Archivist
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Apply by May 15th, 2023
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Organization: The Okefenokee Swamp Park (OSP)
Direct Supervisor: Jennifer Berglund (Project Manager), Oh Sister Productions
Term: 3-year contract, October 2023-October 2026
Full-time/Part-time: Part-time 25-30 hrs/week
Salary:$29/hour
Location: This is a hybrid position that will be mostly virtual, but will require regular trips to Waycross and Folkston, GA, as well as occasional travel to various regional and national archives. Travel costs will be covered by project funds.
JOB Summary
The Okefenokee Swamp Park (OSP) has received federal funding to collect, preserve and digitize historic records and develop educational programming about a historically underrepresented group of African American laborers within the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the early 20th century who were instrumental in the ecological preservation and economic development of nine counties in South Georgia. Among their many contributions, these laborers dredged the water trails through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that are still in use today, providing access to North America’s largest “blackwater” wetland for over 600,000 visits annually. This project aims to highlight the African American community’s contributions to the Okefenokee region and encourage a deep appreciation of the Swamp’s intrinsic and economic value to the area.
We are seeking an archivist to collect, organize, manage, care for, and interpret a digital collection of historic records relating to the Swamp and the Civilian Conservation Corps, which will serve as the inaugural collection for a future regional archive. The archivist will work with the Project Manager to identify and purchase equipment for preserving, digitizing, and digitally archiving historical records (i.e., manuscripts, personal and family papers, organizational/business archives, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, electronic records, and architectural/cartographic drawings); digitize records and establish a digital, publicly-accessible online database using current professional standards; work with local community members, as well as regional and national archives and repositories to gather digital archival materials; assist local educators in the development of educational materials about the project; and generally serve as the key point person for collections-related community engagement. The Archivist must work well with others and demonstrate cross-cultural awareness with a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion opportunities.
Duties
Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct supervision of volunteers and interns on an as-needed basis.
Functional Requirements
Skills
Qualifications
Education/Experience Requirements: ALA-accredited approved MLS, or relevant Master's degree (ACA certification expected in 5 years for continued employment), or a combination of education and experience; working knowledge of resource description practices and an understanding of controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies; familiarity with metadata harvesting; familiarity with migrating and remediating legacy metadata; demonstrated skills in project management and problem-solving; demonstrated experience curating digitized collections; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships; effective oral, written, and digital communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with diverse faculty, students and colleagues; demonstrated ability to supervise and coordinate the efforts of others in a reporting or project manager role.
Skills/Competency Requirements
The Archivist has the skills *or demonstrates a willingness and desire to learn the skills listed below:
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to jennifer@ohsisterproductions.com with “Okefenokee CCC Archivist” in the subject line by May 15th, 2023
Direct Supervisor: Jennifer Berglund (Project Manager), Oh Sister Productions
Term: 3-year contract, October 2023-October 2026
Full-time/Part-time: Part-time 25-30 hrs/week
Salary:$29/hour
Location: This is a hybrid position that will be mostly virtual, but will require regular trips to Waycross and Folkston, GA, as well as occasional travel to various regional and national archives. Travel costs will be covered by project funds.
JOB Summary
The Okefenokee Swamp Park (OSP) has received federal funding to collect, preserve and digitize historic records and develop educational programming about a historically underrepresented group of African American laborers within the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the early 20th century who were instrumental in the ecological preservation and economic development of nine counties in South Georgia. Among their many contributions, these laborers dredged the water trails through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that are still in use today, providing access to North America’s largest “blackwater” wetland for over 600,000 visits annually. This project aims to highlight the African American community’s contributions to the Okefenokee region and encourage a deep appreciation of the Swamp’s intrinsic and economic value to the area.
We are seeking an archivist to collect, organize, manage, care for, and interpret a digital collection of historic records relating to the Swamp and the Civilian Conservation Corps, which will serve as the inaugural collection for a future regional archive. The archivist will work with the Project Manager to identify and purchase equipment for preserving, digitizing, and digitally archiving historical records (i.e., manuscripts, personal and family papers, organizational/business archives, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, electronic records, and architectural/cartographic drawings); digitize records and establish a digital, publicly-accessible online database using current professional standards; work with local community members, as well as regional and national archives and repositories to gather digital archival materials; assist local educators in the development of educational materials about the project; and generally serve as the key point person for collections-related community engagement. The Archivist must work well with others and demonstrate cross-cultural awareness with a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion opportunities.
Duties
- Establishes a digital archive program including creation of policies and workflows, selection and implementation of appropriate technology, and identification of potential partners and stakeholders.
- Works with the Project Manager to develop relationships and engages with diverse community partners across the state, remotely and in person, to collaborate on programming and community-centered projects that enhance the equity of voices and experiences across collections and public programs; investigates and implements models and provides tools for collection and documentation such as community archiving and digitization kits.
- Identifies, collects, analyzes, maps, remediates, and creates descriptive metadata for digital initiative partners to facilitate interoperability using national and local cataloging and metadata standards. Maintains familiarity with evolving metadata, cataloging, digital library, national, and local developments.
- Plans for and guides projects to successful conclusions by making necessary adjustments in workflows. Liaises with project manager, project partners, and OSP staff, while supervising staff, interns, and student employees including delegating tasks, performing quality control, and assessment of workflows, policies, and progress towards project deliverables.
- Works with the Project Manager and Educational Planning Consultants to develop public programming and outreach activities of the OSP and partners by creating promotional campaigns, providing technical and interpretive assistance in and development of curricular support materials.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct supervision of volunteers and interns on an as-needed basis.
Functional Requirements
- Technology, Equipment, Tools:
- Microsoft Office Products
- Google Suite
- OCLC
- Digitization for a cultural heritage setting
Skills
- Excellent organizational and research skills including accuracy and attention to detail.
- Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions in a professional setting.
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw constructive conclusions.
- Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills with the ability to work either individually or in a team working with community members, museum staff, interns, and volunteers.
- Skilled in organizing resources and establishing priorities.
- Comfortable with decision-making in ambiguous situations.
- Especially motivated, adaptable, and skilled in working with others in cross-cultural environments.
- Ability to work with mechanical and digital equipment and move equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to manage an archive of oral histories using best ethical practices and managing copyrights.
Qualifications
Education/Experience Requirements: ALA-accredited approved MLS, or relevant Master's degree (ACA certification expected in 5 years for continued employment), or a combination of education and experience; working knowledge of resource description practices and an understanding of controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies; familiarity with metadata harvesting; familiarity with migrating and remediating legacy metadata; demonstrated skills in project management and problem-solving; demonstrated experience curating digitized collections; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships; effective oral, written, and digital communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with diverse faculty, students and colleagues; demonstrated ability to supervise and coordinate the efforts of others in a reporting or project manager role.
Skills/Competency Requirements
The Archivist has the skills *or demonstrates a willingness and desire to learn the skills listed below:
- An understanding of archival and preservation concepts, methods, and techniques including archival collections management systems and databases.
- Experience with digitization methods, including an understanding of metadata for digital objects, digital file formats, and related preservation standards.
- An understanding of copyright and rights management issues as well as a familiarity with archival ethics and laws relating to archival management in an online environment.
- An understanding of research methods and skill in providing research assistance, including an ability to research records, provenience, and scientific and cultural topics.
- Experience in maintaining online and other electronic retrieval systems.
- A familiarity with records management pertaining to institutional records retention for museums.
- Demonstrated ability to foster relationships with external partners.
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter to jennifer@ohsisterproductions.com with “Okefenokee CCC Archivist” in the subject line by May 15th, 2023