Collections Assistant (less than half time), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Posted August 16, 2019
This is a less than half time position, working no more than 14 hrs per week.
Founded in 1895 as a department of the Fogg Art Museum, The Fine Arts Library is among the leading libraries in the world for the study of art, architecture, and visual culture from antiquity to the present. Our collections include extensive textual and visual documentation about individual paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, architecture and decorative arts; the history of collecting; art museums; twentieth-century art movements, including video and performance art; and art conservation. In addition to outstanding collections of books, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, pamphlets, and auction catalogs, the Library’s special collections contain over two million photographs, prints, postcards, albums, rubbings, and drawings. The Fine Arts Library provides research and curricular support for all areas in the history of art, architecture, photography, and the decorative arts.
The Fine Arts Library at Littauer Center seeks a Collections Assistant to assist staff with processing and physical management of FAL’s collections. Tasks include shelf reading, processing book donations, and other collection-related projects as needed. Reporting to the FAL Collection Development Librarian, the incumbent will work independently with minimum supervision and collaboratively with library staff and student workers.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Processing material for preservation
- Identifying collections in need of cataloging
- Identifying vendors for the purchase of material
- Processing book donations
- Shelf reading and stacks management
- Researching open serial orders
- Coordinating transfers or disposition of duplicates and discards
- Provides clerical and research support to FAL staff and other duties, as assigned
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree and relevant library or archival experience
- Basic familiarity with library descriptive standards (cataloging rules, subject headings, and classification schemes, etc.)
- Ability to manage digital and paper files and documents according to internal naming conventions in a networked environment.
- Ability to operate office machines, such as copiers and a variety of scanners
Additional Requirements:
- Pursuing or completed a Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA accredited program
- Familiarity with academic electronic resources
- Subject knowledge or interest in art history
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
- The ability to lift, carry, and position books and other materials weighing up 40 lbs.
- The ability to use desktop (keyboard, monitor, and mouse) and mobile computing tools, such as laptops and tablets.
How to Apply
To apply, send your cover letter and resume to Jessica Aberle, [email protected].