BMRC Postdoctoral Fellow in Community Archives - JR27608-3800 - The University of Chicago

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https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/12465665 Department
Library IT & DS - BMRC
About the Department
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is a Chicago-based
association of more than twenty universities, libraries, museums,
community-based and government archives and other cultural heritage
organizations, all of which contain archival records relevant to Black
history and culture. The mission of the BMRC is to connect all who seek
to document, share, understand and preserve Black experiences. The
University of Chicago serves as the BMRC's host institution.
Job Summary
This is a three-year position. Reporting to the Executive Director of
the BMRC, the Postdoctoral Fellow in Community Archives will support the
administration of the Mellon-funded BMRC-FOCAS project that works to
empower community archives, diversify the field of archives, and make
accessible the history of Black Chicago through paid graduate student
internships at local community archives. The Fellow will gain valuable
leadership experience while fostering the professional development of MA
student interns working in community archives related to Black
experiences in Chicago. The Fellow will also work with BMRC staff to
support appropriate documentation of the internships and their
deliverables including descriptive metadata of archival materials for
the BMRC Archives Portal.
Responsibilities
- Manage the routine administrative tasks of the FOCAS grant project
under the direction of the BMRC Executive Director. Including
confirming payments for interns, drafting reports, and documenting
activities.
- Supervise small cohort of interns (4 to 5 people) working in up to
five Chicago-area community archives, providing archival advice to
support intern work in the community archives as needed.
- Works with BMRC staff to properly input the data collected and
resources created at community archives into the BMRC Archives
Portal a freely accessible, web-based platform that allows the
public to access descriptive information on archival records related
to Black Chicago held in BMRC member institution collections. The
Portal increases intellectual access to heretofore underutilized
collections about Black Chicago.
- Serve as a liaison between the community archives and BRMC,
assisting in integrating interns into ongoing projects and
initiatives.
- In collaboration with the Executive Director, contribute to the
development of pedagogical resources and tools on community archives
for LIS programs.
- Attend archives-focused conferences (AERI) annually as a
representative of the FOCAS project and assist in coordination of
BMRC-FOCAS presentations.
- Contribute to the FOCAS project's public programming and outreach
efforts.
- Attends meetings, training sessions, or other BMRC member-related
functions as relevant.
- Plans and conducts quality assurance reviews and recommends changes
as appropriate.
- Interacts with faculty, researchers and staff for committee work or
information.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related
field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through
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Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- PhD in Library and Information Science (degree must be earned by
July 2024 and have been earned no earlier than 2019).
Experience:
- 1-2 years of experience in an archives or other cultural heritage
setting.
Technical Skills or Knowedge:
- Familiarity with archival praxis and theory as understood by th
field of Archival Studies (or interest and ability to learn).
- Experience working with archival processing conventions, description
standards, and software (or interest and ability to learn).
- Knowledge of Black history and the history of Chicago.
- Familiarity with the Community Archives movement.
- Good communication skills.
- Experience conducting research in Archives and publishing research
in academic journals.
Preferred Competencies
Demonstrated sound judgment and effective decision-making skills.
Critical thinking and analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to
address a wide rand of complex serial related problems.
Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage complex tasks
and projects.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in
written documents.
Ability to direct and instruct others in both new and established
routines and procedures.
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with clarity,
tact and courtesy with Library staff,