Processing Archivist

The University at Buffalo Libraries seek an energetic professional to serve as Processing Archivist to appraise, arrange, and describe literary and manuscript collections in the Poetry Collection. This is a full-time professional position. Within the UB Libraries’ Special Collections, the Poetry Collection is contemporary poetry’s library of record, comprehensive in its holdings of first editions of poetry published in English in the 20th and 21st centuries. The collection includes little literary magazines, important 20th-century presses, and more than 150 manuscript collections, including the world’s largest archive of James Joyce manuscripts and the archives of Robert Graves, Theodore Enslin, Robert Duncan, John Logan, Helen Adam, Robert Kelly, John Montague, Michael Palmer, William Carlos Williams, Basil Bunting, Dylan Thomas, and Wyndham Lewis. The collection also serves as a regional repository for literary presses, literary magazines, literary arts organizations, and archives of the progressive art galleries of Western New York. Additionally, there are substantial holdings of photographs, audio and visual materials, mail art, and visual and concrete poetry. Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Poetry Collection Associate Curator, the Processing Archivist appraises, arranges, and describes modern and contemporary literary and organizational manuscripts and multimedia in the Poetry Collection according to local and national best practices. She/he will work closely with collection curators on the analysis, documentation strategy, and level of description for Poetry collections, combining extensive subject knowledge of 20th-century poetry and literature with technical expertise. The incumbent will oversee finding aids maintenance and retrospective conversion of legacy records for the department. The Processing Archivist hires, trains, supervises, and assigns tasks to student assistant(s), specifically in the processing of archival and manuscript collections. She/he participates in monitoring patrons in the Special Collections Research Room, and provides reference service and instruction on the handling of rare and archival material. Other duties may be assigned, including developing and creating exhibits showcasing collection material, participating in library instruction sessions, outreach activities, and supervision of interns. The Processing Archivist is expected to participate in local, regional, and national professional organizations, and represent Special Collections on library committees, task forces, etc., as needed and as appropriate. Must be able to bend, lift, and carry materials up to 40 lbs. and climb ladders and step stools to remove and replace boxes on shelves. Minimum Qualifications: * MLS from an ALA-accredited institution with coursework in Archives. * Three to five years professional experience processing literary collections, preferably in a special collections repository or museum. * Demonstrated proficiency in archival theory and practice, especially accessioning, processing and description, including minimal and basic processing strategies. * Demonstrated proficiency in the use and application of DACS, EAD, MARC, LCSH, Dublin Core, and other library and archival descriptive and content standards. * Experience with EAD, including its full range of elements and attributes, authoring tools (such as XMetal, Oxygen, or Archivists’ Toolkit) and publishing platforms (such as XTF or CONTENTdm). * Excellent interpersonal, communication, analytical, project management, and organizational skills. * Must be able to work effectively, both independently and collaboratively, in a collegial environment. Preferred Experience: * Advanced English degree with a focus on 20th-century poetry in English, 20th-century American literature or Modernism, or creative writing poetry; or experience as a practicing poet, scholar, editor, and/or publisher of contemporary poetry. * Evidence of successful research and/or participation in the field. * Knowledge of rights administration and management issues for manuscript collections. Salary and Benefits: $47,000 minimum, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Library faculty and professional staff are members of United University Professions (UUP) and receive generous benefits including medical insurance and prescription drug coverage, dental and vision benefits, 15-21 vacation days per year, and choice of retirement plans, including TIAA-CREF. To Apply: Visit https://www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu and search for posting number 1300255. All applicants must apply via the UBJobs website listed above. Please include contact information (names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses) for three professional references at the end of your cover letter. Applications will be accepted through 5/31/2013. The Special Collections unit of the University at Buffalo Libraries encompasses three areas: The Poetry Collection is comprehensive in its holdings of 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English and English translation. The Poetry Collection contains over 140,000 titles, including 6,000 broadsides. There are also in excess of 9,000 little magazine titles. Included in the Poetry Collection are audio recordings, video recordings, and extensive manuscript holdings. The world’s most significant collection of James Joyce manuscripts is in the Poetry Collection, along with major collections of manuscripts, correspondence, and archival material related to Robert Graves, William Carlos Williams, Wyndham Lewis, Robert Duncan, and numerous others. The University Archives is the most extensive in the SUNY system and holds records dating to the university’s founding as a private institution in 1846. Collections in the University Archives document all areas of the university including the establishment and activities of twelve colleges and professional schools and the construction of a new campus beginning in the 1970s. There are nearly 6,000 linear feet of records in the University Archives in over 1,700 discrete collections. There are also extensive holdings of university and student publications, audio and video recordings, tens of thousands of photographic prints and negatives, as well as posters and other ephemera. The University Archives also collects non-literary manuscript collections. Included in the more than 175 collections are the Frank Lloyd Wright/Darwin D. Martin Collection, the most extensive collection documenting the relationship between a major architect and client; the definitive body of records and other material on the Love Canal environmental disaster; and a rapidly-expanding group of collections documenting the history and activities of the Jewish community in Buffalo and Western New York since the second decade of the 19th century. The Rare Books Collection numbers more than 17,000 titles with particular strength in first editions of British literature and the output of late 19th- and early 20th-century private presses. Additionally, there are nearly 25,000 books requiring special attention, with the largest group being the pulp fiction collection. The University at Buffalo is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic University community committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment.

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