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Library

Harold B. Lee Library

Institution

Brigham Young University Library

Job Title

Curator of 19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts

Closing Date

2013-02-17

Description

DESCRIPTION/ENVIRONMENT Brigham Young University (BYU), a privately owned and operated university of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Provo, Utah, invites application for the position of Curator of 19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts. This is a continuing faculty status track (BYU equivalent of tenure) position. BYU, an equal opportunity employer, requires all faculty to observe the university’s honor code and dress and grooming standards. Preference is given to qualified candidates who are members in good standing of the affiliated church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Harold B. Lee Library, an ARL Library, serves nearly 33,000 students as well as 2,000 full- and part-time faculty. The library employs 66 faculty, 101 FTE staff and professionals, and approximately 200 FTE students. An average of 10,000 patrons per day use the library’s services and collections of over nine million items. JOB MISSION The mission of this position is to identify, appraise, acquire, catalog, and preserve manuscript materials of enduring historical value related to Utah, the Western U.S., and Mormonism following accepted professional standards and practices. This position is responsible for Mormon manuscripts prior to 1930, Trans-Mississippi West manuscripts prior to 1900, non-Mormon and non-literary manuscripts prior to 1900, local Utah County history prior to 1900, and Southeastern Idaho Mormon materials prior to 1930. MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES University Citizenship • Exemplifies honor and integrity; adheres to the standards of personal behavior outlined in the BYU Code of Honor. • Supports the Library and University mission, goals, and objectives. • Observes Library and University policies. • Promotes collegiality and harmony. • Mentors, encourages, advises, and collaborates with colleagues. • Serves on Library, University, and consortia committees that go beyond assigned responsibilities. • Attends department, Library, and University meetings, including devotionals, forums, and convocations. • Serves the scholarly/professional community through activities such as: o Holding office or performing committee service in relevant associations; or o Organizing professional meetings and/or panels; or o Serving as a referee of scholarship; or o Editing newsletters or journals; serving on editorial boards; or o Consulting; or Teaching in academic departments. Librarianship: Professional Assignment • Demonstrates effectiveness in specified professional responsibilities within: o Cataloging/Metadata  Gather data necessary to prepare finding aids, catalog records, and metadata for digital collections  Provide training on content standards for finding aids, catalog records, and metadata for digital collections o Collection Development/Collection Management  Represent the university in acquiring collections through accession, donation, or purchase  Negotiate and sign contracts that require the investment of university resources  Establish and maintain good relationships with past, present, and prospective donors  Travel, as necessary, on department business  Create and maintain collection development policies for the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area  Appraise collections to determine their relevance to the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area  Maintain good working relationships with the donors  Create and maintain donor files containing notes, acquisition records, preliminary inventories, correspondence, and contracts o Conservation/Preservation  Arrange collections, both physically and intellectually, according to accepted archival practice  Maintain collection case files containing research notes, inventories, cataloging data, and acquisition records  Properly house and store collections to ensure their long-term preservation  Identify and record physical locations of collections o Faculty Liaison/Promotion  Work with faculty members to help them understand how to use the materials held in the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area as part of their teaching  Promote the value of archival records of faculty, staff, and administrators o Instruction/Information Literacy  Prepare and present class presentations on Special Collections as requested  In collaboration with university faculty, develop and present physical and virtual exhibits drawn from collections in the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area o Reference/Research Support  Respond promptly and efficiently to information requests from the administration, faculty, staff, students, and other researchers  Develop and maintain expertise in the archival collections related to the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area o Technology/Digital Projects  Select appropriate materials from the 19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collecting area for digitization  Employ emerging technologies as appropriate in the accomplishment of responsibilities attendant to the position • Sets and accomplishes relevant goals within specified professional assignments. • Participates in committees that are a direct outgrowth of assigned professional responsibilities, including the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators. • Achieves appropriate quantity and quality of work in assigned professional responsibilities. • Uses sound judgment in decision-making. • Manages personnel and resources effectively. Librarianship: Professional Development • Stays abreast of issues and trends in archives and archival management, Mormon history, and 19th century U. S. history. • Stays abreast of scholarship in archives and archival management, Mormon history, and 19th century U. S. history and other appropriate subject areas of expertise. • Takes courses to enhance professional assignment and/or career opportunities. • Studies professional literature. • Attends appropriate conferences and workshops. • Participates in appropriate professional associations. Librarianship: Creative Work • Collaborates with other faculty in appropriate research endeavors. • Presents research or innovative/unique information in the field(s) of archives and archival management, Mormon history, and 19th century U. S. History at conference, workshops, seminars, and/or other professional meetings. • Publishes significant and original contributions relevant to archives and archival management, Mormon history, and 19th century U. S. History. • Performs other approved scholarship/creative works. QUALIFICATIONS • Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited institution with two years archival experience or equivalent Master’s degree with archival training • Master’s degree in History, preferred • A demonstrated knowledge of Western U.S., Utah, and Mormon history • Demonstrated ability to appraise, arrange, and describe archival collections • Demonstrated ability with archival and library descriptive standards including Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) • Ability to supervise students, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and interns • Strong skills in communication (writing, speaking, and document editing) • Skills in computer encoding with HTML and EAD • Skills in website development and management • Ability to contribute to the profession through participation in professional organizations and involvement in research • Flexibility in adapting to changing departmental and organizational priorities and to ever-changing technological environments • Active participation in the archival profession through presentations, articles, committee participation and conference participation • Willingness to serve on departmental, library, and university committees TO APPLY Complete an online faculty application (www.yjobs.byu.edu, posting # 120774—Curator, 19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts – Search under Job Type: Full Time & Job Category: Faculty) attach a cover letter and current CV. Review of applications will begin February 18, 2013.

URL

https://yjobs.byu.edu