Archives Assistant (Two Openings), Harvard Art Museums Archives, (Cambridge, MA)
Posted June 15, 2026
Job Description:
The Harvard Art Museums Archives seeks skilled and service-oriented Archives Assistants to provide reference services, collection management assistance, and administrative support in a busy museum archives. The position is ideal for candidates who are organized, reliable, and detail-oriented, with strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to learn.
Position Duties:
- Assists in providing research services to museums staff, Harvard students and faculty, and external researchers onsite and remotely
- Compiles research summaries and manages duplication requests; scans and catalogs archival items for entry in ArchivesSpace and The Museum System (TMS)
- Monitors research space and facilitates collection photography, copying, and permission to publish policies as needed
- Assists with records review tasks for hardcopy and digital institutional records including creation of folder lists, initial appraisal, and rehousing
- Processes collections using procedures outlined in repository manuals, rehousing materials and addressing preservation issues as needed
- Creates DACS-compliant finding aids and MARC records for inclusion in Harvard’s public discovery systems
- Provides general administrative support including collections maintenance and monitoring archival supplies for reorder
- Assists department staff with special projects as needed
- Related responsibilities as assigned
Qualifications:
Required:
- MLS with archives concentration or in progress from an ALA-accredited program
- Minimum of one year of professional archival experience, including archival processing and reference services
- Positive, problem-solving, and customer service attitude
- Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
- Ability to lift up to 40 lbs and climb ladders
Preferred:
- Experience with ArchivesSpace, FileMakerPro, and The Museum System (TMS) a strong plus
- Degree in Art History or History useful
Hours & Compensation:
Schedule: Hours must be completed Tuesday-Friday between 9am and 5pm, onsite at the museum’s Somerville Research Facility where the museum archives are located. Wednesday/Thursday availability preferred.
Rate: $22/hour
There are two positions available; each is a less than half time non-benefited position, up to 14 hours per week onsite, approximately July 15, 2026-June 30, 2027.
How To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] by June 26, 2026. No phone calls, please.
About Us:
The Harvard Art Museums Archives is the official repository for institutional records and historical documents in all formats relating to the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 1895 to the present. Its mission is to manage and preserve these materials and make them accessible to staff, students, faculty, and the public in accordance with the policies of the President and Fellows of Harvard College.