Archivist, Special Collections & College Archives, Lafayette College, Easton, PA

Posted January 8, 2025

Description

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
Special Collections & College Archives is home to over 200 manuscript, art, and artifact
collections of national and global scope; 20,000 rare book titles, including incunabula and other
early imprints; and the historical records of the College dating from its conception by the citizens
of Easton in 1824 to the present day.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Collections Processing and Stewardship

• Processes collections, including accessioning, surveying, arranging and describing new
  and backlogged manuscript and archival materials in all formats. Uses applicable
  professional standards and best practices. Develops and maintains associated
  workflows.
• Identifies and implements rehousing and preservation treatments as needed.
• Produces finding aids in ArchivesSpace and collaborates on MARC catalog records,
  utilizing knowledge of standards including DACS, EAD, MARC, and appropriate thesauri
  & authority lists for archival description.
• Revises, edits, corrects, and migrates legacy finding aids to ArchivesSpace.
• Coordinates College Archives records transfers from administrative and academic
  offices. Supports the institutional web archiving program.
• Liaises with the Digital Archivist on the transfer, preservation, and description of
  born-digital files.
• Provides exhibition and collection digitization support.
• Assists with managing fundamental on-site operations and physical spaces as needed.

Instruction, Reference, and Mentoring

• Collaborates with faculty and librarians to design and deliver innovative, experiential instruction featuring manuscripts, archives, and other unique materials across the full range of disciplines.
• Assists researchers in identifying and using Special Collections & College Archives.
• Trains and supervises student assistants, interns, Fellows and the Archives Collection Technician on processing, digitization, rehousing, and exhibition projects.

QUALIFICATIONS

• ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in library/information science with an emphasis or coursework in archival management.
• One to two years of professional or pre-professional archival processing, finding aid preparation, and reference experience.
• Knowledge or experience in archival theory, methodology and practices, including descriptive systems and principles (DACS, EAD, MARC, appropriate thesauri & authority lists for archival description).
• Experience with archival collection management systems and digital preservation frameworks (e.g. ArchivesSpace and Preservica).
• Demonstrated knowledge of teaching with primary resources in an academic library with a focus on student engagement and critical interpretation of special collections and archives.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Strong work ethic, project management skills, and service orientation.
• Ability to work closely and effectively with faculty, students, the administration, and visiting researchers.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion.

Physical Demands
Packs, lifts, and unloads boxes of archival materials that weigh approximately 30-40lbs. Often
uses a step stool or ladder. Tolerance with materials that may include dust or mold.

Salary: $65,000. Lafayette College offers a generous benefits package.

How to Apply:

Application deadline: January 31, 2025
Expected starting date: July 1, 2025
For consideration, please submit a resume, a cover letter, and the names of three professional
references at http://apply.interfolio.com/160857. The full job description can also be found at this link.