News & announcements

This year, the Native American Collections Roundtable plans to hold its 2nd annual silent auction to support the Roundtable and its scholarship fund. Currently we are looking for those willing to donate items to be auctioned.

We welcome items you feel would be enticing to our membership, particularly archives or Native American themed donations. If you are interested in helping in this way, please email David Brownell (dbrownell@jamestowntribe.org) with the item(s) you want to donate and a suggested value.

Thank you for making last year’s auction a success. We look forward to another fun-filled event.

The University of Idaho is seeking candidates for our open Head, Special Collections and Archives position. The collections here are exciting, the library is energetic, and Moscow is a great place to live: 

Position Summary:
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO LIBRARY: HEAD, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

Faculty status, rank negotiable, 12-month appointment. This position offers the successful candidate an excellent career opportunity as a university faculty member and academic librarian.

The University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives specializes in the acquisitions, preservation, and use of research materials that document the cultural and environmental history of Idaho and the region. It is also the home of the International Jazz Collections and the University Archives. The collection contains manuscripts, recordings, photographs, maps, monographs, and some artifacts.

The successful candidate will provide energetic leadership and direction for department activities. Using state-of-the-art and traditional practices in developing, preserving, and making accessible special collections, the incumbent will partner with colleagues and the community to spearhead a clear vision for special collections and archives at the university. This role will include building successful relationships throughout the state and region to ensure a well-articulated program for acquiring and managing unique materials in all formats. The incumbent will supervise a staff of four, engage in programming, research, reference services, collection development, and will work productively with the Dean, University Libraries to pursue donor relationships and funding opportunities. Faculty must demonstrate a record of scholarly achievement, outreach, and service, as well as success in job performance for tenure and promotion.

Minimum Qualifications:

Masters degree from an ALA-accredited library program or the equivalent.
Three or more years experience in archives or special collections in a university setting. 
Evidence of a broad knowledge of best practices in special collections and archives administration. 
Excellent oral, interpersonal, and written communication skills.
Experience with accessioning and processing university and manuscript collections.
Demonstrated ability to work in collaborative work situations. 
Ability to work effectively, independently, and collaboratively in a collegial environment. 
Demonstrated working knowledge of national descriptive standards such as EAD, DACS, MARC, and Dublin Core, and the creation of EAD finding aids. 
Ability to meet requirements for promotion and tenure.

Preferred Qualifications:

An Additional graduate or terminal degree in an appropriate discipline (Librarianship, History, Archives Management, or related area). 
Progressively responsible roles in special collections or archives. 
Supervisory experience and an inclusive, participatory management approach. 
Familiarity with collection and content management systems (e.g. Archivists’ Toolkit, ArchivesSpace, or Archivematica).
Understanding of copyright, privacy laws, and rights management issues relating to analog and born-digital collections.
Knowledge of basic preservation methods and procedures for archival materials in multiple formats.
Demonstrated understanding of digitization efforts and knowledge of digital formats, data management, and metadata schema; 
Successful experience with donor cultivation; 
Curatorial skills and thorough understanding of archival practice. 
Experience with public programming and exhibits.
Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines. 
Successful grantsmanship.

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions:
Ability to lift and/or otherwise carry 35 lbs. Ability to work in an environment that may contain dust and/or mold.

Posting Number: F000769P

Posting Date: 03/19/2019

Closing Date: 

Open Until Filled: Yes

Special Instructions:
First Consideration Date 4/22/2019

Background Check: Applicants who are selected as final possible candidates must be able to pass a criminal background check.

To apply, please visit: https://uidaho.peopleadmin.com/postings/25868


EEO Statement
University of Idaho is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer."

Program Manager, Unique and Local Content

Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium serving 38 academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest, seeks a service-oriented Program Manager for Unique and Local Content. The ULC program encompasses consortial work around archives, special collections, digital assets and repositories, and OER. The incumbent will advance consortial efforts through active collaboration with members, consortium staff, and external partners. 

The Program Manager for ULC works to support our visionary consortial mission: "The Orbis Cascade Alliance pushes the boundaries of what is possible in libraries through strategic collaboration in the Pacific Northwest. To advance member institutions, we create and deliver innovative, sustainable, and essential library programs and resources."  Following adoption of this mission statement, the Alliance has embarked on a new strategic plan. By building upon successful core services such as Archives West, and implementing strategic initiatives around digital assets, discovery, IRs and OER, the ULC Program Manager will play a vital role in the strategic plan and the consortium’s mission. 

