JOB: Harvard College Library, Houghton Library, Head of Manuscript Section, Full-time Position, Salary Grade 058 (minimum $ 71,500).
Founded in 1638, Harvard has a rich legacy of libraries that continues into the 21st century. In total there are over 70 libraries at Harvard that comprise the Harvard library system, with combined holdings of over 16 million items. More than 11 million of those items are part of the collection of a centrally administered unit within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that is referred to as the Harvard College Library (HCL). It is comprised of Widener, Lamont, Birkhoff Mathematical, Cabot Science, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Fine Arts, Harvard-Yenching, Houghton, Loeb Music, Physics Research, and Tozzer libraries and the Harvard Film Archive, Harvard Map Collection, and the Harvard Theatre Collection.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Reporting to the Associate Librarian for Technical Services, the Head of the Manuscript Section leads, manages, and supports Houghton Library’s efforts to accession, describe, preserve, and provide access to archival, manuscript, photographic, born-digital and other non-print holdings in all formats and across Houghton’s curatorial areas. The incumbent will bring a progressive, flexible, and innovative approach to this work and will be responsible for developing and/or implementing strategies, technologies, and standards that facilitate researcher access to Houghton’s holdings. The Head of the Manuscript Section supervises section staff, plans and manages projects, and collaborates with staff and departments throughout Houghton Library, and participates actively within the broader Harvard special collections and archives community.
Requirements:
* B.A., M.L.S. from an ALA-accredited academic program required.
* Five years of professional experience with increasing responsibility in special collections and/or archives
* Extensive experience arranging, describing, and preserving archival, manuscript, photographic, and other non-print materials, including experience processing large collections.
* Demonstrated knowledge of DACS, EAD, EAC-CPF, MARC, Library of Congress/PPC rules and authority control practices. Demonstrated knowledge of bibliographic and collection management systems.
* Supervisory and managerial experience required.
* Demonstrated project management experience.
* A broad knowledge of American and European history and literature is essential.