University Archivist, Assistant Professor of Practice

University of Dayton, Ohio•Dayton, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Dayton Libraries is seeking a University Archivist to join their team. This is a full-time, 12-month faculty position at the rank of assistant professor of practice. The University Archivist will manage unique collections, including personal papers, artifacts, and digital content, and work with library colleagues and campus partners to document the history of the University of Dayton. The University Libraries Special Collections includes the Marian Library, the U.S. Catholic Special Collection, and the University Archives and Special Collections. The Archives' mission is to identify, collect, preserve, arrange, and describe records of enduring value that document the institutional history of the University and curate special collections of historic, cultural, or civic materials. Noteworthy collections include the Congressional papers of Charles W. Whalen Jr., the Erma Bombeck papers, the papers of Willis “Bing” Davis, recordings and photographs of the 1913 Dayton Flood, and an extensive collection of baseball memorabilia. The University also maintains an online institutional repository called eCommons.

Requirements

Master’s degree in library science, public history or other comparable degree with coursework in archival theory and practice.
Professional experience in an academic archive or comparably complex archival environment, such as a major cultural institution, corporate archive, or government repository.
Knowledge of national standards and best practices for appraisal, selection, and processing, including the arrangement and description of physical and born-digital archival and special collection materials.
Knowledge of archival description standards such as DACS and EAD.
Experience with digital curation, metadata standards, and digital preservation systems and tools.
Excellent written communication skills.
Ability to build and sustain relationships with a variety of individuals and groups, such as faculty, students, administrators, donors, alumni, and other stakeholders.
Currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Nice To Haves

Additional certifications such as a Certified Archivist (CA) designation from the Academy of Certified Archivists or Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certification from the Society of American Archivists.
Experience with institutional records, including knowledge of records management practices.
Supervisory experience, including hiring, training, and performing evaluations.
Successful experience in, or with, one or more of the following: Conducting outreach activities with stakeholder groups to share information about archives and special collections; Platforms for digital collections and preservation such as Digital Commons by Bepress, Omeka, or Preservica; Archival content management systems such as ArchivesSpace, Archivists Toolkit, or Archon; Web archiving and web archiving tools such as Archive-It, Webrecorder, or Conifer; Library management systems such as Alma.
Demonstrated knowledge of preservation and conservation best practice for archival and special collections.
Application of national standards and best practices for appraisal, selection, and processing, including the arrangement and description of physical and born-digital archival and special collection materials.
Knowledge of legal and ethical issues related to archival and special collections such as copyright law and confidentiality.
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team with faculty, staff and a growing culturally diverse campus population.
Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development.
Effective interpersonal communication skills.
Effective oral communication skills.
Effective classroom management skills.
Commitment to breadth of education including educating the whole person in the Marianist tradition and a commitment of service to the community, university and profession.

Responsibilities

Administer the University Archives and Special Collections, including archival material, institutional records and other special collections.
Acquire, arrange, describe, preserve, provide access to, and promote physical and digital archival materials, including rehousing materials and creating inventories and finding aids.
Develop, implement, and maintain the collection development policy for University Archives and Special Collections in alignment with the University’s mission and other University Libraries collection policies.
Collect websites and social media within the collecting scope of the University Archives and Special Collections using web archiving tools and provide metadata for access.
Consult and advise university offices on the disposition of records in accordance with the University’s Records Retention Policy and the University Archival Records Policy.
Provide information about the University Archives and Special Collections holdings, locate material relevant to the research interest of patrons, assist and monitor onside researchers, and respond to reference requests in a timely manner.
Analyze current storage and condition of materials, implement appropriate preservation measures for use and storage, and work with library colleagues and facilities to optimize environmental and security conditions.
Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with administrative offices, alumni, and donors in collaboration with the Associate Dean for Special Collections and the University Libraries Office of the Dean.
Identify high-interest, unique and rare materials within the University Archives and Special Collections for strategic digitization, and work with colleagues on description, access and preservation of digital files.
Collaborate with the Special Collections Instruction Librarian to integrate archival and special collection materials in library instruction towards the University Libraries student learning outcomes.
Promote the visibility of archival and special collections materials through the curation of physical and digital exhibits that advance learning, research and public engagement.
Supervise full-time archives employees, student employees, interns and volunteers.
Contribute content to the University Libraries blogs, social media, and other publications.
Contribute to the implementation of the Libraries’ and University’s strategic directions, including for inclusive excellence.
Participate in ongoing professional development in accordance with the University Libraries Professional Faculty Promotion Policy.
Fulfills professional faculty responsibilities including professional service.
Serve on various library, University, and professional committees, including the Digital Stewardship and Sustainability team, and the Collections and Scholarly Communications team.