We seek creative, collaborative candidates who are eager to advance our consortium's leadership in services for unique and local content. The ideal candidate brings exceptional communication skills, ability to work at the leading edge of the profession, and fluency with technical standards. We seek candidates who will enhance and support an inclusive, diverse work environment, and bring cultural competence to the design and delivery of consortial services

Job Summary


The Program Manager for Unique and Local Content reports to the Executive Director and works with member libraries, vendors, consortium staff, and Alliance teams to oversee, coordinate, develop, and assess the Unique and Local Content Program.

Major duties include:

• Leading the Archives & Manuscript Collections service, which supports access to archival and manuscript collections through Archives West, and provides a consortial implementation of ArchivesSpace.
  
• Supporting strategic efforts around new modes of teaching, scholarship, and publication.
  
• Overseeing and coordinating projects around the development, stewardship, preservation, and dissemination of unique and local content in the Alliance.
  

Work is non-routine and requires collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and diplomacy. This position exercises independence, sound judgment, and leadership in overseeing large, complex, distributed, and high-profile projects.

Additional expectations of all Alliance program managers include:

• Lead or otherwise participate in new initiatives.
  
• Lead efforts to standardize workflows and system configuration.
  
• Propose and monitor program budget.
  
• Engage in professional activities that develop professional skills and enhance the profile and operations of the Alliance.
  
• Maintain an awareness of all Alliance programs; communicate with other programs and help coordinate activities across the consortium.
  
• Demonstrate leadership in implementing and extending the Alliance Strategic Plan 

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited program; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience. Equivalency may include but is not limited to: A graduate degree combined with demonstrated success in leading complex, collaborative work in archives, special collections, or digital scholarship.
  
• A progressively responsible, well-rounded record of related experience, such as five years of cumulative experience in archives, libraries, non-profits, consortia, or education; or equivalent.
  
• Demonstrated expertise with EAD, Dublin Core, and MARC. Broad experience applying technical standards for discovery and management of unique content.
  
• Technical proficiency that supports collaboration with IT vendors and systems staff.
  
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; ability to interpret and synthesize ambiguous information to formulate a coherent message to diverse stakeholders.
  
• Outstanding organizational, analytical, and critical thinking skills; ability to detect and anticipate problems and develop solutions.
  
• Support and enhance a diverse learning and working environment 

• • Provide responsive service to stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and varied responsibilities;
  • Represent the ULC Program to members, external partners, and the library community broadly;
  • Manage collaborative projects with a team of colleagues distributed over a wide geographic area; and
  • Adapt to the rapidly evolving information environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Recent, advanced experience with technical management of archival collections
  
• Experience in management of large-scale digital collections
  
• Experience with ArchivesSpace and/or ExLibris products
  
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, sustained, high-profile projects for a distributed team
  
• Experience with externally funded projects, such as grants
  
• Experience with training and/or instructional design
  
• Demonstrated skill in public speaking 

Physical Conditions

• The employee may work remotely within the Portland, Oregon or Eugene, Oregon metro areas, or work from our Eugene, Oregon office.
  
• Ability to travel occasionally within the Pacific Northwest to attend meetings or support members
  
• Ability to work independently, with most work done at a computer. 

Appointment and Salary: Salary based on experience and qualifications; minimum salary $64,269; median salary $75,610. This position is a full time, twelve-month exempt position; the Alliance does not use a rank or tenure system. Benefits include 20 days of vacation, a generous retirement plan, and paid premiums for employee and all dependents for health/dental/life/disability insurance. A summary of benefits is available at https://www.orbiscascade.org/orbis-cascade-alliance-employee-benefits/

To apply: Please send a CV, cover letter, and three (3) professional references to jobs@orbiscascade.org. Applications received by April 15 will receive first consideration. The candidate selected for this position must be able to meet eligibility requirements to work in the United States at the time appointment is scheduled to begin, and continue working legally for the proposed term of employment.

Orbis Cascade Alliance is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity in the workplace.

