Associate Manager for Book Conservation at Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job Title: Associate Manager

Job Status: Full-time

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The Associate Manager oversees an active conservation workflow of newly acquired publications including rare books and special collections in the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation. It plays a key role in assessing conservation needs and determining basic treatment, including enclosures and protective covers, and determining the appropriate library location for shelving. In addition to basic treatment, this position provides administrative support and manages conservation and emergency supplies, pest management, and environmental monitoring. Additional responsibilities include processing requests for internal and external exhibition of library material, and assisting with the library’s active digitization program. The Associate Manager serves as a liaison between book conservation and other library teams and with departments throughout the museum.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Labels, barcodes, and selects appropriate enclosures for new acquisitions, including rare books and special collections
  • Coordinates with library staff to determine appropriate housing and location of newly acquired special collections
  • Performs basic conservation treatments, such as tip-ins, protective covers, enclosures, and encapsulation
  • Assists with digitization activities including directing special collections to the workflow
  • Assists with the conservation review, shipping, and receiving of publications digitized by the Internet Archive
  • Acts as a liaison between book conservation, technical services, and other library teams
  • Works with technical services and acquisitions staff to develop workflows
  • Manages loans of library materials to internal and external exhibitions
  • Assists in exhibition planning, preparation, documentation, digitization and photography, installation and de-installation of Watson materials in library, museum, and loan exhibitions
  • Plays a key role in the Emergency Response Team
  • Participates in facilities maintenance, such as environmental monitoring and pest management
  • Orders conservation lab/office supplies and maintains accurate purchase records, reporting to the library’s Finance Manager; updates Workday with receipts and expense descriptions
  • Assists with training and supervising conservation volunteers and interns in the processing of library materials and conservation procedures, and Sierra processing
  • Trains staff, interns, and volunteers in proper book handling procedures
  • Tracks and reports on monthly and quarterly book conservation statistics and activities
  • Participates in social media activities, including writing blog posts
  • Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and the development of diverse and inclusive teams

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).

Experience and Skills:

  • Good hand skills and the ability to work with delicate and fragile library material
  • Experience with Microsoft Office suite
  • Experience in budget management
  • Ability to do detailed work accurately required
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-based environment required
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills required
  • Initiative, flexibility, and a strong service orientation required
  • Experience using library-related software preferred
  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and also push or pull objects weighing 300-400 pounds on wheels (book trucks)

Knowledge and Education:

  • 3+ years of experience in library or arts administration preferred
  • B.A. required, work toward an M.L.S. preferred
  • Knowledge of book conservation practices and policies
  • Knowledge of art history or background in the humanities preferred

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Applicants are asked to please provide a cover letter in addition to your resume, expressing your interest in the position. Applications can be submitted via the posting on LinkedIn. Alternatively, applications can be submitted via email to Careers@MetMuseum.org – please reference position “Associate Manager for Book Conservation – Watson Library“ in the subject line of the email. Applications received with the requested cover letter will be given priority.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.