Position Focus:

The Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) seeks an experienced and collaborative archivist to facilitate access to and discovery of the holdings of the YCBA Archives. The Archives falls under the administrative umbrella of the Research division and is a professional repository dedicated to the histories of British art, Paul Mellon, and the Yale Center for British Art. The Archives serves as the official repository of the YCBA’s institutional records, including information on past YCBA exhibitions, publications, programs, and events, the museum’s art collections, and the initial construction of the building and its subsequent renovation projects. Holdings also include archival collections pertaining to artists, affiliated organizations, Paul Mellon, and individuals associated with the YCBA, past and present. Reporting to the Chief Archivist, the Archivist will identify priorities for processing and activating the Archives’ diverse collections and holdings. 

The Archivist will be responsible for the arrangement and description of archival collections in all formats according to national and departmental standards. This work will include developing and implementing processing plans, screening collections for potentially sensitive material, and creating DACS -compliant finding aids and catalog records. The Archivist will engage in the expansion of the Archives’ online presence through a variety of digital initiatives, such as social media, website content enhancement, research guides, and digitization projects. The Archivist will be encouraged to explore creative opportunities to interpret and activate collections, such as exhibitions and publications.

The Archivist will work with the Chief Archivist on digitization activities, records management duties, and reference, research, and instruction services. The postholder will be expected to participate in department, museum, and library-wide planning and committee work. The postholder will have the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the archival profession and/or professional scholarly knowledge relevant to the job. 

The Archivist may directly supervise staff, student assistants, and interns. The Archivist may be required to participate in disaster recovery efforts.

This position will be assigned a rank of Librarian 2 to Librarian 3. Librarian ranking information can be found at: http://bit.ly/YULRanksPromotions. 
 

Essential Duties

1. Assume a variety of responsibilities related to manuscript and archival material in all formats, including selection, appraisal, arrangement and description, preservation, and access and outreach.
2. Work in libraries across university campuses to meet the needs of local, national, and international teaching and research communities.
3. Assist with management of printed collections, as assigned.
4. Assist, if necessary, with disaster recovery efforts.
5. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

1. Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited library school or equivalent accredited degree, with formal training in archival theory and practice. In selected instances, a post-graduate degree in museum studies or a related discipline in the humanities or social sciences may be substituted for a master’s degree in library science.
2. Experience arranging and describing or providing public services for manuscript and/or archival collections.
3. Experience working collaboratively and independently with varied groups within a complex organization and rapidly changing, team environment.
4. Demonstrated knowledge of archival theory and practice may be substituted for formal training.
5. Demonstrated knowledge of current national data content and structure standards related to the archival control of collection materials.
6. Demonstrated knowledge of archival and library management systems.
7. Demonstrated job or school experience with basic preservation and conservation standards for archival and manuscript collections.
8. Demonstrated excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communications and analytical ability.
9. Demonstrated record of designing projects and bringing them to a conclusion in a timely fashion. Yale University assigns ranks to librarian positions based on a combination of professional experience and accomplishments (see range assigned to this description as noted in the posting position title). Librarian ranking information can be found at: http://www.library.yale.edu/about/departments/lhr/rank.html

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Minimum 2 years of professional demonstrated ability arranging and describing archival collections.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Demonstrated knowledge of current national data content and structure standards related to the archival control of collection materials. Demonstrated knowledge of archival and library management systems.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Demonstrated ability to manage a variety of tasks and multiple priorities.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Demonstrated ability providing public services for special collections.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, professionally and independently within a complex organization and with students, faculty and staff. Excellent oral and written communication skills.