The Post Production Coordinator is responsible for the coordination, organization and post-production evaluation of media projects and assets.  Demonstrated knowledge in media production in addition to operational coordination is required.  The ideal candidate will have an understanding of media formats, storytelling across platforms, and outstanding communication and organizational skills. Additional experience working on projects with ancillary project marketing and promotion elements as well as focused outreach and impact goals is a plus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work directly with internal production staff and external production companies to track and manage the review of all delivery elements for films, television programs, and digital videos.
• Manage the quality control (QC) process of project deliverables.
• Coordinate and oversee the ongoing ingest of assets into the company Media Asset Management System (MAM).
• Work directly with media assets and the MAM system by providing operational support as needed.
• Apply metadata to assets while maintaining consistency and metadata standards and naming conventions used within the organization.
• Coordinate the activities and monitor the progress of all temporary cataloging project staff.
• Work with internal Media Services staff to review and test any configurations and/or customizations for the MAM.
• Work with internal Media Operations staff on technical support and troubleshooting services to MAM users including managing permissions, third-party access requests, and maintenance schedules.
• Assist with training of staff on new workflows and processes.
• Work with internal Media Services staff to help enforce user roles and permissions.
• Manage project timelines and provide regular updates to team leads.
• File and archive all deliverables paperwork.
• Organize and coordinate proper storage for hard drives and other media deliverables (tape, film, etc.).
• Ensure that project schedules and budgeting decisions align with Vulcan’s stated goals and expectations.
• Update production tracking reports to ensure tasks are completed on time and for contract compliance.
• Work with production team to create deliverables list and delivery schedule for each agreement.
• Arrange meetings and conference calls, develop and manage meeting agendas, and follow-up on action items as needed.
• Participate in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, experience, skill, and/or ability   

• Knowledge of video production, video and audio file formats, camera specs, and video compression is required.
• Understanding the logistics of the post-production process and technical knowledge is required.
• Prior experience with data archiving technologies is preferred.
• Experience with media transcode and delivery technologies, including codecs, file systems, file transfer applications such as Aspera, media processing hardware/software such as Telestream Vantage is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to trouble-shoot and present options and solutions to post production challenges.
• A working knowledge of the production and animation pipeline.
• Knowledgeable about production trends and familiarity with industry standard production techniques.
• Prior experience with deliverables and rights and clearances is a plus.

• Demonstrated experience in forging excellent partnerships.
• Demonstrated team building capabilities; collegial and inclusive working style.
• A self-starter who has the ability to prioritize among multiple concurrent projects.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated honesty and integrity.

Required computer skills

• MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Adobe Suite (Prelude, Premiere, Photoshop)
• Mac OSX
• Experience with non-linear video editing programs is preferred (Premiere, Final Cut, Avid)
• Experience with a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system or Media Asset Management (MAM) system is a must

Education/experience/certifications

• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in production, post production or broadcast.
• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) from accredited institution OR equivalent combination of education and experience.

$15.00/hour - temporary

The Oregon Historical Society is currently accepting applications for a Digital Collections Assistant.  This is a good opportunity for a current or prospective archives student to gain experience and understanding of digitization and metadata creation processes, while helping to support the OHS Digital Collections. 

The Digital Collections Assistant assists with digitization and metadata creation for the Oregon Historical Society's digital collections.

This position is non-exempt, part time, and temporary with a schedule of 10 hours per week through December 31, 2019. The position does not qualify for benefits.  The position does not provide relocation assistance. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Digitize a variety of library materials, including photographic and manuscript materials.
2. Create metadata for digitized materials in accordance with OHS library procedures and adopted standards.

JOB DUTIES

• Digitizes photographs, documents and other archival materials using digital imaging and editing software, including Silverfast and Photoshop.
• Creates original or copy metadata for archival materials.
• Rehouses archival materials.
• Reports progress and statistics to Digital Collections Manager on a monthly and as-needed basis.
• Maintains punctual, regular and predictable attendance.
• Works collaboratively in a team environment with a spirit of cooperation.
• Displays excellent communication skills including presentation, persuasion, and negotiation skills required in working with coworkers, visitors and volunteers and including the ability to communicate effectively and remain calm and courteous under pressure.
• Respectfully takes direction from supervisor.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of employee or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Associate degree (A.A.) or equivalent in history or related subject from a two-year college; or six months to one year related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor's degree in history or related subject strongly preferred. 

