Monday, September 30, 2013

Electronic records jobs: Winthrop Group, Michigan State University, University of California Irvine, Historic New England

Four jobs -- one on the West Coast, two on the East Coast, and one in the Upper Midwest -- calling for three very different skill sets and levels of experience.  The Winthrop Group, an archival consulting firm located in New York City, is seeking a seasoned professional to lead its Information and Archival Services Division. Michigan State University is looking for an early career archivist/records manager to serve as its University Records Manager (deadline 6 October 2013). The University of California Irvine is hiring an earlyish career professional who will serve as its Archivist for University Archives. Finally, Historic New England wants someone with IT skills and, if possible, experience working for a cultural heritage institution to become its Digital Projects Developer.  Details below the fold.

Sorry for the long silence -- and for failing to post at least two positions whose deadlines passed. Much as I enjoy my online life, sometimes the real world takes precedence. Now that things seem to be calming down a bit, you'll probably see a little more activity around here.


If you're a seasoned archivist who has managerial experience, entrepreneurial initiative, and the desire to work in New York City, the Winthrop Group is searching for a Manager of Information and Archival Services:
The Winthrop Group is a professional archival services and history consulting firm serving corporations, non-profits, families, and individuals around the world.  We help our clients capture and capitalize on their archival resources and history, transforming experience and information into insights, inspiration, and action.  Working with intellectual rigor, integrity, and dedication to clients, Winthrop has earned its reputation as the world-class leader in what now is an established market.
The Winthrop Group seeks an accomplished archivist and administrator to lead its Information & Archival Services Division.  I&AS is a collaborative team of professionals who  work with a wide range of clients to organize, manage and use important records and employ a variety of archival systems and technologies.  The Division Manager will be responsible for overseeing the coordination of projects, staffing decisions, business development and preparing the division for the next generation of professionals.  Within a collaborative environment, the person will be expected to exhibit leadership and vision in preservation/digitization, research, use of archival resources, and adoption of advancing technologies.  This position involves communication and interaction with clients in a variety of settings and requires that one enjoy working with a diverse set of professionals and clientele.

Responsibilities will include
  • administration of the Information & Archival Services Division
  • collaboration with Winthrop colleagues to provide professional archival services to existing clients and complete projects and consulting engagements in accord with signed contracts
  • coordination of project staffing
  • working with Winthrop colleagues to establish policies and procedures that will provide quality results and maintain positive relationships with clients
  • engaging new clients and preparation of proposals
  • working with Financial Manager, develop budgeting guidelines and sustained profitability plan
  • working with Winthrop colleagues to develop new services that have potential to expand the scope of client work and Winthrop employees’ professional capabilities and opportunities
  • maintaining positive relationships with professional associations such as SAA, MARAC, MAC, NW Archivists, NEA, and the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York
  • collaborating with the Managing Director and Board over a two-year period to accomplish a successful transition of  the I&AS Division to the next generation of Winthrop professionals.
The successful candidate will possess either a significant portion of the skill set identified below or evidence of an ability to cultivate the needed aspects of the skill set.  It is expected that the successful candidate will be dedicated to high quality professional work, ethics, collaboration with fellow employees, can demonstrate excellent communication skills, and has or is eager to develop an entrepreneurial spirit.

Knowledge, Experience, Skills Required
  • Significant experience with archives, management of archival resources, digital assets and their use
  • Proven time-management skills and capacity for planning, multi-tasking, coordinating with others, and completion of archives projects on time and on budget
  • Experience with project budgeting
  • Strong written and oral communications skills
  • Ability to collaborate with other professionals
  • Entrepreneurial ‘spirit’ including ability to evaluate and respond promptly and creatively to circumstances
  • Attentive, respectful listening and responsiveness to others
  •   Familiarity with business/economic, cultural, political, and/or educational history
Desirable
  • Ability to articulate the purpose(s), relevance, and value of archival initiatives in a variety of corporate, organizational, and institutional settings
  • Experience with electronic records, digital formats, and digital assets management applications
  • Record of active participation in professional associations including Society of American Archivists and at least one regional professional organization
Other Useful Capabilities and Professional Skills
  • Experience in corporate and/or organization archives
  • Web and social media applications and outreach uses of archival resources
  • Familiarity with records management fundamentals
Educational Requirements
  • Bachelor’s degree in History preferred
  • Master’s degree in archives management or MLIS or MA/MS with certificate in archives management
Compensation for this position is "commensurate with experience," and a full benefits package is offered. Review of applications began on 23 September 2013, but new applications will be considered until the position is filled. For more information, consult the position posting.

