Lab Tech I- Mollusk Collection

Science Museum of Minnesota•Saint Paul, MN

16h•$20 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

Imagine yourself here. Be a part of something great at the Science Museum of Minnesota. We exist to turn on the science and inspire learning, inform policy and improve lives. We envision a world in which all people have the power to use science to make lives better. We value science as an essential literacy and strive for inclusion inside and out so that our museum and our people reflect and respond to the diverse needs and cultures of our community. Join our Biology Department team as the Mollusk Collection Lab Tech I and help us digitize and make accessible a collection of ~9,000 Minnesota mollusk specimens and their records. The Mollusk Collection Lab Tech I executes the organization and digitization of the Biology Collection’s mollusk specimens, especially those collected in Minnesota. They will execute all steps of inventorying, rehousing, and digitizing specimens, cleaning and sharing digitized data with aggregators, and conducting archival research to reunite specimens with their data. They will also support the process of accessioning and cataloging specimens in the collection, and will engage in outreach to share the impact of the project. They will follow directions from staff from the Biology Collection and Collections Stewardship to deliver on project goals while performing day-to-day tasks independently. Funding for this project and position was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). Schedule: 40 hours a week to be performed generally between 9 AM - 5 PM Monday through Friday, with some evening and weekend work required.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, library and information science, or museum studies is required. Master’s degree or some graduate coursework in these areas, especially malacology, is valued but not required.
Experience: Experience in malacology is required.
Work Environment: Ability to work in both lab and fieldwork settings.

Nice To Haves

Experience with specimen digitization and working in museum collections is preferred.

Responsibilities

Performs detailed and general inventories of mollusk specimens.
Performs archives research on mollusk specimens of uncertain data status.
Assists Biology Collection staff with accessioning and cataloging tasks.
Uninstalls, packages for long-term storage, rehouses, and installs mollusk specimens in collections under direction of Biology Collection and Collections Stewardship staff.
Captures research-grade photographs of specimens and specimen tags.
Adds specimen records and images and transcribes specimen data into the collection management system Re:discovery.
Following protocols developed by other CRC staff, it shares Re:discovery records of SMM’s mollusk specimens with data aggregators like iDigBio and Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas.
Communicates the results of the project at public events and at professional conferences.
Carries out tasks accurately and follows strict methodologies.
Performs other related duties as assigned.