Required experience:

• Demonstrated experience using digital camera equipment, flatbed scanners, and associated software to digitize print and photographic materials.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Knowledge of archival description and metadata standards.
• Tolerance for repetitive tasks. 

Preferred experience:

• Familiarity with professional archival and special collections library procedures, including collections handling, preservation, and security.
• Experience with processing, describing, digitizing, and preserving visual and media archival collections.
• Knowledge of historical research methods, especially the use of archives.
• Knowledge of Oregon, Pacific Northwest or U.S. history is preferred.
• Knowledge of the Oregon Historical Society Library's collections and procedures.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and technical procedures. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees or organization. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. 

COMPUTER SKILLS

Job requires specialized computer skills. Must be adept at using various applications including database, spreadsheet, graphics, word processing, presentation creation/editing, communicate by email and use scheduling software.  Knowledge of digital imaging and photo editing software such as Silverfast and Photoshop preferred.  Familiarity with archival description and content management systems preferred.  Proficiency with using online searching techniques, and with resources such as with search engines, WorldCat, Library of Congress Authorities, and archival finding aids required. 

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.  Ability to describe and interpret visual materials. 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Acceptable documents to establish identity and employment authorization and the ability to pass a background check. Valid driver license. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms.  The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds; regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds unassisted.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.  Able to exercise care and handling of fragile and/or large objects. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally be exposed to fumes or airborne particles such as dust.  The position occasionally requires the employee to work near moving mechanical parts. 

This position will work as needed between the OHS facility in downtown Portland and the Gresham Support Facility (GSF) as assigned. 

May be required to work in a confined space shared with other workers and/or volunteers. May be required to work alone in a large warehouse space.

Would you like some help putting together archival educational programing in your area? If so, then don’t wait to apply for funding from the Continuing Education Fund (up to $500 per award / one for each state). This fund was developed to help groups of archivists get local events, trainings, and workshops off the ground and bring programming to your area.

Here are some ideas:

Unconferences – This could be material costs, space rental, speaker/moderator fees, etc.

Workshops / Trainings / Webinars – This could easily pay for one which you could share. Maybe a group of you are trying to get Digital Archives Specialization (from SAA). You could pay for a webinar to watch in public. You could bring in an in-person SAA workshop or one from some other organization.

Speaker funds – Bring in an archivist to speak in your area on your own. This could be locally or from anywhere really.

Symposia – This could be used for materials, space rental, or speaker fees.

What it doesn’t cover:

Individual costs for conference attendance, equipment purchases (unless such equipment is required for learning and available to all participants afterwards), and/or food or beverages. The Continuing Education Fund is designed for proposals that benefit multiple members, not just one. If you’d like to apply for individual scholarships, see theAt-Large Student, Professional Development, Annual Meeting Workshop, and Native American Collections Roundtable.

If you’d like to see successful applications, please see our google drive: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jMC-z7fYX8QIjBi_8_Jdnn8pi1h6moeI  

See our website for more information: http://northwestarchivists.org/Continuing-Education-Fund  or contact Joshua Zimmerman Joshua.zimmerman@seattlearch.org

Who: This survey is for archivists, those in roles adjacent to archivists (librarians, records managers, curators, etc.), those who have left the profession, and those who are new and trying to enter the profession. This survey is estimated to take 15 minutes and is composed mostly of multiple choice or check boxes.

Survey Link: https://goo.gl/forms/cBzFI9TSr5wXWjBv1. The survey closes April 30, 2019.

Background: Rachael Woody and Max Johnson are working on a multi-year project to determine the value of archivists in the Pacific Northwest. The team has gathered job description data from the last five-years, combed through related survey data, and conducted a literature review. Two issues have been identified from this work: 1. The Pacific NW as a whole is under-represented in surveys and literature; and 2. There is indication that a devaluation is occurring in the field with stagnant salaries, lack of mid-career jobs, and the addition of responsibilities without commensurate pay. 

Action: In order to understand the devaluation of the archivist more information must be gathered. Please help us understand this issue by filling out this survey. The results are confidential and the questions are constructed so that participants can identify to the level of detail they feel comfortable. You'll also notice we don't ask you to identify your state in order to help anonymize your response. Information from this survey will be added to existing data. 

Next steps: The team will collate the findings, publish articles, and deliver presentations (expected in 2020). 

Thank you!

