Job Opening Title: Special Collections Librarian
Employer Name: Weill Cornell Medicine
Job Location: New York, NY
Application Deadline:
Link to job posting:
Years of experience required: 3
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Please include instructions for how to apply.: Weill Cornell Medicine, located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, seeks a Special Collections Librarian for the Oskar Diethelm Library, part of The DeWitt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry.
The Oskar Diethelm Library is a special collection of over 35,000 volumes on the history of psychiatry and related disciplines. The library includes materials in English, French, and German dealing with psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, mesmerism, spiritualism, phrenology, witchcraft and related topics. Some volumes date as far back as the 15th century. Journal holdings include long back runs of psychiatric journals as well as current journals dealing with the history of medicine, psychiatry and psychology. Archival and manuscript collections include records of several psychiatric organizations as well as the papers of prominent psychiatrists and psychoanalysts.
Responsibilities:
The person in this full-time librarian position is responsible for all functions of library operation:
• Provide reference services to researchers.
• Identify and purchase rare books and new books related to the history of psychiatry.
• Oversee all care and housing of special collections materials.
• Manage archival collections, including acquisition, processing, and preservation.
• Develop plans to expand archival and manuscript holdings in accordance with collecting policies.
• Increase access to collection items through description, cataloging, and digitization efforts.
• Utilize PastPerfect collection management software to catalog prints, photographs, artifacts and ephemera.
• Digitize and maintain image files.
• Recruit and supervise graduate student interns and volunteers on a regular basis.
• Develop physical and online exhibitions of library material.
• Manage the physical library facility, perform environmental monitoring to ensure the long term preservation of the collection.
• Assist with donations and fund raising duties.
• Interact with Weill Cornell faculty, staff, students, and members of the Institute for the History of Psychiatry.
• Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in library/information science or equivalent from an ALA accredited program.
• Minimum three years of relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated experience in cataloging books (OCLC) and special collections materials.
• Experience with providing reference service.
• Familiarity with preservation and conservation standards for special collections materials.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong writing skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an academic environment.
• Self-motivated, organized, attentive to detail.
• Able to manage time and effectively function without close supervision.
Desirable Qualifications:
• Interest in the history of medicine.
• Experience working with rare book collections.
• Familiarity with PastPerfect collection management software.
• Understanding of long-term digital preservation practices.
• Reading knowledge of French, German, or Italian.
• Comfort with and interest in learning new technologies.
Physical requirements: ability to independently lift 35 lbs. and to move heavy library carts.
Location: Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E. 68th St, New York, NY, 10065
Website: http://psych-history.weill.cornell.edu/osk_die_lib/
This is a full-time faculty position (non-tenure track) that offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits. For consideration, please send resumes with cover letter to mas2155@med.cornell.edu or mew2008@med.cornell.edu
Archives Gig 