Head of Registrar Services, New York Public Library, New York NY
Posted April 22, 2014
The New York Public Library comprises simultaneously a set of scholarly research collections and a network of community libraries, and its intellectual and cultural range is both global and local, while singularly attuned to New York City. That combination lends to the Library an extraordinary richness. It is special also in being historically a privately managed, nonprofit corporation with a public mission, operating with both private and public financing in a century-old, still evolving private-public partnership. The research collections of more than 65 million items resemble the holdings of the great national and university libraries, and the community circulating libraries, with more than 7.5 million items, resemble classic American municipal libraries.
The Division supports the mission of the New York Public Library by preserving both the artifacts that make up its rich collections and the intellectual record they contain in order to ensure their long-term survival and access for current and future generations. A wide variety of preservation and access activities are performed in the Division’s program areas, which consist of Collections Care, Field Services, Conservation Treatment, Preservation Reformatting, Audio Preservation, and Moving Image Preservation, as well as the Registrar’s Office for collections, exhibitions, and loans. Commercial library binding is a shared library responsibility, as is digital preservation program development. For more information, see http://www.nypl.org/preservation.
The Head of Registrar Services (HRS) manages robust programs for special collections movement, internal exhibitions, and outgoing loans. The HRS provides registrarial support services to New York Public Library (NYPL) research sites and manages geographically distributed operations. With vision, flexibility and openness to innovation, the Head of Registrar Services leads the transformation of a well-established, museum-like operation into an overarching Library collections management program.
The Head of Registrar Services is a member of the Preservation Management Group and reports to the Assistant Director for Preservation. Regular travel between NYPL locations is required.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Oversee and ensure the prioritization, scheduling, tracking and safe movement of special collections items throughout NYPL sites–whether for exhibitions, conservation, reformatting, processing, or other purposes–and under deadlines. Manage secure storage of these in-transit collections.
- Oversee incoming and outgoing exhibition loans items and related procedures, including arrangements for packing, shipping, customs, storage, condition reporting and record keeping.
- Prepare budgets for each exhibition and loan relating to staffing, packing, transportation, storage, fine arts handlers, and supplies.
- Provide reports, statistics, and cost evaluations for the unit as needed.
- Supervise associate/assistant registrar(s), loan administrator(s), and support staff.
- Collaborate closely with staff from: Education, Programming and Exhibitions; Conservation Treatment; curatorial units; Logistics and Distribution; and Communications and Marketing.
- Coordinate with external service companies involved in incoming and outgoing exhibition loans, i.e., transport and crating companies, customs brokers, and freight forward agents.
- Work with the Procurement and Risk Management Office regarding the Library’s collection insurance policies and insurance brokers.
- Negotiate insurance coverage and premiums with fine arts insurance brokers.
- Collaborate with the Counsel’s Office to review exhibition and loan contracts that bear on the work of the Registrar’s Office.
- Manage the development of the Library’s registrarial tracking database/system(s) as well as maintain existing systems.
- Collaborate with the Preservation Division on its varied staff and public outreach efforts.
- Working with the Assistant Director for Preservation, review program and plan for future needs.
- Establish Registrar’s Office goals and priorities.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
- Master’s degree in museum or library studies, museum or arts administration, preservation of cultural property, or other relevant discipline.
- Minimum of 5 years professional and supervisory experience in registration/collections management in an AAM-accredited museum, major library, or related cultural institution.
- Knowledge of current preservation practices for library, archival and museum collections.
- Thorough understanding of legal, ethical and risk management issues surrounding cultural organizations.
- Comprehensive knowledge of best practices for tracking, handling, packing, transporting, and storing all types of collection formats held by cultural organizations.
- Vision, flexibility and openness to innovation.
- Excellent organizational skills, high attention to detail, with the ability to set priorities, multi-task, facilitate complex scheduling, and complete work under pressure of deadlines.
- Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
- Demonstrated technology skills, including proficiency in collections and business management software.
- Ability to work in a complex and changing environment.
- Office environment
- Some lifting
Eveings and weekends as required
Schedule subject to change