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COLLECTION MANAGEMENT ARCHIVIST

The University of California, Irvine Libraries is seeking a dynamic, knowledgeable, and collaborative professional for the position of Collection Management Archivist in the Department of Special Collections & Archives. This is a full-time, permanent position.

The Collection Management Archivist coordinates an extensible archival processing program for Special Collections & Archives. The Collection Management Archivist provides oversight for acquisitions and effective stewardship of physical manuscript and archival collections, applying project management methods and technical leadership to sustain and standardize appraisal, accessioning, arrangement and description, preservation and reformatting, and access to archival collections in all collecting areas. The Collection Management Archivist helps direct the work of a library assistant supporting physical accessioning and processing and a small team of student assistants.

Qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply. The UCI Libraries is committed to recruiting a diverse workforce and advancing UCI’s Commitment to Inclusive Excellence https://www.uci.edu/diversity/.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Special Collections & Archives and University Archivist, the Collection Management Archivist provides leadership for policy and procedures governing the accessioning, processing, and management of physical manuscript and archival materials housed within Special Collections & Archives, including paper-based records, photographic materials, maps, ephemera, realia, and audiovisual materials. The incumbent evaluates and oversees revision of existing collections to ensure quality, compliance with professional standards, and the implementation of ethical, reparative description. The Collection Management Archivist establishes and maintains extensible, appropriate levels of physical and intellectual control over archival materials by coordinating, performing, and/or supervising the appraisal, accessioning, arrangement and description, and preservation and reformatting of collections, by helping lead a team to plan, track, prioritize, and make data-driven decisions for this work.

The Collection Management Archivist provides quality control and standards compliance for archival description, contributes to archival technical services-related software and systems migration and testing, and works closely with the Digital Archivist to support born-digital, removable media, and digital collections description, policies, and procedures. Working with archival curators, the Collection Management Archivist develops and administers tools and methodologies to ensure that collecting activity can be supported by available resources and enables tracking of archival acquisitions and pre-custodial collecting activity. The incumbent provides physical transfer support for new accruals, coordinates overall maintenance of donor/collection files, and develops procedures and reports to facilitate responsible and effective stewardship of archival collections, including assessment and reappraisal. The incumbent works collaboratively with the Technical Services Department, facilitating digital collection descriptive metadata support as well as cataloging of archival finding aids, and also works with cross-library teams of technologists, librarians, and related experts to develop, implement, and administer enterprise services, integrations, and other related systems for archival collection management.

The Collection Management Archivist serves on the department's reference desk and also prepares statistical and narrative reports for administrative and public use. The successful candidate may participate in donor relations and development, contribute to instruction and outreach activities, and assist in the preparation of exhibits. The incumbent helps direct the work of a library assistant supporting physical accessioning and processing and a small team of student assistants.

Qualifications

Required:

● A graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution, or a graduate degree in archival studies, or equivalent combination of graduate degree and archival experience.
● Formal coursework or training in archival collection management and theory.
● Relevant recent experience applying current national data content and structure standards as well as extensible archival collection management techniques in accessioning, appraising, arranging, describing, and preserving archival collections.
● Recent experience working with the archival collection management system ArchivesSpace, including testing, integrations, and/or technical administration.
● Experience with project management in a team environment, including the ability to assess and evaluate progress toward project goals.
● Understanding of and commitment to nationally-accepted standards and best practices for archival collection management, specifically those endorsed by the Society of American Archivists such as Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS), the Guidelines for Reappraisal and Deaccessioning, and the forthcoming Archival Accessioning Best Practices.
● Ability to maintain an awareness of current developments, trends, and emerging technologies in archives and special collections.
● Ability to stay abreast of ethics, privacy, confidentiality, copyright, and related policies associated with access and use of archives and special collections materials.
● Ability to successfully train and direct the work of archival processing staff and student assistants.
● Ability to provide effective reference service in an academic library.
● Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
● Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively and to promote teamwork, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness within UCI Libraries and the campus.

Preferred:

● Three or more years of professional archival accessioning and/or processing experience with increasing responsibility.
● Experience coordinating or leading teams using project management software or tools, such as Airtable, Jira, Asana, Trello, and/or Basecamp.
● Experience working with databases and library applications for integration, migration, and batch processing of administrative, descriptive, and/or structural metadata.
● Experience managing metadata for archival collections, including manipulating data to integrate unstructured and/or legacy information with standardized descriptions and repurposing metadata for reuse.
● Experience with reparative archival description, re-processing, reappraisal, and/or related archival work driven by community and user engagement.
● Experience providing a data-driven approach to collection assessment to inform archival technical work.
● Experience working with donors and records creators in the pre-custodial context, including collaboration with selectors/curators conducting archival appraisal and selection.
● Evidence of professional engagement at local, state, or national level.
● Recent experience providing reference service in a research or academic library.

