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Community Archivist (At Will Appointment)

Community Archivist (At Will Appointment)

UNC-Chapel Hill Job Location: North Carolina Date Created: 04-06-2017

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a creative, collaborative, self-motivated, enthusiastic professional for the position of Community Archivist for the Southern Historical Collection.

Working closely with the curatorial team of the Southern Historical Collection (SHC), and reporting to the Director of the Collection, the Community Archivist will serve as project manager and coordinator for a Mellon Foundation grant that services the Collection’s existing and prospective community archive projects. The Community Archivist will manage a small team, document the community-driven methodology, facilitate relationships with peer practitioners and community liaisons, and develop tools and programs for community-driven archives. The Community Archivist will articulate the community-driven philosophy to all project stakeholders including but not limited to community members, library staff, and other partners. The Community Archivist will participate in Library-wide initiatives and serve on committees and task forces. This position will require occasional travel.

The Community Archivist will:
·    Serve as project manager for the grant outcomes and products
·    Manage the work of four direct reports, including graduate students and part-time employees
·    Coordinate the “Archivist in a Backpack” prototype
·    Conceptualize, design, generate content for, and edit the Community Archives Handbook
·    Facilitate community charrettes
·    Coordinate the production of donor education videos
·    Work with library Information Technology to address and plan for project IT needs as they arise
·    Help prepare project evaluation reports and budget tracking

The Southern Historical Collection encourages the study and appreciation of the history and culture of the American South by collecting, preserving, and promoting the use of unique documentary materials of enduring historical value that reflect American life and culture between the late colonial period and the present day. Totaling over 20 million items organized in more than 5,000 collections, these materials document antebellum plantation life, slavery, the American Civil War, the Long Civil Rights Movement, and social change, with substantial holdings on family life, politics and governance, religion, business, labor, literature, sociology, and journalism. The SHC also is the repository for interviews conducted by the Southern Oral History Program with Southerners who have made significant contributions to a variety of fields and that will render historically visible those whose experience is not reflected in traditional written sources.

SHC collections and programs enable users to derive meanings from the Southern past and to support the University's mission of teaching, research, and service. The SHC welcomes professional, student, and public researchers from around the world to conduct research in an atmosphere that encourages intellectual exploration and exchange, and supports an extensive program of ongoing digitization and online delivery of its collections.

Qualifications

Required
ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science, or a related advanced degree. Two years’ of professional experience in an archive or special collections environment. Demonstrated understanding of the principles that dictate archival appraisal, description, and reference as well as interest or experience in applying these principles in a community-driven archival framework. Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility, as well as willingness to adjust to job duties as changes in technology and user needs dictate. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated project management experience, excellent time management skills and demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines in an evolving environment. Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with colleagues, students, faculty, researchers, and community members.

Preferred
Relevant managerial and or supervisory experience. Comfort with new digital and social media tools. Strong commitment to public service, particularly to working with underrepresented communities. Experience in the acquisition of manuscript, archival, or other special collections, including working with collection donors. Demonstrated instruction skills. Experience in library, scholarly, or community programming, particularly in collaborative teams for events and visiting groups. Demonstrated experience with technologies used to describe, discover, provide access to, and promote the use of historical resources. Experience in fundraising, donor cultivation and stewardship, and grant writing and administration.

The University and The Libraries
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the country’s oldest state university. UNC Chapel Hill has an enrollment of approximately 29,000 students, employs more than 3,500 members of the faculty, and offers 69 doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and law. The UNC Health Sciences Library is part of the University Libraries and is a recognized leader within the Association of Academic Health Science Libraries.  University Library collections include over 7.5 million volumes. The Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries and the Center for Research Libraries. Together with the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University, the members of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) provide services and collections to their students, faculty, and staff in support of the education, research, and service missions of the universities.

The University Libraries are committed to increasing the diversity of its staffs and therefore welcome applications from candidates who bring additional dimensions to our mission and work. The University Libraries invest proudly in our employees, strive to create a diverse environment of respect and collaboration, and encourage vision and innovation.

The Region
The Triangle region is one of the most desirable places to live and work in North America and offers its residents a wide array of recreational, cultural, and intellectual activities. The mountains or the seashore are less than a half-day’s drive from Chapel Hill.

Salary and Benefits

This is an At Will Appointment, contingent upon the availability of funding. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Standard state benefits of annual leave, sick leave, and state or optional retirement plan.

Deadline for Applications

Review of applications will begin on May 5, 2017.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but preference will be given to applications by the date the review begins.

To Apply
Please visit http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/117699 and complete the online application. Please include a letter of application, a resume, and the name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of three professional references, one of which must be your current supervisor. Additionally, please indicate in your cover letter where you first learned of this position. 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes all to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities

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