monday, Sept. 30, 2013.