Job Opening Title:
Archivist – Term
Name of Employer:
Library of Congress – American Folklife Center
Job Site Location (City, State) :
Washington, D.C.
Application Deadline:
12/12/2023
Minimum Degree Requirement:
None
Years of experience required:
0
Salary Range:
$64,957 – $84,441 (plus 5.2% increase to go into effect in Jan 2024), promotion potential to $94,199 – $122,459.
Job Opening URL:
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/762620500
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Include instructions for how to apply.:
There are two vacancies. The incumbents will be appointed for terms ending in December 2026.
Position description:
This position is located in the American Folklife Center (AFC), Special Collections Directorate, Researcher and Collection Services (RCS) in the Library Collections and Services Group (LCSG) at the Library of Congress.
The archivist will work on the Community Collections Grants (CCG) program, part of the Library’s Of The People: Widening the Path initiative. This is a multiyear initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to connect more deeply with Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and other minority communities by expanding the Library’s collections, using technology to enable storytelling, and offering more internship and fellowship opportunities. The Of the People: Widening the Path initiative creates new opportunities for more people to engage with the Library, thus weaving a more inclusive American story. This work will expand the Library’s efforts to ensure that a diversity of experiences is reflected in our historical record and inform how we use those materials to understand our past. The initiative is part of a larger vision at the Library to connect with all Americans by inviting new generations to participate in creating, preserving and sharing the nation’s cultural treasures and building on the Library’s commitment to collect and preserve more underrepresented perspectives and experiences. The American Folklife Center portion of the initiative funds program staff positions, subgrants to individuals and organizations involved in the contemporaneous documentation of historically underrepresented communities such as African-American, Indigenous, and other communities of color, and technology infrastructure to aid in community collections.
Accessions, arranges, and describes archival collections, in particular born-digital archival collections, demonstrating knowledge of contemporary archival theory and practice.
Possesses understanding of scholarly research and documentation practices and uses basic knowledge of archival theory and practice to process and describe archival collections.
Works closely with CCG awardees, AFC colleagues and other Library staff to accurately describe archival collections, utilizing community-generated metadata. Completes preliminary analysis of the documentation provided by CCG awardees, evaluates the significance of archival material in its cultural and historical context and applies evaluation in helping create a plan of arrangement and description. Exercises initiative on special assignments requiring knowledge of archival procedures.
Assembles information to help resolve administrative and legal matters affecting the arrangement and availability of collections. Applies prescribed criteria for the retention or disposition of duplicate and extraneous matter. Exercises archival digital content management practices to ensure the security and long-term viability of digital archival records. Produces detailed descriptive guides for research use online.
Helps direct the work of technicians and interns in processing collections. Instructs other staff in processing and monitors and reviews their work for productivity and accuracy. Consults with CCG awardees, staff folklife specialists, and other relevant specialists in formulating and implementing processing activities. Provides assessment to management of the scope and quality of work performed by processing technicians, interns, and other team members.
Maintains technical expertise in emerging technologies and implements tools to facilitate the creation and publication of finding aids and other descriptive information online.
Works to maintain personal contacts and cooperative work relationships to provide or exchange information. Coordinates as necessary with staff in other divisions relating to the transmission, handling, description, and storage of digital archival collections.
Attends workshops, conferences, seminars, or meetings in librarianship and other relevant fields to apply new and revised methods to work and ensure work is performed to current standards. While attending or participating in scholarly and professional societies or meetings/conferences, the incumbent contributes to the field by providing insights or relevant connections between Library collections and archival management practices.
Uses knowledge of prescriptive standards and guides to share straight-forward, easily identifiable technical information to individuals or groups. Recommends changes in procedures, workflows, and tools as they relate to manuscript, archival, and born digital collections.
Presents information to groups and individuals with a similar understanding of the subject.
Serves as a resource in the development of overall preservation program policies and goals. Helps promote collection security by recommending and implementing improved methods of manually or electronically marking and labeling collections.
Provides information in response to reference service requests. Assists readers, scholars and researchers in finding significant records relating to the subject under consideration and advises them of relevant records in the division and Library.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
The incumbents for this position will work a full-time, flextime work schedule.
Archives Gig 