Archives Program Officer-Archives Research Center and University Archives

Academic Professional (two positions)

University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign

Position Available: Positions available immediately. These are 100%-time, twelve-month appointment academic positions in the University Library.

Position one is a full-time professional position in the University Library. The position provides professional reference and operational support for the Archives Research Center. The position reports to the Archivist for Student Life and Culture.

Position two is a visiting professional position in the University Archives' Main Library location, with an initial term of four years and the possibility of extension depending upon future needs and resources. It is focused on professional reference and research and implementation for records surveying, appraisal, and arrangement and description, including the arrangement and description of digital records. The position reports to the University Archivist.

When applying, candidates should indicate if they are interested in being considered for position one, position two or both positions.

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: These professional positions assume leading roles in providing services for archival materials and, through specialized knowledge of records, standards and archival techniques, will 1) assist faculty, administrators, students and members of the public in locating, interpreting, and making research use of primary and secondary sources and 2) survey, appraise, arrange, and describe archives. Through application of research and best practices, these positions lead or collaborate in planning and implementing policies and procedures for services related to the collections held at the Archives Research Center or University Archives, including both Student Life and Culture Archives and general University Archives materials. The incumbents provide and coordinate reference, access, and outreach services and the arrangement, description, and digitization of archival materials including university records, manuscript collections, and professional and student organization records. The successful candidate will develop and implement plans to accession, arrange, process, describe, and provide access to archival materials in analog and digital forms, in consultation with the Student Life and Culture Archivist and the University Archivist as well as with functional experts in other Library units, such as Preservation Services; Digitization Services; Research and Information Services; and the History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library. The positions also assist in the supervision of graduate and undergraduate student workers.

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

Specific responsibilities for the two positions will vary from week to week but may include:

Applying an understanding of the intellectual and contextual nature of archives content and how that intersects with users' reference and research needs: (50 percent)

• Creates exceptional user experiences by joining knowledge of content of archives with an analysis of the researcher's needs and an understanding of evidential linkages between records;
• Provides access to the archives and collections through research and relevant subject knowledge, and mediating complex in-person and remote reference and research requests;
• Researches and teaches instructional sessions for students, faculty, and visitors on the use of archival materials, focusing both on the nature of unpublished documentation and subject areas of relevance to the audiences for Archives Research Center or University Archives materials;
• Leads one-on-one or small group research consultations;
• Researches, creates, and maintains content-rich, analytical, and high quality articles, exhibits, and online resources for scholarly and general interest use of the Archives;
• Researches and writes analytical research guides for specific topics and classes

Applying advanced research and experience in archival theory and functions: (35 percent)

• Writes grant applications to garner additional resources to process and enhance access to holdings of the University Archives and programs at the Archives Research Center;
• Using best professional practices grounded in historical research and contextual understanding, plans and conducts or supervises the survey, accessioning, and arrangement of archives, manuscript collections, electronic, and digital records (including web and social media archives), and other archival materials;
• Advances public engagement by researching and organizing onsite and traveling exhibits, creating marketing materials, and programming speaking events or outreach activities;
• Researches and writes content for website, media, and social media, and other engagement opportunities

Applying technical knowledge of archival practice: (15 percent)

• Ensures that digital materials are preserved and accessible based on knowledge of electronic records management techniques and theory;
• Prepares and implements digitization plans and plans for processing digital acquisitions to ensure that digital materials are freely and appropriately accessible;
• Researches intellectual property permissions to fulfill user requests;
• Assesses and protects property and privacy rights of record creators;
• To ensure the integrity of facilities and environmental systems that guarantee collection security and preservation, oversees archives facilities;
• Develops and writes documentation for processing policies and procedures that follows best practices;
• Hires, trains, mentors, and supervises others in arrangement and description activities;
• Develops and maintains the University Archives web presence, including coordination of systems migrations, in consultation with staff from Library Information Technology Services

Academic Professional employees are encouraged to use "investigation time" to pursue areas of interest, not directly in support of an immediate program need, in accordance with the University Library's policy on Investigation Time for Academic Professional Employees http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/human/resources/investigationtime.html>. Some investigations originating in this manner may evolve into regular work assignments or production activities

Environment: The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world. With more than 14 million volumes and significant digital resources, it ranks second in size among academic research libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest possible collections and services and engaging in research and development activities in pursuit of the University's mission of teaching, scholarship, and public service. The Library currently employs approximately 90 faculty and 300 academic professionals, staff, and graduate assistants. The Library consists of multiple departmental libraries located across campus, as well as an array of central public, technical, and administrative service units. The Library also encompasses a variety of virtual service points and "embedded librarian" programs.

The University Archives' permanent staff includes seven archivists, two academic professional, graduate assistants, and hourly student assistants operating from three service locations: Room 146 Library, the Archives Research Center, and the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. University Archives holdings include official records of the university, papers of prominent faculty and alumni, and associated manuscript collections and records, papers, photographs, audiovisual materials, and related historical collections of professional and public service associations.

The Archives Research Center is a research service point and holdings facility of the University Archives. Its holdings include the Student Life and Culture (SLC) Archives, a program administered by the Archivist for Student Life and Culture to document the history of student life nationally (particularly in terms fraternal organizations) and locally at the University. It also houses the archives of the American Library Association, the Advertising Council and other national organization archives as well as a majority of University of Illinois archival records and collections.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Master's degree in library/information science or archives or museum studies or public history or a related field
• Bachelor's degree in the humanities, social sciences, or related field
• Prior professional or pre-professional experience working with documentary material in an archives, museum, or special collections repository
• Demonstrated knowledge of, and experience with, archival techniques and practices
• Ability to manage and complete a diverse range of projects in a timely and accurate fashion
• Ability to lift 30 lbs. to a height of 5 feet
• Demonstrated research and discursive writing skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly in writing and in person
• Demonstrated interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and to work collaboratively and effectively in a team environment

Preferred:

• ALA accredited Master's of library/information science with a focus on archives
• One or more years of demonstrated experience arranging, describing, and managing archives or manuscript collections
• Demonstrated experience using current and emerging technologies to improve access to archives and/or manuscript collections
• Demonstrated experience with digitization and/or digital record ingest
• Working knowledge of preservation and/or conservation practices

Salary and Rank: Salary commensurate with credentials and experience.

Terms of Appointment: Twelve-month appointment; 24 work days' vacation per year; 11 paid holidays; 12 days annual sick leave (cumulative up to a maximum of 240 days) plus an additional 13 days (non-cumulative) per year if necessary; health insurance, requiring a small co-payment, is provided to employees (coverage for dependents may be purchased); participation in the State Universities Retirement System is required upon appointment (8% of member's salary is withheld and is tax exempt until retirement); newly hired university employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security, and are subject to its deduction.

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 and12,000 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, and contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. When applying, include interest in being considered for position one, position two or both positions. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.

Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by February 1, 2019. Interviews may occur before the closing date; however, no decisions will be made prior to the closing date.

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: 6-Research Research
Category: Research
Title: Archives Program Officer - Archives Research Center and University Archives (106971)
Open Date: 12/13/2018
Close Date: 02/01/2019
Organization Name: University Archives

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