LibraryJobline

Job Description

The University of California, Merced is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses. With 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students (https://www.ucmerced.edu/fast-facts), UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

The UC Merced Library advances the campus’s mission through expert management of information resources, timely delivery of services, and long-term preservation of scholarship. The Library seats over 1,000 people and is housed within the Kolligian Library building, a 135,000 square-foot facility that contains multiple campus departments in addition to the library.

The Library is recruiting a 12-month project archivist to collect, curate, and promote use of the UC Cooperative Extension archives, part of the California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA). CARA brings together information resources that document and elaborate the role, work, research findings, and impact of UC Cooperative Extension in the development of agriculture over the last century. Cooperative Extension was established in 1914 to provide local audiences with science-based information around agriculture, youth development, community and economic development, and natural resources.

In 2015, the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC Merced campus entered into an agreement to form a programmatic partnership and establish the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) archives in order to appraise, collect, and digitize materials of historical and research value from UCCE offices. In 2018, the Library received a Major Initiatives Grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to support this work and aims to document and digitize records from up to 20 counties over the three-year grant period.

Under the direction of the Head of Digital Curation and Scholarship, the project archivist will be responsible for:

• Coordinating with offices and conducting an appraisal of UCCE collections.
• Communicating with record creators to acquire collections and/or establish arrangements for long-term custody of records in order to meet user needs for access and appropriate physical and intellectual control.
• Arranging and describing collections in accordance with accepted standards and practices.
• Identifying preservation needs for materials in all formats and establishing requirements for housing and treatment.
• Creating and publishing online finding aids according to accepted standards and contributing to the development of an online digital collection.
• Participating in the development of policies and standards for the archives; maintaining documentation of procedures and processes.
• Hiring, supervising, and training support staff, student assistants, and/or interns as appropriate.
• Developing project goals, metrics to evaluate work, and compiling statistics and reports.
• Promoting collections through exhibits, publications, presentations, instructional sessions, and other outreach activities.
• Advising and assisting researchers in the use of collections.
• Participating in identifying and soliciting funds, including grant proposal development, as appropriate.
• Maintaining a professional knowledge base and skills through continued education and/or research. Representing the Library at conferences and meetings.

Additional Info & Requirements

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of archival theory and practice, especially appraisal, accessioning, processing and description, including minimal and basic processing strategies. Knowledge of rights administration and management issues for archival collections.
• Experience arranging and describing archival records according to current standards as well as demonstrated knowledge of basic preservation standards for archival materials, including born-digital materials.
• Experience developing processing plans and metrics to ensure goals are met.
• Experience creating finding aids and using current archival collection management systems (ArchivesSpace).
• Knowledge of basic skills in web application software and markup language such as XML.
• Knowledge of library information systems, electronic records, databases and information retrieval systems.
• Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical personnel.
• Knowledge of customer service standards and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to hire, supervise, and train employees to meet project objectives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to work collegially within and across organizations.
• Critical judgment, attention to detail, and demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work successfully to meet deadlines.
• Flexibility and the capacity to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

OTHER

• Travel on a quarterly basis and working independently at county offices throughout California and other locations for a week at a time will be required. Position requires the ability to drive and to be subject to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Employer Pull Notice System (EPN).
• Physical Requirements: Lifting up to 40 lbs and occasionally climbing ladders and/or stairs.
• Visual Requirements: Extensive computer use, reading of typewritten, handwritten, and digital documents.
• Hearing Requirements: Phone use, interaction with researchers.
• Working Conditions: Position works closely with materials that may cause allergic reactions, particularly dust, and in areas with little ventilation.

Website
http://library.ucmerced.edu/

HR Info

Hiring Manager: Emily Lin, elin@ucmerced.edu