Job Description
The Clyfford Still Museum is seeking an Associate Digital Archivist who is passionate about preserving and creating long-term access to digital archives. This newly created position will join the Archives Department and the wider Collections Team to address digital collections needs. The Archives Department manages the complete personal papers of Clyfford Still, in addition to small donations from those who knew Still, and a growing collection of historic documents describing the Museum’s creation and activities. The Associate Digital Archivist position will center around digitization, digital asset management system management, and the digital side of processing, preserving, and accessing these archival materials. In addition, the Associate Digital Archivist will provide leadership and guidance in electronic records disposition and digital workflows. The position also allows for contribution to establishing best practices around digital materials for the broader professional community: an outside consultation on digital preservation is currently underway, and it will set forth recommendations and workflows that the Associate Digital Archivist should embrace and expand upon.
Principal Responsibilities:
- Uphold professional standards in archives, digital curation, digital preservation, and larger LAIS field, in a fine art museum setting
- Act as secondary Database Administrator of the Museum’s digital asset management system Luna ; work with the administrator of the collections management system QI and database and other program developers to maintain existing integration projects
- Sustain and build upon the Museum’s existing digital repository and preservation plan, and utilize recommendations from recent digital preservation consultation
- Reformat files for preservation; monitor and maintain file authenticity and stability; triage at-risk files for priority processing
- Track and manage master, service, derivative, and exhibition versions of collections images, as well as digital documentation of collections
- Arrange, describe, establish file-naming standards, and create metadata for all digitized and born-digital files in the Museum’s various collections
- Digitize materials in the Museum’s various collections, working with Associate Archivist to schedule and queue projects. This will require careful handling of 2D objects that range in size from 2”x2” to 31”x42” and date back to the early 1900s. May also include photography of 3D objects including textiles, tools, books, and paint supplies
- Coordinate inhouse on-demand digitization services for research requests; coordinate outsourced digitization when necessary
- Set digitization rules and workflows, based on industry best-practice, and write formal policies and procedures accordingly
- Work with Associate Archivist, curatorial team, conservation department, and offsite professionals to create exhibition surrogates from digitized original archival materials
- Mediate internal and external reference access to digital collections through the Luna DAMS, including providing technical assistance and writing descriptive and explanatory responses to emailed reference enquiries
- Formalize an access policy that addresses appropriate handling of sensitive materials
- Manage rights issues within the digital archives
- Provide internal training on digital content management, and disposition of institutional records to Archives. Work with each department head annually to facilitate internal transfers of institutional archival materials from these departments
- Work with incoming staff members to explain records retention and institutional archives. Work with outgoing staff members to ensure transfer of digital files is appropriate and documented
- Maintain hardware and software for digital collections management, with appropriate assistance from and coordination with other museum departments
- Assist with ongoing administrative and collections tasks: budget creation, supply purchases, collections tours, and some exhibition installation assistance
Minimum Education, Job Qualifications and Experience
- Minimum three years’ experience processing digital archives
- Master's degree in Library and Information Science (coursework in digital archives, digital preservation, and records management are desirable but not required)
- Comfort working with digitization standards, digital preservation best practices (including NDSA guidelines and OAIS), and a range of metadata standards
- Advanced professional experience in Digital Asset Management Systems
- Experience using Photoshop, Wondershare, GarageBand, Adobe Pro, and/or other digital editing tools for images, audio, video, and documents
- Excellent written communication skills and desire to share well-formulated ideas and information with the public
- Sensitivity to matters of confidentiality, copyright, and other policy and legal aspects of managing and providing access to archival materials
- Knowledge of emerging technology trends related to digital collections
- Knowledge of collection development with regards to institutional archives
- Demonstrated ability to be flexible, tolerate ambiguity, adapt to change and successfully work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Balance between technical and collaborative management skills will be necessary for this role
- Strong organizational and analytical skills with proven success in independently prioritizing work and managing competing deadlines
- Excellent interpersonal skills to collaborate and work effectively within and across organizational boundaries in a diverse organization and with a wide variety of users
- Must be able to lift and move up to twenty pounds
Additional Info & Requirements
Non-Discrimination Statement - The Museum prohibits making any employment decisions or basing any terms and conditions of employment on the basis of a person’s race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, transgendered status, marital status, disability, political affiliation, military or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.
The Museum follows this policy in all terms and conditions of employment including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, testing, training, certification, promotions, demotions, terminations, performance evaluations, leaves, and use of Museum facilities.
The Museum expressly prohibits any employment-based retaliation against anyone who brings a complaint of discrimination or who assists the Museum in the investigation of a complaint of discrimination.
HR Info
Please send cover letter, resume and references to hr@clyffordstillmuseum.org