If you're an early career records manager who finds the thought of working for a university in the Upper Midwest appealing, Michigan State University is searching for a University Records Manager (application deadline 6 October 2013):
Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections seeks an outgoing and enthusiastic person to fill the full-time position of University Records Manager. This individual will assist the UAHC assistant director in expanding the current records management program to better address the changing information and records management needs of the university community. The position will revise and maintain records retention and disposition schedules for all university records. The University Records Manager will establish new general and specialized records retention schedules as needed.

The position will be part of a cross-departmental team that assists university staff identify and more efficiently organize university records; regardless of format, in a variety of business information systems – from paper file systems to enterprise-level document management systems.  The University Records Manager position will play a key role in training and educating the university community in records and information management.  This position will work closely with other UAHC staff and staff in the Information Technology units and administrative and academic units.  The University Records Manager will work toward meeting the requirements of the continuous appointment system.

Responsibilities
Responsibilities will include working with offices across the university to identify records created during the course of business; recognizing applicable state and federal regulations, identifying appropriate retention schedules and disposition plans; coordinating the storage and retrieval of inactive business records (both analog and digital); and developing related training and educational programs.  This individual will supervise student assistants.  This position also performs some archival duties, including reference service and other duties as assigned.

The University Records Manager will report to the assistant director of the University Archives and Historical Collections and will work closely with departments across campus, including the Administrative Information Services, Enterprise Business Systems Projects, Controller’s Office, Office of the General Counsel, and the Department of Internal Audit.

Able to handle collections, including ability to lift up to 40 pounds.

Required:
  • Minimum qualifications are a Masters degree in Information Science, Library Science, Archival Science, or related subject area with coursework in records or information management.
  • Minimum one year of records management experience.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of records management and archival theory and standards, including legal and fiscal issues governing university records.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills to convey program rationales and benefits to audiences at all organizational levels and backgrounds. 
  • Strong interpersonal skills to successfully collaborate with a broad range of personnel from various campus departments, including executive management, directors, managers, supervisors, faculty and staff employees. 
  • Ability to work independently with self-initiative and minimal supervision.
  • Demonstrated ability to work with confidential information and to handle sensitive situations with diplomacy and respect for privacy rights. Ability to maintain and safeguard confidentiality of documents and information collected and reviewed.
  • Experience with or knowledge of electronic records management and digital preservation issues.  
Preferred:
  • Certified Records Manager (CRM) designation or willingness to acquire.
  • Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certification or willingness to acquire.
  • Experience with archival collection management software, such as Archivists’ Toolkit and experience with a records management system such as Zasio’s Versatile software.
  • Experience in a college/university setting.
  • Knowledge of and/or experience with enterprise business and content management systems.
  • Knowledge of and/or experience with electronic records management systems.
  • Experience or aptitude for leading public programs and outreach.
For detailed application instructions, consult the position posting. As noted above, the application deadline is 6 October 2013. Information about faculty and staff benefits is also available online; however, I can't find any information re: the salary range associated with this position or librarian or archivist positions generally.

The University of California, Irvine is looking for an Archivist for University Archives:
The University of California, Irvine Libraries seeks an energetic, skilled professional for the position of Archivist for University Archives in the Department of Special Collections and Archives to acquire and make available materials documenting the history and functions of the UC Irvine campus. The first two years of the position will be focused on exhibits, outreach, and collection development related to the 50th anniversary of the UC Irvine campus.

Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of Special Collections and Archives and University Archivist, the Archivist for University Archives is responsible for overall management of the University Archives collections. The successful candidate will participate in active collection development to acquire the most significant materials of permanent historical value for documenting the history and functions of the UC Irvine campus, collaborate actively with the UCI Administrative Policies and Records unit, and provide and coordinate appraisal, accessioning, preparation of processing plans, arrangement and description, and preservation of materials in all formats for the University Archives. The Archivist for University Archives implements archival management of records in electronic formats, coordinates University Archives public service, engages in active outreach to campus schools and units, provides instruction in use of University Archives materials, and prepares exhibits. The Archivist for University Archives has responsibility for encoding finding aids using Encoded Archival Description (EAD) for contribution to the Online Archive of California. In addition the Archivist for University Archives supervises processing assistants including paraprofessional archival processors and part-time students and serves on the Department's reference desk. The successful candidate may also participate in digitization projects, acquisition of manuscript and archival collections, donor relations, and grant proposals as appropriate.

