JOB TITLE: ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN PROJECT ARCHIVIST
DEPARTMENT: Library
REPORTS TO: Deputy Library Director
FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt
HOURS PER WEEK: 40
UNION POSITION: Yes
PAY RANGE: $25.22 - $27.54/hour range
ABOUT US
The Oregon Historical Society is dedicated to making Oregon’s long, rich history visible and accessible to all. For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.
The OHS Research Library is committed to providing broad access to its collections for teaching, learning, and research, both onsite in our newly renovated downtown Portland library and online through robust digital collections and digital history websites. The library holds the largest collection of archival and published materials relating to the history of Oregon, including the historical regions of the Oregon Country and the Oregon Territory. Our collections serve as a foundation for scholars, teachers, students, and the general public to research and reflect on our state and regional history. The resources and staff of the OHS Research Library play a significant role in fulfilling OHS’s mission to “preserve our state's history and make it accessible to everyone in ways that advance knowledge and inspire curiosity about all the people, places, and events that have shaped Oregon.”
The Oregon Historical Society practices and promotes inclusiveness. We honor the diverse strengths, needs, voices, and backgrounds of all members of our community and are committed to the equitable treatment of all people and the elimination of discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from diverse candidates.
BENEFITS
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- Health insurance (medical, vision, alternative care, prescription)
- Dental insurance
- Generous paid time off
- 4% matching 401(k) retirement plan
- Flexible spending accounts
- Long-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Museum admission and lectures, programs and gift shop discounts
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit the following required materials at: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/2927558
- Cover letter addressing how your personal and professional skills and experiences have prepared you for this position.
- Resume
Application review begins January 20, 2025; position remains open until filled.
Employment is contingent on passing a background check.
SUMMARY
The Architecture & Design Librarian is a project position currently funded for two years.
Preserves, arranges, and describes high priority collections within Oregon Historical Society’s (OHS) research library’s holdings of over 350 archival collections of architecture, engineering, landscape, and design (AELAD) records of regional, national, and international significance.
Assists Deputy Library Director for Collections in refining workflows, best practices, and procedural documentation for AELAD long term care and management; supports promotion of collections to stakeholding community.
This position is a part of the Oregon Historical Society collective bargaining unit, ILWU Local 5.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Assesses, arranges, describes, preserves, and provides public access to high priority AELAD records in a variety of paper formats in accordance with OHS’s research library procedures and best practices.
2. Identifies formats within AELAD collections and addresses collections care and preservation needs. Develops and applies topical knowledge on Oregon architecture and design to accurately describe AELAD collections.
3. Contributes to the refinement of OHS’s research library frameworks, best practices, and documentation for the intellectual and physical control of AELAD records.
4. Participates in outreach activities to promote OHS’s research library’s architecture and design records to Oregon’s architecture and design community and OHS’s broader constituency.
JOB DUTIES
- Surveys high priority AELAD collections, assesses preservation, arrangement and descriptive needs and recommends actions to achieve or improve access and long-term care.
- Creates processing and/or enhancement plans for high priority AELAD collections. Performs research on creators, context and use of records, provenance, and related collections and incorporates into plans and archival description and metadata.
- Identifies common AELAD record formats, media, and carriers, and provides appropriate care, housing, and storage. Provides input on AELAD format identification, care, housing and storage needs to enhance local best practices documentation.
- Arranges and describes, and/or revises previous arrangement and description, for high priority AELAD records; makes archival appraisal decisions within selected AELAD collections, including weeding and/or sampling of non-archival materials and formats on a case-by-case basis; executes rehousing projects and moves or shifts collections as needed.
- Assists in development of templates and standard series for future processing of AELAD records by piloting these tools. Consults and cooperates with other collections staff regarding related or separated collections in other formats and coordinates their care and access following OHS research library procedures and best practices.
- Identifies and recommends drawings or other items for future digitization by the library’s digital collections unit. Provides information for metadata creation, and contextual information, as needed; researches provenance and copyright status as needed for image use and reproduction including for OHS internal purposes and external uses.
- Supports visibility of the library’s architecture and design records through participation in related public programming, publications, and by contributions to OHS’s social media, blog, e-newsletter, and other approved OHS marketing or scholarly venues.
- Makes presentations at local, regional, or national professional conferences, programs, and other public venues related to historical architecture and design records and content, as needed.
- Participates in professional development activities to maintain knowledge of current library practices, trends, and developments, and historical scholarship. Internally communicates new developments and trends affecting the library’s work.
- Guided by OHS’s mission in daily work and aspires to enact the Society’s values of integrity, invitation, equity and inclusion, cultural humility, accessibility, and learning. Adheres to OHS policies and professional standards.
- Reports progress to Deputy Library Director for Collections and Library Director on a monthly and as-needed basis.
- Maintains punctual, regular, and predictable attendance.
- Works collaboratively in a team environment with a spirit of cooperation.
- Displays excellent communication skills including presentation, persuasion, and negotiation skills required in working with customers and/or coworkers and including the ability to communicate effectively and remain calm and courteous under pressure.
- Respectfully takes direction from manager.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
QUALIFICATIONS
Ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to the safety or health of employee or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
A master’s degree in library information science or related field, or equivalent academic training and/or experience.
A minimum of two years of hands-on experience processing archival or manuscript collections in an archive or research library setting is required, including arrangement to folder level for paper-based records, creating metadata for finding aids, and archival preservation. Volunteer, intern, and student work experience are applicable with references.
- Demonstrated experience applying established national standards and protocols for the arranging and describing manuscript collections, including standards, vocabularies, and protocols established by the Library of Congress, Society of American Archivists, Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus, and other relevant authorities.
- Knowledge of current principles and methods of professional archival preservation, and special collections library procedures.
- Awareness of intellectual property rights, copyright, rights management, patron and donor privacy, and other legal issues as they apply to archives and libraries.
- Working knowledge of MARC cataloging, Resource Description and Access (RDA), Encoded Archival Description (EAD); Describing Archives: a content standard (DACS), Dublin Core (DC), and other metadata standards. Experience creating metadata for large databases and online systems, including library catalogs and collection management systems.
- Experience managing and manipulating data in Excel or similar spreadsheet tools.
- Experience working with researchers and conducting research in a library setting.
- Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills in an environment requiring attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
- Ability to work within deadlines and without close supervision.
PREFERRED SKILLS
- Knowledge of the processes and creation contexts for various formats, media, carriers and iterations of AELAD records, and their differing preservation risks, storage needs, and research values for archival retention.
- Experience with applying standards and protocols for arranging and describing AELAD records.
- Knolwedge of United States and Pacific Northwest history.
- Knowledge of North American architecture, design, or art.
- Experience using ArchivesSpace collection management system.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers and/or peers.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
COMPUTER SKILLS
Position requires specialized computer skills. Must be adept at using various applications including specialized database, photo editing, spreadsheet, report writing, project management, graphics, word processing, scheduling software and communication by e-mail. Has advanced computer job skills including creating presentations, creating and downloading forms, and preserving/backup important data. Strong facility with online searching techniques and resources.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical Instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
Valid driver's license.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable Individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feet; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds unassisted and climb or balance. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment ls usually quiet. This position occasionally requires the employee to work near moving mechanical parts. This position is assigned to work primarily at the OHS Gresham Support Facility {GSF), with occasional work at the OHS facility in downtown Portland. Must be able to work in a confined space shared with other workers and/or volunteers. May be required to work with potentially hazardous materials such as historical collections containing dust and mold.
COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
The OHS has adopted a policy where all employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Employees may request an exception from vaccination because of a disability or sincerely held religious beliefs from the HR Department.
