Archives Assistant at the Yale Center For British Art, Study Room

Position Focus:
The Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) seeks an Archives Assistant to support the work of archivists in the museum’s Archives department. Under the general supervision of the Chief Archivist, the Archives Assistant will assist with the establishment of physical and intellectual control of the Archives’ holdings, including both analog and born-digital records.

Assists with accessions of materials and carries out arrangement of archival collections, as directed by the Chief Archivist or their assigns. Creates and updates archival description in the archival management and integrated library systems. Applies basic standards for archival storage and preservation of collection material, including reboxing and refoldering. In consultation with Chief Archivist or their assigns, plans own work, may plan and direct the work of student assistants. Compiles statistics for work completed by themselves. Identifies material in need of conservation treatment and performs minor preservation tasks. Completes and may oversee box and folder labeling as well as barcoding of archival collections. Coordinates digital imaging requests and projects, image production schedules and delivery timelines with the Imaging Services department. Advances on-line access to collections through work on special projects, including scanning archival collections. Coordinates transfers of material between YCBA building locations and off-site storage facilities. May assist with the ingest of born-digital records into a preservation system. Provides reference assistance in order to aid staff and researcher access to the Archives’ holdings. Works cooperatively and collaboratively across the museum departments to effectively accomplish assignments. Maintains office archival supply levels. Performs other related duties as needed. Assists in the Study Room, including pulling works for researchers, invigilation, and preparation for classes, as scheduled.

Dept/Section URL

Essential Duties

1. Coordinates the work in a unit.

2. May perform a range of public and technical service functions.

3. Oversees, instructs and coordinates activities of staff.

4. Prepares, arranges, revises, photocopies, and distributes finding aids, guides, registers and other descriptive controls for manuscript collection.

5. Prepares and edits textual descriptions and other explanatory material for the registers, guides, inventories or lists.

6. Assists in establishing preliminary physical and bibliographic control of new accessions to a collection.

7. Performs clerical functions incidental to library activities.

Required Education and Experience
Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and high school level education; or four years of related work experience and an Associate’s degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor’s degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

Required Skill/Ability 1:
Ability to read and understand materials sufficiently to organize and describe collections, including hand-written texts.

Required Skill/Ability 2:
Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle multiple priorities, including the proven ability to work independently and in a team.

Required Skill/Ability 3:
Demonstrated ability to work with automated systems and computers, especially word processing and database use.

Required Skill/Ability 4:
Demonstrated ability to work in an archival, library, or office setting. Demonstrated ability to organize and handle assignments and to plan and prioritize a range of daily assignments.

Required Skill/Ability 5:
Reliable attendance. Consistency and dependability in performing work assignments. Demonstrated ability to work efficiently and accurately in a detail- and deadline-oriented environment.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:
Experience using Orbis, Voyager, ArchivesSpace, or other comparable bibliographic and/or archival control systems. Experience in an archive or special collections library, especially supporting archival processing of large collections.

Physical Requirements
Ability to push heavy book trucks, carry heavy boxes up to 40lbs, reach high shelves, climb ladders, work in locations with dust, and stand or sit for long periods of time.

Weekend Hours Required?: Occasional

Evening Hours Required?: Yes

How To Apply:

Apply via Yale job portal

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit “Learn about background checks” under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It’s Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

EEO Statement:
University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Additionally, in accordance with Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment, and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

This job was sourced via MuseWeekly Newsletter.