Title Strout Photographic Archivist (Term)
Department Bowdoin College Library
Job Summary
The Bowdoin College Library seeks a detail-oriented, motivated, and community-engaged
archivist to oversee a one-year processing and public history project to bring to life an important photograph archives that documents Bowdoin, Brunswick, Maine, and surrounding communities in the late 19th and early 20th century. Under the direction of the Archivist, the Strout Family Photograph Archivist works collaboratively with stakeholders within and outside the department to arrange, describe, digitize, and publicize the collection of Leon B. Strout, a noted photographer. The Strout Archivist employs archival standards and best practices, including inclusive description, to survey, arrange, describe, and preserve the approximately 6,100 photographic prints and negatives contained in the Leon B. Strout Collection.
The Strout Archivist is responsible for building out digital access to the collection by digitizing and describing images and posting them online through digital collections platforms to ensure maximum discoverability and use of the collection. The Strout Archivist conducts research as needed to create accurate and meaningful descriptions for the images, drawing on library resources and connecting with local history resources in Brunswick and surrounding communities. The Strout Archivist provides excellent service to users by promoting and facilitating access to the collection through outreach programs, exhibitions, and the creation of printed promotional material.
As the intellectual heart of the Bowdoin campus, and serving as a major research library in the state of Maine, the College Library is highly valued for its rich and extensive collections,
outstanding staff, and vibrant spaces, including Hawthorne-Longfellow Library—the main library building—and three specialized branch libraries for music, art, and science. Located within the main library, the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives is distinguished for its commitment to access, innovative instructional and educational programs, world-class collections including an archival record that dates to the College’s founding in 1794, and an ambitious digital collections program. The Bowdoin Library strives to be forward-thinking, diverse, and welcoming. In line with its goals to address the ways in which structural racism has permeated longstanding library practices, it is committed to developing, describing, an stewarding diverse and inclusive collections that represent the voices and experiences of BIPOC and other marginalized communities.
The salary range for this position is expected to be: Minimum $60,000 – Maximum $65,000.
Education/Skills Requirements
Required:
● A Master’s degree from one of the following: ALA-accredited library program, public
history program, visual resources program, or similar programs; or, substantial progress
towards degree requirements in one of these programs that includes successful completion of coursework on the management of photographic archives.
● Knowledge of current approaches to archival arrangement and description, including
anti-racist archival theory and inclusive descriptive practices.
● Familiarity with current approaches to digitization, image manipulation, file management,
and metadata creation.
● Experience with detail-oriented work, including the ability to analyze and repurpose data
sets
● Evidence of ability to attend to accuracy, attention to detail and discretion, and the
necessity for confidentiality.
Preferred: Familiarity with the social and cultural history of Midcoast Maine.
Experience Requirements and/or Equivalents Required:
Required:
● One year equivalent of archival description, metadata creation, and/or digitization
experience, which can include student or internship experience.
● Facility with spreadsheets and databases, such as ILS or collections management
database.
Preferred:
● Experience with an archival collection management system, such as ArchivesSpace.
● Project management experience
● Archival research experience.
Standard Work Days and Hours
This is an exempt position requiring time commitment necessary to satisfactorily complete job requirements.
Hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Schedules may vary to meet operational needs.
About Bowdoin
Bowdoin embraces diversity in all forms, and the College is home to talented students, faculty and staff—with a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; religious beliefs; and gender identities, among other factors. We encourage applications from candidates committed to the support of an inclusive campus community and those who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity. We value a community in which individuals of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed and encouraged to succeed. Founded in 1794, Bowdoin has maintained its commitment to the liberal arts for well over 200 years. Bowdoin’s reputation as a preeminent liberal arts college rests on the excellence of its faculty, students, and staff; intimate size; strong sense of community; and connections to the people, history, and natural beauty of Maine. Bowdoin’s campus is situated in a beautiful natural setting. Located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of approximately 20,000, the College is a short drive from the Maine coast, twenty-five miles from Portland and 120 miles from Boston.
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