• Due to renovations to our vault, access to our collections is limited until further notice. Please contact us for more information.

Join our crew!

The Consortium Library at the University of Alaska Anchorage is pleased to announce a recruitment for a three year archival residency. We are looking for an energetic, motivated, and innovative professional to join us in offering superb archival services. This position is designed to provide a broad range of experiences in academic archival work in an environment supportive of professional exploration.

Why consider Archives & Special Collections at the Consortium Library for your first professional position?

We’re an established, well-supported small academic archives with a wide range of holdings and a diversity of users. Our experienced faculty archivists are dedicated to access as the driving force in all the work we do. We can offer hands-on opportunities in everything from donor work to teaching research methods in university classes. You will gain experience in teamwork as well as independent responsibility for projects. We are committed to a collaborative, innovative and flexible workplace.

The holdings of Archives and Special Collections include over 2000 collections of personal papers, organizational records, and university records in a variety of media including textual documents, photographic images, sound recordings, as well as moving image materials. Archives and Special Collections has three full-time positions as well as other grant-funded positions.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The Archivist reports to the Head of Archives and Special Collections in the Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage. The person in this position shares in all aspects of the work of the department, primarily reference, processing, and outreach.

Duties include:

  • Reference: assisting researchers in navigating the collection through use of online finding aids and other resource materials, maintaining the reference query tracking record, retrieving materials for researchers, and assisting researchers with appropriate equipment.
  • Arrangement and description: processes and describes collections, applies basic conservation procedures.
  • Education and outreach: teaches archival instruction sessions, creates exhibits, and engages in other outreach activities.
  • Other duties: collection management database maintenance, website maintenance and development, donor and appraisal work, supervising students and volunteers, and participating in departmental and library planning activities.

This position is a term faculty position with the rank of Instructor.

Knowledge, skills and abilities required:

  • Graduate degree with a concentration in archives.
  • Knowledge of current and innovative archival theory and practice
  • Reference or customer service experience
  • Effective communication skills
  • Computer skills, including word processing, web authoring, and database software
  • Ability to retrieve and shelve boxed records in boxes weighing up to 45 lbs and to climb ladders

Knowledge, skills and abilities preferred:

  • Interest in gaining experience toward career and professional goals
  • Digitization experience
  • Experience processing/describing collections
  • Experience with teaching a class, giving presentations, or leading tours
  • Knowledge of EAD, DACS, XML, or other descriptive standards or codes

To apply and to see all other posting details, go to www.uakjobs.com and under Advanced Search, search for posting # 0066479. Upload a cover letter of application, resume or curriculum vita, a writing sample (finding aids accepted), and the names, addresses, email, and telephone numbers of at least three professional or academic references. The resume or CV should include a list of archival studies-specific graduate courses taken and provide details as to any archival internships completed. Applicant’s cover letter should address what interests them in academic archival work and how they would take advantage of a three year developmental position. For any questions about this position, please contact the chair of the search committee, Arlene Schmuland, at abschmuland [at] uaa.alaska.edu.

CLOSING DATE:
The screening committee will begin reviewing applications June 3, 2013. Candidates are encouraged to apply by the review date to receive full consideration as the recruitment may be closed without notice after June 3, 2013. Anticipated start date in August 2013.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UAA, APU, AND ANCHORAGE:

Consortium Library: consortiumlibrary.org/
Archives and Special Collections: consortiumlibrary.org/archives/
SLED: Alaska’s Virtual Library: sled.alaska.edu/
University of Alaska Anchorage: www.uaa.alaska.edu/
Alaska Pacific University: www.alaskapacific.edu/
Municipality of Anchorage: www.muni.org

APPLICANTS needing reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process should contact Human Resource Services prior to the closing date. UAA is an AA/EO Employer and Educational Institution committed to diversity. Applicants must be eligible for employment under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and subsequent amendments. Application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure.

 

3 Comments

  1. I was wondering if this is going on next year as well. If so, I would love to get information about applying.
    Sincerely,
    Hillary

  2. Hi Hillary! We’re a pretty small shop (3 people) so we can really only do one of these positions at a time. We chose to make it a three year position to ensure that the new archivist we hired can get some breadth, depth & length of experience. So when they move on to their next position, they’ll have a lot of great experience for their resume. The upshot of that is we probably won’t be hiring another residency archivist for close to 3 years when this residency position comes to an end. Since doing this was something of an experiment for us (is a residency position even feasible in a small shop?), we want to go through one full cycle to make sure that having a residency position is something we can and want to continue, or if we’ll need to do something else with that position.

  3. Thank you for the response. I am eager to find something long these lines, and stay in Alaska, after I graduate from UAF. I wish you the best of luck with this great 3 year idea, and hope to apply if you offer this again.

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