About

Here’s a bit of information about Archives Gig for you, in the form of FAQs. If you have a question that’s not addressed here, please e-mail me.

Q: How are postings organized? How can I find what I want?

A: The most recent posting appears at the top of the page. Each job posting gets tagged with keywords that you can use to search, or you can use the search box. The quick and dirty trick to searching: I always tag the state/geographical region of every job’s location, whether it’s permanent or temporary, what kind of institution it’s in, and years of experience required (except for internships).

Q: Who are you and why are you doing this?

A:  My name is Meredith Lowe.  I work at the iSchool at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, in the office of Continuing Education Services.  I have a MA in Library and Information Studies from the UW-Madison iSchool, with a concentration in archives and records management.  Although I do not currently work as an archivist, I still maintain close contact with the profession through my continuing education projects and other professional activities.  As for why I’m doing this:  the archives job market has fascinated me since my graduate career, and this is a way for me to give back to a profession that I love.

Q: I want to let you know that something needs to be corrected, what’s the best way to make contact?

A:  If you’d like me to correct something, the quickest way to get in touch is to e-mail me.

Q: You have posted a position that my institution has filled. Can you take it down?

A: Sort of. I can add a note to the posting to say it’s been filled. I do not remove postings because the data from Archives Gig is used for research, so I will not entirely remove the posting unless it was truly posted in error (e.g. your HR system accidentally posted a position that was not really open). Please email me to request this.

I try to be as responsive as possible if I get a request to note that a position is filled. However, sometimes I get requests while I am on vacation or otherwise unable to help immediately. To avoid this, please consider linking to a position description that is posted on a website that is under your institutional control, and also specifying an application deadline on the “submit a job” form.

Q: What kind of positions are posted here? What don’t you post here?

A: I post all kinds of jobs, from the world of academia to government to historical societies to museums to the private sector… and beyond! I post jobs that are “archives” work in the traditional sense (processing, cataloging, reference), but also in records management, rare books, preservation and conservation, digital projects, digital asset management, photo and film collections, oral history, education and outreach, digital archives and repositories, internships (paid and not), relevant curator positions, and more. Although sometimes I would like to, I don’t generally make decisions on what to post or not post based on how “good” I think a job is. I think that’s the purview of those who use Archives Gig as a job-seeking tool.

I don’t post positions that don’t really fall into the SAA/ARMA definitions of “archivist” or “records manager.” I realize that they are not the be-all, end-all definers of these professions, so I do grant myself some leeway.

I don’t post volunteer opportunities. Not that I’m remotely against volunteerism, but I think it’s important to draw that line in the interest of my own time.

Q: How often do you post jobs?

A: I generally post every weekday, but sometimes it will be a little less often. This depends on how much time my own schedule allows, and how many jobs are out there. I do not post on the weekends, and generally not while I’m away from the office or on vacation. I announce extended absences.

Q: I’m looking for an announcement you posted a long time ago, but I can’t find it. Help!

A: I don’t ever delete postings, but I also often link back to an external site where the job was initially posted, and I have no control over when/if that site deletes the posting.  To be sure that you have a copy of the job description, I strongly recommend that you either copy/paste it into a document and store it on your hard drive, or print it out, or employ whatever your preferred method of permanent storage is. I don’t keep any information from external job sites.

Q: Would you please add more detailed tags or titles, like paid internships, XYZ certifications, or ABC skills?

A: Unfortunately, this is a time issue for me. I try to capture enough information in the tags and titles to make it helpful for people searching.

Q: Where do you find all these jobs?

A: My main sources are listed below. I also receive quite a few emails from individuals alerting me to openings – Thank you to all of you who help out!

AAM (Alliance of American Museums)
AASLH (American Assn of State & Local History)
ALA (American Library Assn)
AMIA (Assn of Moving Image Archivists)
ARL (Assn of Research Libraries)
ArLiSNAP (Art Library Students & New Professionals)
ARMA (Records Management)
CLIR+DLF Jobs
HERC (Higher Education Recruitment Consortium)
HigherEdJobs
Indeed
Information Science, Library & Archives Internships
Institute of Certified Records Managers
International Archives
MUSEweekly Email Newsletter
NCPH (National Council on Public History)
RBMS (Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of ACRL)
SAA (Society of American Archivists)
SLA (Special Libraries Association)
VRA (Visual Resources Assn) Job Listserv
USAjobs
UW-Madison iSchool Job Postings

Q: Will you read my resume or give me job search advice?

A: Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or expertise to look at your materials.  I do help out with the Career Center at the SAA annual meeting, so you can sometimes catch me then for this type of thing.  Archives Gig is intended to be a dumping zone for position announcements only. I can point you in the direction of a couple of good resources for archivists on the job hunt:

Hiring Librarians – Emily Weak’s fantastic resource about the world of hiring in the library and information fields. This resource is back after a hiatus!
I Need a Library Job (INALJ) – Naomi House has expanded this site to be so much more than just job postings! She regularly runs guest columns that touch on virtually every aspect of employment in the LIS fields.
SAA’s Online Career Center – The Society of American Archivists has a resume posting service
Hack Library School – by, for, and about library school students
Ask A Manager – Alison Green runs a wonderful, entertaining general advice blog about all things in the career world. There is particularly helpful stuff in there about applying and interviewing for jobs. Once you’re hired, you may want to go back and follow this blog for all kinds of other career-related advice.

Q: Archives Gig’s name is similar to LibGig. Are you related? Are you affiliated with any other job sites or organizations out there?

A: No, Archives Gig is not affiliated with LibGig, nor am I affiliated with any other job hunting site. This is an independently run website, and is does not necessarily reflect the views of my employer, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am involved in some career-related committees at the Society of American Archivists and other professional organizations, such as the SAA Career Center Sub-committee, and I occasionally post news and announcements from that committee here.

I sometimes cross-post Midwest-based positions to the iSchool at UW-Madison’s job posting page.

Q: Can I use content/statistics from Archives Gig for my research project?

A: Absolutely.  Content from this WordPress site (and historical data – such as it is – from the old LiveJournal site) is totally free for you to use for your research project, whether it’s intended to be published or not.  Please note that my permission cannot extend to content on other websites that I link to from Archives Gig.  The mission of the site is to help archivists get jobs, but also to strengthen awareness of the archives job market.  I would really appreciate it if you drop me a line if you cite AG in your project, and please do let me know if you have published any research using this site as a source.  Depending on my schedule and the nature of your work, I may also be able to help you with any WP-generated statistics that are not public-facing.

Archives Gig has been on the web and updated regularly since February 2010. Jobs posted from Feb 2010 – Feb 2014 are on the old LiveJournal site. Since February 2014, Archives Gig has lived here on WordPress.