Job Opening Title:
Sophia Smith Archivist
Name of Employer:
Smith College
Job Site Location (City, State) :
Northampton, MA
Application Deadline:
Open – review to begin in December
Minimum Degree Requirement:
MA with archival experience
Years of experience required:
5
Salary Range:
$70,000 – $90,000
Job Opening URL:
https://smithcollege.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/smithcollege/details/Sophia-Smith-Collection-Archivist_R-202300727
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Include instructions for how to apply.:
Smith College Special Collections seeks a dynamic and versatile archivist to provide leadership and strategic direction for the long-term stewardship of the Sophia Smith Collection of women’s history (SSC). Founded in 1942, the SSC is one of the most significant collections of women’s history in the United States that focuses on women working on behalf of other women and gender minorities. The SSC has substantive strengths in women’s reproductive rights and justice, women’s liberation movements, suffrage and civil rights, community activism, iconoclast creators, women’s economic justice, lesbian and queer communities, and women’s environmental justice. It is a collection that reflects the diversity and complexity of women’s lives and identities through the lens of social, political, and cultural change, and gender justice.
The SSC archivist will build upon the existing collection development strategy to identify people and organizations who have made meaningful change and to work with them to transfer records of enduring value. This work requires close collaboration with the entire department to ensure that new acquisitions fit into demonstrated researcher needs and operational capacities. It also requires strong relationship-building skills, the ability to identify fundraising opportunities, the ability to create and maintain accurate documentation, and strong negotiation skills to secure legal agreements with archival creators that balance their desires, the institution’s ongoing commitment, and researchers’ best interests for access.
Similarly, the Sophia Smith Archivist will dedicate time and resources to working with faculty across the Smith and Five Colleges, as well as others beyond. A core teaching collection, the SSC receives heavy research traffic and significant instruction use. This is amplified by the existence of the student concentrations at Smith College, though teaching areas stretch from the humanities to sciences. Ability to enhance, develop, and integrate archival literacies is core to the emerging formal teaching program in Special Collections.
The SSC Archivist will join a dynamic group of colleagues who embrace an iterative work environment. We are always in the process of learning and improving, using creative solutions to complex problems, and being willing to challenge assumptions. Ability to pivot-to-improve is a value of our professional practice, when based on assessment data, feedback, and experiential learning. As such, responsibilities and working modes will evolve with the library, learning, and research environments.
Anticipated salary range: $70,000 – $90,000
Archives Gig 