Photographs Archivist

About the position

The Photographs Archivist position at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History involves developing and implementing policies and procedures for the care, description, cataloging, and promotion of the center's rapidly growing photographic collections. The role includes participating in the overall operations and programmatic activities of the photography unit, managing the inventory, processing, and housing of current and incoming collections, and ensuring the care and security of a wide variety of photographic images. The archivist will also work closely with center leadership and administrative staff on collection development, conduct tours for donors, and contribute to initiatives related to the online presence of the photograph collections. Regular interaction with the public in the reading room and responding to reference inquiries is also a key responsibility. The position requires training and supervising student interns and archivists, managing special projects, and consulting with preservation specialists regarding high-priority items.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate and direct workflow within the Photograph Archives unit.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures for the care, description, cataloging, and promotion of photographic collections.
• Participate in the overall operations and programmatic activities of the photography unit.
• Arrange, describe, and provide access to a wide variety of photographic images.
• Oversee storage of collections in collaboration with the center's Research and Collections staff.
• Work with center leadership and administrative staff on collection development and donor relations.
• Participate in tours of the photo archives for donors.
• Contribute to Briscoe Center-wide initiatives, including web and digitization projects.
• Respond to reference inquiries from a wide variety of individuals and entities.
• Train and/or supervise student interns and archivists.
• Manage special projects that include digitization and processing.
• Assist with book and exhibit projects.
• Keep an ongoing tally of preservation and housing supplies.
• Consult with preservation specialists regarding conservation and housing of high-priority items.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Information Science, Information Studies, History or related field with a concentration in archival enterprise.
• A minimum of two years of archival experience with processing collections and creating finding aids.
• Knowledge of preservation standards for archival material.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a collegial and collaborative manner.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Ability to manage multiple internal and external relationships.
• Supervisory experience.
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Academy of Certified Archivists designation.
• Background in Texas History, photojournalism, documentary photography, and/or U.S. news media history.
• Experience working with photographic materials in an archival setting.
• Experience planning, scheduling, and implementing projects.
• Experience communicating with donors.
• Knowledge of photographic formats, both analog and digital.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple and concurrent projects.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Experience processing large archival collections.
• Experience with MARC format and Encoded Archival Description.
• Experience making selections for digitization projects.