Qualifications

Required:
  • A graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution, or a graduate degree in archival studies, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Formal coursework or training in archival management and theory.
  • Experience processing archival collections and preparing finding aids.
  • Familiarity with concepts related to the management of university archives.
  • Familiarity with concepts related to archival management of electronic records.
  • Familiarity with basic records management principles and current trends.
  • In-depth knowledge of efficient processing procedures, such as those outlined in Greene and Meissner's "More Product, Less Process."
  • Ability to learn new technologies quickly and effectively.
  • Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Ability to work effectively within a culturally diverse academic community.
  • Ability to work effectively in teams and in a dynamically changing environment. 
  • Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion.
Preferred:
  • Advanced skill in using the Archivists’ Toolkit and encoding finding aids using Encoded Archival Description.
  • Familiarity with ArchivesSpace.
  • Familiarity with the Guidelines for Efficient Archival Processing in the University of California Libraries.
  • Experience providing reference service in a research or academic library.
  • Experience working with archival collections in non-textual formats, such as photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings.
  • Experience supervising archival processing assistants.
  • Experience working with electronic records.
  • Experience working with university schools and units.
  • Experience processing university archives.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives 
Special Collections and Archives houses the UCI Libraries' collections of manuscripts and archives, rare books, and notable subject collections. Archival collecting areas of particular strength and distinction include regional history (emphasizing Orange County and Southern California), the Southeast Asian Archive, the Critical Theory Archive (including the papers of Jacques Derrida, Wolfgang Iser, Paul de Man, and others), the University Archives (documenting the UC Irvine campus), dance and the performing arts (including the papers of Robert Cohen and choreographers Donald McKayle and Eugene Loring), and distinguished UCI faculty (including Nobel Laureates Frederick Reines and Sherwood Rowland).

The University Archives Collection
The University Archives preserves UC Irvine’s historically significant records. Beginning with the founding of UCI in 1965, the University Archives holds materials that document the planning and growth of the campus, the development and administration of academic and administrative programs and services, faculty concerns, student life, and community relations. In addition to records created in the course of campus business, such as correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, plans, charts, and topical files, the University Archives also contains photographs, maps, posters, newsletters, yearbooks, brochures, video and audio recordings, and a variety of other materials.

The UCI Libraries
The UCI Libraries are committed to innovation and excellence and are in a major period of change.

The Libraries consist of the Langson Library, the Ayala Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library.  These buildings contain over 3,300 public seats for study and research and provide more than 600 public access computers.  The UCI Libraries have a staff of approximately 140 FTE plus approximately 30 student assistant FTE.  The library collection consists of over 3.4 million volumes and over 137,000 journals and serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection.  The UCI Libraries are a member of the:  Association of Research Libraries (ARL), California Digital Library (CDL), HathiTrust Digital Library, Center for Research Libraries (CRL), Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), Digital Library Federation (DLF), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance (PRDLA), and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
The hiring range for this position, which is an academic appointment, is $47,544 - $70,956. The deadline for applying is 8 November 2013, but candidates who submit their applications after this date will be considered if the position is not filled. For more information, consult the position posting and employee benefits resources.

If you've got technical chops, experience working in a cultural heritage institution, and live the Boston area or would like to do so, Historic New England, which is devoted to preserving the region's historic architecture, is looking for a Digital Projects Developer:
Description and Responsibilities
Serving as part of the organization's information technology team, the digital projects developer will be an expert coder with the ability to craft elegant technology solutions for a complex, multi-site cultural heritage organization. Will execute, oversee or assist with projects related to systems integration, digital asset management, electronic records management, website development, database management, and intranet development, including support of Historic New England's ongoing Collections Access Project. Will be responsible for identifying technology needs and developing project plans, coordinating with technology vendors, developing and customizing software solutions, and creating complete and accurate documentation for completed solutions.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have a degree in technology, information science, computer science, or a related field, as well as four or more years of experience with database management and software development, preferably in a gallery/library/archive/museum setting. Have in-depth knowledge of languages such as PHP, Javascript, Python, and/or ASP.net, as well as expert-level knowledge of SQL. Experience with search, content management and digital asset management solutions such as Apache Solr, Plone, ResourceSpace, and/or Microsoft Sharepoint preferred. Solid understanding of technology issues relevant to libraries, archives and museums, including but not limited to concepts of digital preservation, standards such as MARC, EAD, OAI/PMH and familiarity with how concepts of linked data and the semantic web can be applied to cultural heritage metadata.
 The position posting, which doesn't include a deadline, indicates that applicants are to include their salary requirements in their application materials.  Summary information about employee benefits is available online.

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