South Carolina Political Collections Special Projects Archivist, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Posted April 14, 2017
South Carolina Political Collections (SCPC) is a leading repository for manuscript collections documenting government, politics and society in the post- World War II era. Over one hundred collections include the papers of members and former members of Congress, state legislators, judges, journalists and organizations like the League of Women Voters and Democratic and Republican parties.
The Special Projects Archivist is chiefly responsible for three duties: arranging and describing manuscript collections, coordinating outreach to USC and other SC undergraduate and graduate classes; and planning and coordinating public programming and real and virtual exhibits.
Duties for the SCPC Special Projects Archivist include:
- Arranging and describing materials and supervising students in archival processing.
- Instructing classes in the use of SCPC holdings and planning and developing greater class use across South Carolina.
- Coordinating and planning outreach, particularly real and virtual exhibits,
- Training and supervising both graduate and undergraduate student assistants in archival work,
- Participating in reading room and other reference services in SCPC holdings,
- Assisting in providing reference services to SCPC donors with their own collections,
- Participating in overall planning and policy development,
- Assisting with SCPC and other events, sometimes outside of normal working hours,
- Maintaining awareness of trends and developments within the field.
The minimum qualifications include a MLIS from an ALA-accredited institution or other relevant Master’s degree and experience processing complex modern manuscript collections. Knowledge of archival techniques. Ability to effectively plan and organize work activities to prioritize task completion according to schedules and goals. Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to deal courteously and effectively with patrons, donors, and staff. Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in interpreting and applying policies and procedures. Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Experience with ArchivesSpace or other archival management systems, curating exhibits, and congressional or other political papers is preferred.
The University of South Carolina, founded in 1801, is the flagship campus of an eight-campus, fully accredited, state-system. The University is one of only 40 public universities to earn the Carnegie Foundation’s top-tier designations in research activity and community engagement. The University of South Carolina – Columbia has strong undergraduate and graduate programs and other highly regarded professional schools including: medicine, law, education, engineering, social work, pharmacy, public health, arts and sciences, nursing, and business administration. About 32,000 students are enrolled with more than 8,000 students in graduate and professional programs.
University Libraries serves the graduate and undergraduate programs of all schools and colleges, with the exceptions of the School of Law and the School of Medicine. Holdings include more than 4.9 million volumes, 20 million manuscripts, 475,000 e-books, and four distinct special collections. University Libraries is a member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Center for Research Libraries. The City of Columbia is the state capital with a metropolitan area population of nearly 800,000. The city is a state center of financial, transportation, and industrial development, and it has a rich historical and cultural tradition. Columbia is located within easy driving distance of both mountains and coast.
Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. USC is an EOE.
Interested applicants should apply at: uscjobs.sc.edu/applicants/Cent