The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania is seeking to hire the inaugural Elizabeth A. R. Brown archivist. The archivist will work with scholars and colleagues at Penn and around the world to establish, catalog, and develop a central repository of archives, project files, working papers, and born-digital materials belonging to medievalists and professional organizations. This new, permanently endowed position has been enabled through the extraordinary generosity of the late Elizabeth (Peggy) A. R. Brown, and is of major significance to the field of medieval studies in North America. It also represents an exciting opportunity to work with a dynamic group of archivists, librarians, and medievalists active at Penn, at the Kislak Center, and at the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies.

Find the full posting here. 

Job summary

The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts seeks an enthusiastic processing archivist to work with curators and processing staff to lead a new Penn Libraries initiative to acquire process, and make available the archives assembled by scholars in medieval studies and of professional organizations that advance the field. Situated in the Kislak Center for Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections, the Elizabeth A.R. Brown archivist will be a member of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscripts Studies (SIMS) team and the Archives and Manuscripts Processing Unit. The archivist will arrange and describe analog, digital, and hybrid archival collections, create EAD finding aids using ArchivesSpace in order to provide access to collections, and will contribute posts to the Kislak Center blogs and other social media. The archivist will work with the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Texts and Imaging (SCETI) to ensure that selected material is digitized according to established best practices so that they are made available to a global community of scholars in a timely fashion. The processing archivist will work with fellow archivists within the Penn Libraries and across campus to improve workflows, policies and practices in an effort to respond to and anticipate the evolving needs of the archival profession and the Penn Libraries’ vision of responsibly and ethically promoting access to collections.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Physically process analog and hybrid archival collections of medieval studies scholars and the records of relevant professional organizations; arranging the material and rehousing for permanent archival storage. 
• Describe collections, creating EAD finding aids, via ArchiveSpace. 
• Write blog posts & participate in activities or events for the Kislak Center in order to promote collections and raise awareness to Penn faculty and students and the wider research community.
• Serve on Elizabeth A.R. Brown Medievalist Archive Advisory Committee, which is charged with identifying, assessing, and coordinating the acquisition of new collections in accordance with the Penn Libraries and Kislak Center’s policies and procedures.
• With the Kislak Center’s Born Digital Archivist and the Digital Preservation Librarian, accession, preserve, process, and make accessible natively digital collections, including electronic drafts of scholarly work, professional email, audiovisual assets, accumulated data sets, and other documentation.
• Serve as an associate member of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) team, contributing archival expertise to a broad range of conversations about the Institute’s programs and collections-based initiatives.
• Supervise student and temporary staff processing assistants.
• Perform onsite assessments and preliminary triage on collections in situ, traveling to homes, offices, etc., and attending relevant scholarly gatherings to discuss potential acquisitions.
• Work with Special Collections Processing Center, University Archives, and Katz Center staff to improve workflows, policies, and best practices and develop methodologies to reduce backlog and/or enhance accessibility; including participation in large-scale agile processing and collections management projects that increase accessibility to distinctive collections.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.
  

Required Qualifications

• Master of Science, MLIS, Master of Arts, and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience processing analog and digital archival collections.
• Expert knowledge of DACS, EAD, XML, MARC and ArchivesSpace.
• Experience using born-digital processing hardware (Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device) and software (Archivematica, Archive-It, BitCurator, and others).
• Reading knowledge of French and/or Italian and/or Latin and/or Spanish.
• The ability to work both independently and with others in a collaborative work environment
• Demonstrated ability to manage time and complete projects efficiently and effectively
• Fluency with Microsoft Office software, in particular Excel
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Willingness to promote collection material through social media and events
• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in and/or knowledge of medieval studies
• Knowledge of Alma (Penn’s integrated library system)
• Experience with agile processing and/or innovative methods for reducing backlog
• Evidence of high level initiative and self-motivation

Application Requirement

A Cover Letter and Resume/CV are required to be considered for this position. Please upload your Cover Letter where it asks you to upload your Resume/CV; multiple documents are allowed.