Posting Number 040494
Position Title Archivist I
Number of Vacancies 1
School/College/Division/Institutes/Centers
01 – University Libraries
Primary Department
H6640-Labor History/Archiv
Essential Functions (Job Duties)
Wayne State University seeks a knowledgeable, innovative, service-oriented individual for the position of SEIU Archivist at the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs. Located in the heart of Detroit’s Midtown Cultural Center, Wayne State University is a Carnegie I research university that enrolls more than 32,000 students. The Reuther Library collects, preserves, and provides access to historical records documenting the modern American labor movement, the development of southeastern Michigan, and the history of Wayne State University.
The Archives for the Service Employees International Union document the evolution of the union from its origins in 1921 as the Building Service Employees International Union to the present. During its history, this union has organized service workers employed as janitors, healthcare workers, security guards, public sector workers, office workers, elevator operators, window cleaners, groundskeepers, doormen, and stadium employees, among others. The union currently organizes 2.1 million members in these and numerous other service industries.
The collaborative relationship between the Reuther Library and SEIU began in the early 1980s, and the Reuther Library became SEIU’s official repository in 1992. Since then, the Reuther has collected the records of the union’s international headquarters, some locals, as well as the personal papers of prominent union officials.
Essential Job Functions: Provide access to the institutional history of SEIU through the arrangement, description, and preservation of its records and the creation of finding aids, inventories, databases, or other reference tools; assist SEIU with records management and electronic records archiving; interacts with SEIU, including occasional travel to SEIU’s international and affiliate headquarters regarding their records program and related projects; appraise, retrieve and examine records regarding SEIU; perform extensive outreach by curating and promoting SEIU exhibits, disseminating information about the SEIU Archives and working on publicity-related projects; create and manage digital content for the Reuther Library’s website; participate actively in the shared decision-making for library planning, resource management, and program and policy development; manage reference requests from inside and outside of SEIU; provide general reference services for non-SEIU related collections; supervise students, volunteers, and interns assigned to work with the SEIU Archives; actively participate in the archival profession through presentations, publications, and/or membership in professional organizations and performs other related duties as assigned.
Unique Duties
Qualifications
ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library Information Science or an advanced degree in a related disciplinary field with archival management coursework and/or experience; knowledge of archival administration, including the selection, processing and preservation of historical, valued and sensitive documents; clear understanding of issues related to digital records management and electronic records archiving; experience using archival content management systems; demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of users, donors, and constituencies; excellent communication and organizational skills and the ability to lift 40 lbs.
Preferred Qualifications
Ability to set digitization priorities and programs; familiarity with 20th century labor history; working knowledge of ArchivesSpace and Fedora; and ACA certification.
Archives Gig 