Project Photo Archivist, The Trustees of Reservations, (Sharon, MA)

Posted June 10, 2024

Pay Range: $42,000-52,000

About the Position:

The Project Photo Archivist position is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to subsidize a project titled A Tale of Two Communities in Two Centuries, which supports the processing, digitization, and conservation of two of the Trustees’ collections that have the potential to reveal significant stories of underrepresented culturesThe Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) collection (1977-2014) and the Colonel John Ashley Papers (1755-1818). Learn more: https://thetrustees.org/press-release/the-trustees-awarded-344819-grant-to-digitize-records-from-ashley-house-and-boston-community-gardens/)

The Project Photo Archivist will be responsible for quality checking the 25,000 recently digitized slides and photographs from the BNAN collection, the processing and rehousing of the physical copies of these visual materials, as well as any restructuring that is needed to bring the digital organization in line with the physical organization. Additionally, they will be responsible for embedding rights metadata and renaming the files to align with Trustees standards. The Project Photo Archivist will focus on describing the digitized slides and photographs in the ARC’s collection management system (CMS), creating records that are consistent with ARC cataloging standards. In addition, this person will curate selections from the BNAN collections (~2,500 items) and the Col. John Ashley papers to be shared online via The Trustees’ public-facing web collections portal and Digital Commonwealth. This includes identifying items to highlight from the Col. John Ashley papers, the BNAN’s recently digitized files, and its physical collection. The role also involves creating digital surrogates using either a flatbed scanner or an overhead camera, cataloging the items in the CMS, and adapting these records for submission to Digital Commonwealth. The Project Archivist will also be responsible for processing, digitizing, and cataloging photographs from collections related to the Col. John Ashley papers.

This is a 12-month term position that will begin in August 2024 and will be based on-site at The Trustees of Reservations Archives & Research Center (the ARC) in Sharon, Massachusetts. The Project Photo Archivist will be part of the NEH project team, reporting to the Head of Historic Collections. Day-to-day supervision and guidance will be provided by the Project Archivist in collaboration with the Digital Archivist. Additionally, the Project Photo Archivist will participate in the training and supervising of interns and volunteers as needed.

The Project Photo Archivist will:

Quality check the newly created digital files of approximately 25,000 slides and photographs from the BNAN collection; rename all files to meet the ARC’s naming conventions and embedding select metadata; upload files to Preservica and ingest selected files into Qi. (15%)
Curate selections from the BNAN collection (~2,500), including from the newly digitized photographic files and the physical archival collection; catalog these selections at the item level in Qi following local cataloging guidelines, as well as recognized standards and best practices for describing archives and graphic materials; and adapt Qi records for submission to Digital Commonwealth. (60%)
Process and rehouse the physical copies of the photographic materials from the BNAN collection, performing work necessary to ensure alignment between the collection’s physical and digital organization. (10%)
Arrange, describe, rehouse, and digitize approximately 218 photographs from the Ashley House collections. (5%)
Create digital surrogates of selected materials from the BNAN collection and the Col. John Ashley papers and supplemental collections using a flatbed scanner or overhead camera. Additionally, generate administrative, technical, preservation, and descriptive metadata records for these files, while also following departmental practices to ensure their long-term preservation. (5%)
Assist in other archives-related duties as assigned to support the successful and timely completion of the A Tale of Two Communities in Two Centuries project. (5%)

How to Apply

For more information and to apply, please go to the following: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=63784&clientkey=A116ACB81F47E0050535F1FC4DA6EE15