The Department of Special Collections and Archives

UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives (SCA) serves the campus, local, and international communities by fostering curiosity and discovery through preservation, access, and education. We work to create an open atmosphere that nurtures cultural and knowledge exchange. We welcome everyone to participate and engage with our unique and rare materials. SCA houses the university’s collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, ephemera, born-digital files, and other unique materials. Our holdings include university archives, critical theory, performing arts, political literature, and a growing collection of artists’ books. In the Orange County & Southeast Asian Archive (OC&SEAA) Center, we lead a community-focused effort to preserve and catalog our local culture. In addition to the Head, SCA is comprised of five librarians and four library assistants. For more information about our collections, mission, vision, and values, please visit our website: https://special.lib.uci.edu/about-us.

The UCI Libraries

At the heart of the University of California, Irvine’s academic community, the UCI Libraries plays a vital role in enabling our outstanding students, faculty and researchers to create new knowledge, develop lifelong learning skills, and make meaningful contributions to society. We value innovation and collaboration, and we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. See our Diversity Statement and Plan, https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/diversity-statement-and-plan. The UCI Libraries received the 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, https://www.insightintodiversity.com/ a leader in advancing best practices in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in higher education.

The Libraries’ physical spaces consist of the Langson Library, the Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library (located at the UCI Medical Center in Orange, CA). These locations provide a welcoming and technology enhanced environment valued by students as places for study, research, and collaboration. Together they contain over 3,300 public seats, over 500 public access computers, laptop computers for checkout, and a wide range of multimedia resources including 3D printers. The library collection consists of over 4.3 million volumes, 254,000 journals and serial titles, and an ever-expanding collection of electronic books, databases, and other resources. As part of the University of California system, the UCI Libraries collaborates closely with the other nine UC campus libraries and the California Digital Library (CDL). Our public website, https://www.lib.uci.edu/, is a portal to access e-resources; discover print, archival, and multi-media collections; and connect with reference and instructional services. It also includes cutting edge digital tools and tutorials and numerous subject specific research guides created by subject specialists.

The UCI Libraries employs approximately 140 full-time librarians and staff and many part-time student assistants. We strongly support the professional development of librarians and staff throughout their careers.

The UCI Libraries are a member of the: Association of Research Libraries (ARL), HathiTrust, 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 Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), National Information Standards Organization (NISO), and OCLC Research Library Partnership (OCLC RLP).

University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles and located on the homelands of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, https://diversity.lib.uci.edu/land-acknowledgement. Founded in 1965, UCI has over 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 1,800 faculty and staff. Nearly 67% of UCI students identify themselves as Asian American, African American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. Over 50% of UCI’s bachelor’s degrees are awarded to first generation college students. The University is committed to serving students from all backgrounds as demonstrated by UCI’s Black Thriving Initiative, https://inclusion.uci.edu/uci-black-thriving-initiative/, and its designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), https://inclusion.uci.edu/msi/. The New York Times ranks UCI as the #1 college doing the most for the American Dream, and U.S. News and Report ranks UCI among the top ten public universities in the nation. The University offers graduate degrees in more than 100 academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. and J.D.

Salary & Benefits: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience based on the University of California pay scales. Appointment is anticipated to be at the Assistant Librarian, Associate Librarian, or Librarian rank with a salary of $69,781-$98,667. The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and salary point at appointment. See Table for Represented Librarians at https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2024-25/nov-2024-rep-librarian-scales/t26-b.pdf

Librarians are entitled to two days per month of annual leave, thirteen paid holidays, and one day per month sick leave. The University has an excellent retirement system and offers a variety of group health, life, and disability insurance plans. Benefits are equal to approximately 45% of salary.

Librarians at UCI are academic appointees. Non-managerial librarians are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This is a represented position.

As academic appointees, UCI Librarians receive potential career status at the time of their initial appointment. Librarians periodically receive administrative and peer review for merit increases based on the following criteria: 1) professional competence and quality of service within the Library; 2) professional activity outside the Library; 3) university and public service; and 4) research and other creative activity.
Consideration will be given to applicants with a wide range of years of experience, including qualified early career librarians.

Deadline for Applications: Applications received by January 21, 2025, will receive first consideration.

To Apply: Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should submit the information requested: a cover letter; complete résumé; a statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a list of three references (names and contact information only) via UCI AP Recruit at: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09391.

Upon application, candidates should be in possession of proof of their legal right to employment in the U.S. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, verification of legal right to work will be required between the time of final selection and hiring and is absolutely essential in ultimately being hired.

This position description is listed on the UCI Libraries website at https://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries-experience/academic-staff-positions, which includes links to additional websites featuring campus and community information.

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.