Job Information
Pratt Virginia Thoren and Institute Archivist (71101) in Brooklyn, New York
The Pratt Institute Libraries are seeking an innovative, collaborative, and service-oriented leader to serve as the Virginia Thoren Archivist, responsible for collecting, preserving, curating, and disseminating materials related to the history of Pratt Institute. The Archives preserve and contextualize the institutional history of Pratt Institute through its growing body of collections, which include, but are not limited to: the administrative records and publications of the Institute’s departments, schools, and programs; select papers of Pratt faculty, alumni, and members of the Pratt family who were active at the Institute; and photographs and audiovisual materials documenting the activities of the Institute.
The individual assuming this position will be expected to play an instrumental role in continuing to develop the vision of the Archives by exploring innovative ways to describe and provide access to collections; collaborating with faculty and students to engage with and create outreach opportunities for the collections; bringing in new collections that fill gaps in the institutional record; expanding the current archives program to include diverse voices and experiences; putting in place robust procedures around ingesting and preserving born-digital records; and collaborating with staff members across the Libraries to re-envision the physical and virtual spaces in which Special Collections and Archives are stored, accessed, and exhibited. Persons with experience and scholarship directly related to helping Pratt achieve the goals outlined in the Institute's Diversity Strategic Plan are encouraged to apply.
This is a hybrid position that allows for up to 1 day of remote work per week.
Position Duties:
Collection Management and Development
Develop and maintain written policies around acquisition, processing, description, and access of institutional records in all formats, and collaborate with departments across campus to ensure that relevant materials are deposited in the Institute’s Archive.
In partnership with academic and administrative units across the campus, seek alumni, faculty, and organizational collections that help to put the history of Pratt Institute in a broader context, including its relationship to its surrounding neighborhood and community.
Access and Discovery
- Participate in and oversee the accessioning, arranging, and description of newly transferred and acquired records and papers in analog and digital formats into ArchivesSpace, following agreed upon workflows, metadata standards, priorities and levels of processing.
Teaching, Outreach, and Reference Services
Promote the use of primary source materials as teaching and research tools, and partner with Library and Institute Faculty to incorporate these materials into the curriculum through the development of assignments and instruction programs, including occasionally playing the role of an embedded archivist in specific courses.
Provide public assistance and respond to reference queries for researchers coming from inside and outside the Institute.
Other
Manage a full-time Project Archivist, and play a mentoring role in the supervision of Graduate Assistants pursuing related degrees in the School of Information.
Participate in Institute- and Library-wide committees, as well as search committees as needed.