Print

Print


Pictorial Curator - Bancroft Library - University of California Berkeley

Location: Berkeley, CA
Salary: $66,885-$87,552 Yearly
Employment Term: Full-time
Employer Contact: Richard Brown, [log in to unmask]

Percent time: 100%
Anticipated start: January 1, 2024
Position duration: This is a full-time potential career appointment.

APPLICATION WINDOW
Open date: August 8, 2023
Next review date: Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Friday, Sep 8, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Bancroft Library seeks a user-centered, collaborative, and innovative professional to serve as the Curator for The Bancroft Library Pictorial Collections. The Pictorial Collections consist of over ten million items making it, after the Library of Congress, the second largest pictorial collection in a research institution in the nation. Consisting primarily of photographic negatives and prints, The Bancroft Pictorial collections also include paintings, prints, drawings, posters, and advertising memorabilia.

The Bancroft Library Pictorial Collection documents California, Mexico, and the American West. The photography collection at Bancroft spans the history of the medium from early cased photographs to contemporary digital images. The collection contains photographs by renowned photographers such as Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Carleton Watkins. The collection also includes two large photographic negative collections from the San Francisco Call Bulletin and the San Francisco Examiner.

The Bancroft Pictorial Collection contains a variety of non-photographic representations, including more than four hundred framed paintings and drawings. Many are part of the Robert B. Honeyman, Jr. Collection of Early California Art and Western Americana, dating from the 19th century. Other significant collections include prints from José Guadalupe Posada, Taller de Gráfica Popular, and prints and posters reflecting community activism and cultural vitality of the San Francisco Bay area from the 1960s onward.

The Curator of Pictorial Collections will determine strategic priorities for the pictorial collection, lead collection development for pictorial collections, engage in teaching with the collections, curate exhibitions, build sustainable relationships with donors in support of the collections, and participate in Bancroft’s research services activities. The Curator will work with Bancroft colleagues to steward and ensure equitable and wide public access to the Library’s newly acquired and existing collections, and offer intellectual guidance to colleagues on the acquisition and processing of newly acquired collections.

Responsibilities

  *   Work collaboratively with Bancroft and UC Berkeley Library colleagues to steward existing pictorial collections and initiate new acquisitions (through gift and purchase) in support of the Bancroft and UC Berkeley Library educational and research mission.
  *   Build and steward relationships with potential donors of pictorial collections.
  *   Participate in in-person, virtual reference, and research consultation services for Bancroft Library collections, including digital and innovative uses of Bancroft collections.
  *   Partner with Bancroft Library leadership, the Friends of The Bancroft Library, and UC Berkeley Library Development Office colleagues to build and nurture philanthropic support of Bancroft Library collections, services, and programs.
  *   Prepare and lead instruction sessions with Bancroft primary source materials, including evaluating and selecting materials, developing class plans, and collaborating with faculty on assignment design, learning outcomes, and classroom sessions. Promote inclusive teaching practices and a commitment to accessibility in the development and delivery of services and programs.
  *   Highlight under-researched materials in Bancroft pictorial collections and broaden the scope of historical narratives through collecting, interpretation, programming, and presentation of pictorial material in new ways, and for/and with diverse audiences.
  *   Ensure excellent service, friendly reception, and positive research interactions for researchers of all skill levels using Bancroft Library collections.
  *   Curate and prepare exhibition content as part of an exhibitions team within the Bancroft and UC Berkeley Library.
  *   Contribute to Bancroft and UC Berkeley outreach activities, blogs, social media, library publicity, and public events.
  *   Collaborate with Bancroft Library Technical Services on accessioning, cataloging, archival processing, and description for pictorial collections.
  *   Librarians are entitled to appropriate professional development leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits

The Environment

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at the nation's premier public university. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 30,574 undergraduate students, 11,336 graduate students, and 1,525 faculty. The Library comprises 20 campus libraries, including the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, The Bancroft Library, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, and numerous subject specialty libraries. With a collection of more than 12 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with the collections and build their research skills. Discover more about our collections and services at the UC Berkeley Library website.

The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of rare materials in the West. Its holdings include more than 800,000 volumes, 210 million manuscript items, 9 million photographs and other pictorial materials, 86,000 microforms, 9.4 million digital files, and 25,000 maps, as well as numerous other categories of unique material. The two largest collections are the Bancroft Collection of Western and Latin Americana and the Rare Books Collection. The archival and rare book materials of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life are also part of the Bancroft holdings. Bancroft is home to three research groups: the Oral History Center, the Mark Twain Papers and Project, and the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri. The Bancroft Library is an active center of teaching and research. Supporting the programs of about 30 campus departments annually, it mounts a regular series of public exhibitions, roundtable lectures, and open houses. For additional information, please visit the Bancroft Library website.

Library's Strategic Plan: http://stories.lib.berkeley.edu/strategicplan/

Bancroft Library website: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Advanced degree or enrolled in an advanced degree program.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
Advanced degree.

Preferred qualifications

  *   Additional graduate degree in art history or related field with specialization in the history of North American photography with a firm grounding in a broader knowledge of the medium.
  *   Three or more years of professional experience in collection development, instruction, or reference in a special collections or research library environment.
  *   Experience in providing reference and instruction in rare books, manuscripts, and archives.
  *   Experience with research and teaching trends, methods, and best practices related to special collections.
  *   Three to five years of collection development experience acquiring rare books, archives, or pictorial works. Demonstrated success in negotiating complex acquisition agreements and purchases is highly desirable.
  *   Extensive knowledge of the photographic medium, including materials, methods, and techniques through hands-on study and interpretation of original materials.
  *   Commitment to and success in supporting academic programs of research, teaching, and public exhibitions involving photographs.
  *   Experience in curating exhibitions of photographs and photographic materials.
  *   Knowledge of preservation and conservation issues pertaining to photographic collections.
  *   Experience and success in donor relations, including marginalized communities, and in working with development officers.
  *   Record of publications and/or academic coursework that demonstrates significant knowledge of the history of photography, photograph collections, the history of collecting photographs, and the current state of scholarly communications about photography and the history of photography.
  *   Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with diverse people, collaboratively, proactively, and constructively. Commitment to positive, solutions-driven responses to challenges. Ability to work as a member of a team.
  *   Demonstrated commitment to advancing accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion with experience working respectfully and effectively with diverse communities.
  *   The Bancroft Library is interested in finding the best candidate for the job and recognizes that the successful candidate may be one from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet all of the preferred qualifications/experiences listed above.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Document requirements
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

Cover Letter

Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley. More Information and guidelines.<https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/shortcuts/ofew_contributions_diversity>

Reference requirements
3 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03994
Help contact: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/membership/join-arlisna Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~