Kress Fellowship in Art Librarianship, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Posted December 23, 2019
Yale University offers exciting opportunities for achievement and growth in New Haven, Connecticut. Conveniently located between Boston and New York, New Haven is the creative capital of Connecticut with cultural resources that include three major museums, a critically-acclaimed repertory theater, state-of-the-art concert hall, and world-renowned schools of Architecture, Art, Drama, and Music.
THE UNIVERSITY AND THE LIBRARY
The Yale University Library, as one of the world’s leading research libraries, collects, organizes, preserves, and provides access and services for a rich and unique record of human thought and creativity. It fosters intellectual growth and supports the teaching and research missions of Yale University and scholarly communities worldwide. A distinctive strength is its rich spectrum of resources, including around 15 million volumes and information in all media, ranging from ancient papyri to early printed books to electronic databases. Housed in fifteen locations including the Sterling Memorial Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Bass Library, it employs a dynamic and diverse staff of approximately five hundred who offer innovative and flexible services to library readers. For additional information on the Yale University Library, please visit the Library’s web site at web.library.yale.edu.
THE ROBERT B. HAAS FAMILY ARTS LIBRARY
The Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library specializes in visual arts, history of art, design, architecture, and drama, including arts-related special collections. The Arts Library contains approximately 150,000 onsite volumes including important reference works, monographs, exhibition catalogs, and print periodicals, and a growing complement of digital resources, including online periodicals, article indexes, and databases. It also includes Arts Library Special Collections, which features artists’ books and volumes on the book arts, fine printing, typography, and illustration, as well as archival materials and thesis projects from the Schools of Art, Architecture, and Drama. For more information, visit our website at web.library.yale.edu/arts.
THE YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART
The Yale Center for British Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom, presenting the development of British art and culture from the Elizabethan period to the present day. Together with the Reference Library and Archives, the Center’s collections of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, rare books, and manuscripts provide an exceptional resource for understanding the story of British art. The Reference Library and Archives of the YCBA holds over 40,000 items devoted to British art, artists and culture and supports student, faculty, museum staff, and scholarly research on the Center’s collections.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Yale University Library welcomes applications for the 2020/21 Kress Fellowship in Art Librarianship. The Kress Fellowship is intended for a recent graduate from library school who wishes to pursue a career in art librarianship, and is made possible through the generosity of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. Through this fellowship, the Kress Foundation seeks to achieve in the field of art librarianship what it has accomplished for art history and art conservation: ensuring the growth of the discipline by promoting the advancement of new professionals.
The Haas Family Arts Library at Yale serves a distinguished array of academic and museum programs, architects, artists and scholars. Kress Fellows have the opportunity to interact with faculty, staff and students in distinguished Schools of Architecture, Art, and Drama; a nationally- ranked Department of the History of Art; and two outstanding university art museums, the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale University Art Gallery. They also have occasion to collaborate with colleagues from throughout the Yale University Library, including the Sterling Memorial Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the library and rare books department of the Yale Center for British Art. The rich professional and scholarly resources of New York City and Boston’s art libraries and museums are within two hours’ travel, providing further opportunities for professional growth and professional contact with colleagues.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Kress Fellowship is a 10-month appointment and focuses on multiple areas of art librarianship including public services, collection development and management, special collections, and digital collections. Projects and activities will draw on subject areas served by the Haas Arts Library including the history of art, architecture, drama, and aligned area studies. The fellow will gain experience in reference services and library research education in the Haas Family Arts Library, Haas Arts Library Special Collections, and the Library and Archives of the Yale Center for British Art. Other activities will vary based on current Yale Library needs and the fellow’s interest and experience.
During their tenure at Yale, Kress Fellows are expected to pursue mutually agreed-upon projects resulting in a publishable paper, a new library service (such as a webpage or research guide), or other relevant deliverables. Kress Fellows are also introduced to a broad spectrum of professional activities and may have the opportunity to perform collection development activities or assist with library-based exhibitions. Kress Fellows also participate in library planning committees and task forces and engage in campus, regional, and national professional organizations and other collaborative activities. Fellows are expected to be professionally active and represent the Library and the University in the academic, scholarly, and professional community.
QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program for library and information science (degree must be completed before date of hire). Background in history of art, architecture, or related arts disciplines. Excellent analytical, organizational, management, customer service, and interpersonal skills. Ability to effectively build partnerships and promote the benefits of change in an academic culture that often values ambiguity, diversity of opinion, and historic precedent. Ability to communicate effectively through both oral and written expression. Ability to work both independently and collegially in a demanding and rapidly changing environment.
Preferred: Advanced degree and/or relevant experience in history of art, architecture or related arts disciplines. Experience with web design and development and digital information resources. Reading knowledge of two or more Western European languages.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The Kress Fellowship is a competitive position. Applicants should submit a current resume or CV, a brief cover letter/statement of interest, and names and contact information for three professional references to Lindsay King via e-mail at [email protected], before February 1, 2020. The statement of interest is expected to reflect a genuine commitment to art librarianship and an interest in the provision of information services to the visual arts community. There is no application form. Please be sure to include “2020/21 Kress Fellowship” in the e-mail subject and cover letter. A search committee of Yale librarians will review submissions and contact candidates who are selected for interviews. The Kress Fellow will be in residence at Yale for ten months and will receive an award of $40,000, prorated over the fellowship term. Health insurance will be provided.
Please see https://guides.library.yale.
BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS
All external candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. Internal candidates may be subject to a motor vehicle or credit check for this position based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent on successful completion of the required background check. Please visit http://your.yale.edu/policies-procedures/policies/hr-100-employment-policies for additional information on the background check requirements and process.
Yale University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Yale values diversity in its faculty, staff, and students and strongly encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented minority groups.