Salary: $23,057.41

Closing Date: Open until filled

Type of Appointment: Grant Funded

About the Organization

The African American Library at the Gregory School (AALGS), Houston Public Library preserves primary resource materials that documents the experience of African American residents, businesses, institutions and neighborhoods in Houston and the surrounding region. The collection includes books, photographs, oral histories, manuscripts, newspapers, personal family archives and ephemera documenting Houston's African American history and culture.

Description of Project

AALGS and the Houston Public Library seek a full time Project Archivist to arrange, describe, and digitize, the Ben Desoto Photographs. Ben Desoto was a local photojournalist, and the archivist will process and provide a finding aid, metadata and historical context collection. This is a grant funded position scheduled to start June 1, 2022, to December 30, 2022

Description of Duties/Essential Functions

• Processes and indexes and catalogs photographic material
• Creates finding aid according to national standards and best practices
• Scan and digitizes archival materials using imaging equipment flatbed scanner.
• Creates metadata for items selected for digitization
• Reports statistics and progress; these statistics include data on linear feet processed, and quantity of materials digitized and other information pertinent for reporting purposes

Qualifications

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science required, or equivalent accredited degree, with formal training in archival theory and practice.
• Demonstrated expertise in arranging and describing archival collections and preparing finding aids of varying size and complexity.
• Demonstrated experience creating
• Familiarity with preservation of archival materials, including handling, housing, and storage.
• Ability to work well in a collaborative, team-based environment.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills including accuracy and a strong attention to detail.

Experience

• Two or more years of professional archival processing and digitization experience
• Experience with digitization projects including scanning, editing, and metadata
• Experience working with archival content management systems, such as ArchivesSpace or Archivists’ Toolkit.

Apply

Email a resume and sample finding aid along with questions to the Assistant Manager/Lead Archivist at sheena.wilson@houstontx.gov