Archivist Technician (IS-1421-07) - Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
About the Job
Description
OPEN DATE: December 13, 2024
CLOSING DATE: January 3, 2025
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Not to Exceed One (1) Year
SCHEDULE: Full Time
Open to all qualified applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
- Complete a Probationary Period.
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
- The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
- Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
OVERVIEW
The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is a diverse museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. Its Archives of American Art (AAA) collects, preserves and makes available primary sources that document more than two hundred years of our nation’s artists and art communities. This fosters research and connects the public to a uniquely American cultural heritage. With a collection of more than 30 million items, the Archives is the largest and most widely used resource in the world on the history of American art and is a leader in the digitization of and public accessibility to archival collections.
This position is in the Collections Processing department where the incumbent applies current, professional archival standards, best practices and methodologies to collections accessioning, preservation, arrangement, description, and digital project activities. The incumbent also regularly serves researchers in AAA’s Reading Room. The incumbent reports to the Head of Collections Processing and Digitization and works closely with the Registrar and Collections Manager, archivists, digital operations, and reference staff. Work requires regular and recurring lifting of boxes weighing up to 25 lbs., and working with collections that may contain dirt, dust and other particulates.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Archival accessioning and collections management activities
- Assists AAA’s Registrar and Collections Manager with logistical operations for the accessioning of new acquisitions, such as sorting and rehousing new archival collections and barcoding, labeling, and shelving the containers. Assists Registrar with special projects related to rehousing, moving, and inventorying of existing collections in AAA’s Washington, DC storage spaces. May assist with entering folder lists and writing content descriptions in ArchivesSpace, an open-source archives information management application for the creation of collection finding aids.
Reference services in AAA’s Manuscript Reading Room
- Serves four to six days per month in the Archives’ Manuscript Reading Room assisting researchers. Answers email, telephone, written, and in-person requests for information about AAA’s research collections and how they may access AAA’s collections. Works closely with the Head of Reference Services to determine tasks.
Technical support for digital collections
- Assists on digital initiatives, including fulfillment of researcher requests for digital images. Work entails following well-established guidelines and written procedures, involving adding and revising descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata in AAA’s internal Collection Information System and ArchivesSpace; use of the Aeon patron request system; retrieval and preparation of items for digitization; post-digitization quality control; and generating Digital Object Identifier (DAO) links for web display. May identify and contribute digitized material to the Smithsonian Transcription Center and contribute content to other digital access projects such as subject tagging, alt-text, and reparative description activities.
Exhibition Loan Documentation
- Assists Registrar and Collections Manager with external requests from museums and other organizations for items to be loaned for exhibition. This may include pulling items from collection storage, contributing to condition reports, creating item catalog records in the AAA Collections Information System, and submitting requests for item digitization.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Entry Level Opportunity for Recent Graduates.
- Bachelor's or Master's required from an accredited university or college.
- Knowledge of current archival principles, concepts, methodology, and procedures for performance in activities that comprise archival collections accessioning, arrangement, preservation, and description.
- Knowledge of basic conservation and collections management practices for safe handling of various collection materials.
- Knowledge of standard Microsoft Office software, and the application of additional software applications used for a variety of digital initiatives (ArchiveSpace, Aeon, SI Digital Asset Management System).
- Knowledge of American art history, cultural, social, AND/OR political history sufficient to identify and provide primary source documentation on the visual arts in the United States.
- Ability to plan and organize work tasks sufficient meet quotas and targeted completion dates with attention to detail and respect for the historical documents, photographs, and works of art.
- Knowledge of grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, to prepare descriptive metadata that is grammatically correct, and professionally presentable to the public.
- Ability to comprehend oral and written instructions, policies, procedures, explanations and guidelines and to apply both oral and written instructions to practical work situations with a minimum of supervisory attention after initial assignment.
- Knowledge of the duties, priorities, policies, and program goals of AAA.
- Ability to maintain a high level of tact and diplomacy with a variety of internal and external contacts.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact OHRTrustBranch@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact OHRTrustBranch@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeesd.
Source : Smithsonian Institution