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University Archivist

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Position description

The University of California, Santa Barbara is one of ten campuses that comprise the University of California system and is a member of the exclusive Association of American Universities (AAU). In addition, the University Library at UC Santa Barbara is a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Special Research Collections Department Head, the University Archivist will work collaboratively with Office of the President of the University of California (UCOP) to facilitate the coordination of records management activities at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in consultation with the UCOP Records Manager and appropriate campus committees, and will lead records retention efforts for materials that document the history of the university. The University Archivist will provide leadership in directing and managing the acquisition, description, and long-term preservation of all institutionally created content in all formats, including print, electronic, and born-digital materials. The University Archivist will curate the historical records of the campus and promote awareness and use of the collections. This position provides a unique opportunity to build a strong University Archives program. The incumbent will serve as the University Archives program lead and will oversee and coordinate the program and its staff, and develop appropriate policies and procedures, workflows, and relationships in collaboration with library departments, campus units, faculty, and student organizations. A priority for this position is to build sustained relationships with administrative and academic partners within the library, across campus, and within the University of California system. The initial focus of the University Archivist will be the development of a strategic agenda, including collection development, that address the multi-faceted needs of campus and the library to document the administrative and research assets of the university and to make the historical collections discoverable. The incumbent will work closely with library units including Cataloging and Metadata Services (CMS) and the Interdisciplinary Research Collaboratory.

The University Archivist will:
•Develop, implement and evaluate priorities and policies for retaining materials of historical value to the campus;
•Manage the administration of the university records collection, including appraisal, acquisitions, processing, and preservation;
•Work closely with the campus Records Manager to ensure that campus records of permanent value are retained;
•Provide leadership, consultation, and outreach to campus units about responsibilities for managing both analog and digital records;
•Promote the use and understanding of the Archives to researchers, students, alumni, university personnel, and the public;
•Provide reference services relating to University Archives as well as outreach to the campus and general public;
•Identify preservation issues for analog and digital formats; and
•Collaborate with University Archivists at other UC campuses on system-wide archive issues.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•ALA accredited MLS with a concentration in archives, or equivalent professional degree in Public Records Administration, or a combination of education and experience;
•3 years or more professional experience processing archival collections, including digital objects;
•2 years or more experience with preservation/conservation standards and their challenges for a variety of formats (e.g. born digital or reformatted digital objects such as images, sound, moving recordings, data, and analog and print formats);
•Demonstrated leadership skills required to build a new dynamic program with a clear vision and realistic expectations;
•Experience working with legal and ethical issues affecting privacy, records restrictions, digital rights management, and access to special collections and archival materials;
•Demonstrated collaborative and team building skills and the ability to work with a diverse group with a wide array of skills and expertise;
•Effective project management skills, interpersonal skills, strong organizational and communication skills with a diverse set of individuals;
•Demonstrated abilities working independently and with teams;
•Supervisory and management experience in a special collections and archival environment;
•Demonstrated commitment to user-focused services and collection building;
•Knowledge of current and emerging trends, issues, workflows, and best practices associated with digital content acquisitions and curation in a Special Collections or Archives environment;
•Experience teaching primary source literacy drawing from special collections and archival materials to undergraduate and graduate student populations; and
•Demonstrated ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion within the Librarian Series.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Society of American Archivists awards or certificate programs (e.g. Digital Archives Specialist, Academy of Certified American Archivist);
•Experience with metadata standards such as RDF, Dublin Core, EAD, METS, MODS, PREMIS, or DACS;
•Working knowledge in intellectual property issues, including Creative Commons licensing;
•Working knowledge of linked data principles and scripting languages, such as Perl, PHP, XSLT, and APIs;
•Experience with scholarly repository platforms and technology tools that are used with archive content (e.g. ArchivesSpace, Archivists’ Toolkit, DAMS, Omeka); and
•Strong record of professional engagement, including service to archivist organizations, presentations at conferences, and peer-reviewed publications.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Librarians at the University of California, Santa Barbara are professional academic appointees who accrue vacation at the rate of two days per month and sick leave at the rate of one day per month. The University has an excellent retirement system which is coordinated with Social Security. A selection of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans are offered by the University.
The incumbent will be a member of the LX Collective Bargaining Unit represented by the American Federation of Teachers.

TO APPLY:
•This position will remain open until filled with primary consideration of applications received by October 24, 2016.
•Applications will be accepted online through UC Recruit: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF00830
•Help for UC Recruit is available at https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/help/applicants
•For additional assistance, contact Ryan George with Library Human Resources at (805) 893-3841 or ryan.george@ucsb.edu
•Appointment and/or continued employment is contingent on successful completion of a background check.

The Library is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Cover Letter (Optional)

  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Statement of Contributions to Diversity - Statement addressing past and/or potential contributions to diversity through research, teaching, and/or service.
    (Optional)

  • Statement of Research (Optional)

  • Statement of Teaching (Optional)

  • Misc / Additional (Optional)

Reference requirements
  • 2-3 required (contact information only)

Job location

Santa Barbara, CA