Rachael & Max

NWA is exploring the possibility of supporting an NWA internship fund to provide scholarships to students or grants to organizations to pay interns a living wage. 

Action: Please email Rachael Woody if you're interested in joining this exploratory committee: consulting@rachaelcristine.com.

Problem: Unpaid internships are a problem. In the last few years I've become less and less tolerant of the field's current practice of forcing the next wave of archivists to go into debt in order to gain the field experience they need. 

First Problem: Unpaid internships is an outdated and unethical practice, and it's inherently classicist with racist implications.

Second Problem: Many institutions in the Pacific NW rely on internships to complete project work. While some do have resources to fund internships, many others do not.

Solution: This is a huge, societal, beyond-the-archives problem. But, NWA can set the example for how we can combat unethical practices, support interns, and assist under-resourced institutions.

What's the Cost?: This may fluctuate dependent upon State rates and taxes, but I estimate it to be a $5000 cost to host a full-time intern for 3-months (Summer). 

Who?: I envision this as being traditional and at an archives repository. The focus geared toward "new to the profession" people who have some education but need experience.

How Do We Choose?: In my mind, I think this may actually work better by having organizations apply for the funds (a grant) and then they oversee hiring and pay disbursement. This would allow NWA to vet the proposed projects and help to ensure that it's a good internship experience. 

How Do We Fund It?: Rachael Cristine Consulting LLC (my business) can commit to funding an initial internship at $2000-$2500. In order to encourage institutions to build a path towards ethical internships and to help build a sustainable effort, I believe the participating institutions should also contribute (from their budget, donors, or a grant) and co-sponsor the internship. Also, I believe there are other financial avenues we can explore.

Why NWA?: The reason I think NWA could/should house the intern scholarship/grant is because: it's a nonprofit, it's more accessible/visible to organizations and interns, and it would demonstrate that organizations such as NWA (and SAA - I'm looking at you) can be part of the solution when it comes to unpaid internships. 

What Will the Committee Do?: Right now I'm seeking members who can assist me with creating this new model. There will be conversations, research, and decisions that will ultimately lead to a proposal for the NWA Board to consider. There are many questions and logistics to figure out in order to construct an opportunity that is beneficial for everyone.

Timeline: The exploratory committee will form and have at least one (1) call in April, and one (1) in-person meeting at the NWA 2019 Annual Conference. It is my hope that we solidify the idea and process, and seek NWA Board approval  by end of Summer 2019, promote & educate to solicit applications in Fall 2019, review applications in Winter 2020, and announce in time for the organization to put out a call to hire an intern in early-Spring 2020.

Is this a 1x or Ongoing?: I think we need to test it and see how we like it. It would be wonderful if it was ongoing, but I would like a test-run first.

Why is Rachael Cristine Consulting LLC Involved?: I personally feel very passionate about this issue and I want to be a part of the solution. While RCC will contribute funds, RCC will not monetarily benefit or use this opportunity. Rachael Woody (me) will serve on the exploratory committee and will voluntary assist with pursuing this idea.

Thank you,

Rachael

Owner & Consultant

Rachael Cristine Consulting LLC

(503)922-3402

rachaelcristine.com

Oregon State University Libraries is hiring a Metadata and Digitization Technician to create, review, and edit metadata for digital objects from the OSU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives Research Center, and to ingest the objects into Oregon Digital. This position also assists the SCARC Digital Production Unit (DPU) Supervisor with the day to day operations of the unit, including digitization of archival materials, overseeing the work of student assistants, and compiling departmental statistics. Finally, this position will be cross-trained to assist on an as-needed basis with the deposit of materials into ScholarsArchive, the OSU Libraries’ scholarly digital repository.

The full position listing is available here: https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/postings/73033 

SAA's Issues and Advocacy Section is seeking participants for a survey on the use of temporary labor in archives. This survey is open to anyone currently or formerly performing archival work in a term-limited position in the United States during the past 5 years. Answers will remain anonymous.

We hope this initial survey will invite further study and conversation around the use of temporary positions in the archives field. Findings will be shared out at the I&A Section Meeting in Austin.

To participate, please complete the survey using the following link: tinyurl.com/templaborsurvey

The survey period will begin on March 4, 2019 and end on April 5, 2019. Please contact the I&A Steering Committee at: archivesissues@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.