Visiting Project Archivist, University Archives, Harvard University Administrative Fellowship Program, Cambridge, MA

Posted March 18, 2016

The Harvard Library is seeking a Visiting Project Archivist to assist with building and analyzing digital content for the University Archives at Harvard.  The Visiting Project Archivist will participate in Harvard’s Administrative Fellowship Program which seeks to attract talented professionals, and in particular, members of historically underrepresented groups, to promote leadership opportunities and careers in higher education.

In its twenty-sixth year of operation, the Administrative Fellowship Program offers the opportunity to work in an academic environment for twelve months complemented by a career development program.  Fellows receive salary and benefits for full time work assignments from September 2016 through August 2017.  Fellows also participate in seminars, lectures and case studies designed to enhance leadership and administrative skills, self-assessment and career development.

Description:

The Harvard University Archives is the oldest and one of the largest institutional academic archives in the nation.  The Archives supports the University’s mission of education and research by striving to preserve and provide access to Harvard’s historical records; to gather an accurate, authentic, and complete record of the life of the University; and to promote the highest standards of management for Harvard’s current records.

The Harvard University Archives will provide a Visiting Project Archivist the opportunity to work with and receive mentoring from colleagues who collect, organize, preserve and provide access to a comprehensive record of more than 375 years of life at Harvard.  From 17th and 18th century diaries and scientific observations to 21st century web sites, the Harvard University Archives’ collections comprise over 51,000 feet of University records and related historical materials. The Visiting Project Archivist will work with and receive mentoring from senior leadership of the library at the director, department-head, curatorial, and other levels. 

The Visiting Project Archivist will assist in the development of the born digital holdings and capabilities of the Harvard University Archives.

The Project Archivist:

• Working under the direction of Archives’ staff, the Fellow will identify potential websites to help develop the content in the Archives’ web collection: H-Sites: Harvard Life and Learning collection.  These websites may include those belonging to faculty members, student organizations, and other non-Harvard sites related to Harvard.  The Fellow will also appraise and prioritize additions, contact site owners to obtain permission to harvest, preserve, and display the site; and with instruction will set up harvesting in the web archiving and tracking system.  The entries in these systems will include technical and descriptive metadata.  After harvesting each site, the Fellow may be asked to transfer harvests to the preservation system and take the necessary to make the harvests public. 

• Working under the direction of Archives’ staff, the Fellow will also assist with the piloting of best practices, procedures, and workflows for handling all born-digital acquisitions. This work will address identification of efficient workflows and creation/revision of procedures and best practices for email archiving and digital forensics.

Applicants must have:

• Master’s degree in library/information science with a concentration in archives or equivalent.
• Three years of experience working in an archives or special collections setting.
• Experience or exposure to work with digital/electronic records including web archiving and/or digital forensics.
• Additional coursework in areas such as digital/electronic records, digital libraries, digital forensics preferable.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Understanding of and appreciation for the ways new technologies are transforming libraries and archives and willingness to pursue innovative approaches to challenges and opportunities.
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate and work effectively with a broad set of colleagues and library users.

Please note:  The application deadline for the Visiting Project Archivist has been extended to April 15, 2016.

For application materials, please call/write:

Administrative Fellowship Program

Office of the Assistant to the President

for Institutional Diversity & Equity

The Smith Campus Center, Room 935

1350 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 495-8919; email:  [email protected]

or download AFP Application 2015-2016.

Harvard is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.  Applications from women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.

For details regarding your rights, please go to https://s3.amazonaws.com/pa-hrsuite-production/620/docs/56148.pdf  to view the “EEO is the Law” poster.