Posted on by Meredith Lowe

Emmitsburg, MD: Provincial Archivist, The Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise

The Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise, seeks candidates for the position of PROVINCIAL ARCHIVIST.  

POSITION SUMMARY

In 2012, the archives of four former provinces of the Daughters of Charity merged to create the Archives of the Province of St. Louise. The Provincial Archivist oversees the historic collections of those former provinces, and accessions and processed of the records created by the new Province.  The state-of-the-art repository, located in Emmitsburg, MD, holds traditional formats such as manuscripts, photographs, art works and artifacts; a digital repository holds digitized files and born-digital documents. The Daughters’ history in education, health care and social services make this archives a significant research site for multiple constituents, including scholars of women’s religious history, women’s history, and the study of American health care, social work and education.

RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES

As one of four Campus Coordinators, the Provincial Archivist shares administrative responsibilities in addition to work in the Archives. Assigned duties include:

  • Collaborate with onsite Ministries (Seton Shrine, Daughters of Charity Ministries, and St Joseph’s Ministries) on campus activities and protocols.
  • Manage and supervise a staff of four FT lay archivists and two PT Sisters to ensure collection development policies that follow current archival best practices.
  • Work with IT to ensure the proper accessioning, processing, safe storage and security of digitized and born-digital records
  • As a representative of the Daughters of Charity, learn and respect the protocols of access and restrictions established by the Community. Work with the Communications Director to evaluate requests for use of materials, ensuring the protection of the Community’s property and intellectual rights.
  • Oversee archival reference services and make available collections to researchers and scholars
  • With staff, design and curate exhibits and displays in the archives’ gallery and Heritage Room; assist in providing materials for exhibits and outreach programs on and off campus.
  • Maintain the Archives’ presence on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and WordPress.
  • Collaborate with archivists from other religious communities, especially the Charity Federation Archives, to foster and preserve joint heritage. Take an active role in professional Archives societies such as the Society of American Archivists (SAA), Archivists for Collections of Women Religious (ACWR) and other regional archives conferences. Exhibit an understanding of and respect for communities of women religious.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

  • Graduate degree in Library and Information Science or in Archives and Records Management or a Master’s in History or a related discipline with graduate courses in current archives and records management from an ALA-accredited library school.
  • Current knowledge of and experience with digital content managements systems is essential.
  • Experience with varied traditional formats of records as well as with the creation and maintenance of digital objects.
  •   Knowledge of digital preservation issues and best practices. Experience with conservation of traditional formats such as manuscripts and artwork.
  • Experience with database content management software; knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite; familiarity with the concept of EAD and MARC.

Preferred

  • Certification by Academy of Certified Archivists.
  • Vision for the use of primary source materials for scholarly projects and outreach.
  • Desire and willingness to stay abreast of ever-changing archival technology.

 

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

  • Archival Methodology: Understands and applies archival standards and best practices in appraisal, arrangement and description, reference service and access, preservation, outreach and promotion, and professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities. Knowledge should apply to paper collections, realia and digital records.
  • Administrative skills: Ability to establish goals/objectives and to evaluate progress in goal achievement; ability to plan and manage a budget; experience hiring, supervising, and evaluating staff.
  • Exhibits and Public Programming skills: Ability to use knowledge of our archival collections to design and interpret displays for the public.
  • Outreach: Understanding of and openness to the use of social media to introduce the collections to an ever-wider constituency.
  • Communications, Consultation and Collaboration skills: Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external constituencies; ability to relate appropriately to a broad and diverse clientele.
  • CRITICAL COMPETENCIES
  • Maintains Confidentiality: Ability to maintain professional confidentiality.
  • Achieves Values-Based Results: Sets high goals, consistent with Daughters of Charity and professional values for personal and group accomplishment; tenaciously works to meet or exceed those goals; measures progress and derives satisfaction from goal achievement and continuous improvement.
  • Models Integrity and Values: Genuinely cares about people, especially persons who are poor and vulnerable; communicates openly and honestly to foster trust relationships among colleagues and those served; recognizes and understands that leadership is a call to serve others; fosters personal growth, creativity, and demonstrates reverence and dedication. Projects a professional image as a representative of the Daughters of Charity.
  • Works Collaboratively to Make Effective Decisions: Secures and compares information from multiple sources to identify mission, archival, and other relevant issues; commits to an action after considering the inputs of those impacted by the decision and weighing alternative solutions against important decision criteria and the common good.
  • Desire to Update Skills and Training: Willingness to learn together with the staff new strategies and technologies. Works collaboratively with the staff to plan an aggressive training schedule, serving as a model to others on the staff.

 Interested applicants should send a resume to Humanresources@doc.org.