Project Archivist, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Posted January 18, 2019
In preparation for its 150th anniversary in 2025, Wellesley College seeks an entry-level archivist with processing experience for a three-year project to improve access to institutional records and manuscript collections in the Wellesley College Archives. The primary job responsibility of the Project Archivist will be to process collections. They will also support the daily work of the Archives by assisting with reference, outreach, instruction, and digitization.
This term position within Library and Technology Services includes full benefits. The Project Archivist reports to the College Archivist and works closely with the Assistant Archivist.
Wellesley College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college for women founded in 1870 and opened for classes in 1875.. The College Archives holds more than 7,000 linear feet of materials in a variety of formats and serves researchers throughout the Wellesley community and around the world.
Key responsibilities
- Arranges and describes (processes) materials with continuing legal, informational or historical value, that provide documentary evidence of the history of Wellesley College and the individuals associated with it; formats include papers, electronic records, photographs, audiovisual materials, and the personal and professional papers of notable alumnae which support the academic mission of the College. The project archivist will be responsible for assisting with the supervision of student workers helping with processing efforts.
- Accessions incoming materials and assisting with adapting existing accessioning workflows to ensure best practices are met with efficiency of staff time.
- Provides research assistance to the Wellesley College community (including the Board of Trustees, upper administration, faculty, students, and alumnae) and outside researchers, including supervising researchers in the reading room.
- Assists the Digital Collections Librarian with digitization and metadata creation for materials from the Archives and targets collections that meet existing criteria for potential digitization projects.
- Assists the College Archivist and Assistant Archivist with outreach and instruction.
Required qualifications
- Master’s degree in library science, history, or related field with a specialization or significant coursework in archives, OR graduate degree in any field with demonstrated knowledge of archives, such as Certified Archivist status or post-graduate training. Current master’s candidates who have made significant progress towards a degree are encouraged to apply.
- Six months of full time or equivalent experience with processing archival collections, including institutional records and manuscript collections
- Knowledge of or experience with standard archival principles and practices, especially metadata standards (DACS, EAD, LCSH) and best practices for processing analog and digital collections
- Ability to manage large-scale and long-term projects, including developing workflows, writing documentation, and maintaining statistics
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to lift boxes weighing up to 40 lbs.
Preferred qualifications
- Prior supervisory experience in any work or volunteer setting
- Experience working in college/university archives
- Experience conducting research in archival collections
- Experience working with users in archives or libraries, or other customer service experience
- Experience with ArchivesSpace or other archives collection management software
To apply, visit https://career.wellesley.edu/postings/2637