CONSERVATOR

PRESERVATION SERVICES UNIT

Academic Professional

University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign

Position Available: This position is available as soon as possible. This is a 100% time, permanent, twelve month appointment Academic Professional position in the University Library.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO. To learn more about the University's commitment to diversity, please visit http://www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Preservation Services, the Conservator (specializing in either flat paper or bound materials) is responsible for the following: Performing conservation treatment of rare and unique bound and/or unbound library materials, including keeping written and photographic documentation; Providing conservation support to locations holding special collections materials by arranging workflows and identifying priority treatments in close consultation with collection managers and curators; Coordinating the preparation of rare and special collections materials for exhibition including exhibit design, planning, stabilization, mount making and installation in support of the Visiting Exhibits Conservator; Participating in education and training opportunities including development of care and handling guidelines, general training and education programs, working with practicum students, interns, and volunteers and other outreach and teaching opportunities; Assisting with preventative conservation efforts in collaboration with Collections Care Coordinator; Advising digitization staff in the handling and necessary conservation of materials relating to digitization of rare materials; and Participating in lab-wide administration and support including, but not limited to, chemical and laboratory safety, disaster planning and response, contributions to procedural documentation, and general operational management. This position has the potential to grow in a variety of directions with time, including supervision of staff and/or interns, independent or collaborative research, teaching, and/or increased administrative oversight.

The University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign values diversity of thought, perspective, experience and people, and is actively committed to a culture of inclusion and respect. We are dedicated to the practices of social justice, diversity, and equality, and strive to overcome historical and divisive biases in our society and embrace diverse points of view as assets to the fabric of our community. All positions will be called on to contribute to building this environment in the Library and throughout the campus community, and we encourage candidates to apply who share these values.

Division of time spent on respective duties is projected as follows:

• Conservation treatment of rare and unique bound and/or unbound library materials, including keeping written and photographic documentation - 50%
• Provide conservation support to locations holding special collections materials by arranging workflows and identifying priority treatments in close consultation with collection managers and curators - 15%
• Coordinate the preparation of rare and special collections materials for exhibition including exhibit design, planning, stabilization, mount making and installation in support of the Visiting Exhibits Conservator - 10%
• Participate in education and training opportunities including development of care and handling guidelines, general training and education programs, working with practicum students, interns, and volunteers and other outreach and teaching opportunities - 10%
• Assist with preventative conservation efforts in collaboration with Collections Care Coordinator - 5%
• Advise digitization staff in the handling and necessary conservation of materials relating to digitization of rare materials - 5%
• Participate in lab-wide administration and support including, but not limited to chemical and laboratory safety, disaster planning and response, contributions to procedural documentation, and general operational management - 5%

Qualifications

Required: Masters degree in conservation or equivalent post baccalaureate training and experience. Extensive knowledge of paper and/or book conservation principles and practices; Extensive knowledge of the physical and chemical nature of paper and/or books, as evidenced by a graduate degree in conservation or equivalent post baccalaureate training or experience; Demonstrated ability to perform complex conservation treatments on flat paper artifacts and/or rare books, as evidenced by a conservation portfolio; Excellent written and oral communication skills; Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with others in a team environment.

Preferred: Two or more years of professional conservation experience; Experience working collaboratively in a research library and/or archives; Demonstrated experience in dealing with the intellectual issues involved in the use of research library collections; Supervisory experience; Experience with databases and integrated library systems; Working knowledge and practice of digital photodocumentation; Demonstrable experience working in exhibition planning and preparation; Demonstrable experience training staff or public on conservation principles and practices; Knowledge of digitization practices as they relate to special collections materials.

Salary: Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and credentials.

Terms of appointment: Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.

Environment

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) Library is a leader in the delivery of user services, and active programs in information, instructional, access, and scholarly services help the Library to maintain its place at the intellectual heart of the campus. The Library also holds one of the preeminent research collections in the world, encompassing more than 12 million volumes and a total of more than 23 million items. The Library is committed to maintaining the strongest collections and service programs possible, and to engaging in research, development, and scholarly practice - all of which support the University's missions of teaching, research, and public engagement. The Library employs approximately 90 faculty members, and more than 300 academic professionals, staff, and graduate assistants. For more information, see: http://www.library.illinois.edu/

The Preservation Services Unit at the University of Illinois Library operates with the holistic vision of developing a comprehensive preservation, conservation, and imaging program for the entire library system. The Conservation Lab consists of both collections conservation as well as special collections conservation functions in a shared 5,000 square foot lab space, and employs two endowed professional conservators as well as support staff, graduate students, hourly student assistants, volunteers and conservation interns. The Unit also assists in the education, planning and development of the overall preservation program for the Library. For more information on the Preservation Services program, visit https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/preservation.

Campus and Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members who serve 31,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receives campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu.

The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: http://illinois.edu/about/community/community.html or http://www.ccchamber.org/.

To Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Uploaded documentation (including image, pdf, or word-processing files) of three most significant treatments, or provide an external link to these in the cover letter. This document should be uploaded as "Writing Sample." Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.

Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by January 11, 2019.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer.

College Name or Administrative Unit: University Library
Category: 8-Technical
Title: Conservator - Preservation Unit (105633)
Open Date: 11/29/2018
Close Date: 01/11/2019
Organization Name: Preservation

PI105899590