Career Center

Davidson's E.H. Little Library seeks an Access & Processing Archivist to ensure consistent and equitable researcher access to Davidson College's archival and manuscript collections by accessioning and processing materials, describing and organizing items in access systems, repairing outdated and non-inclusive metadata for existing collections, and managing and implementing departmental digitization initiatives. Serving as a collaborative member of the Archives & Special Collection team, this position will play a pivotal role in delivering collections to learners in Davidson's new George Lawrence Abernethy Library. This is a full-time, 12-month position with a start date in Summer 2025. Please apply before April 4, 2025, for fullest consideration. Candidates are asked to submit a resume and a cover letter addressing your knowledge and skills related to this position. Information about how to submit the application documents can be found at https://employment.davidson.edu

In this position you will:

• Accession donations and transfers of college records, manuscript collections, and rare books
• Process departmental collections and catalog digitized and born-digital records
• Perform reparative metadata work on departmental collections
• Consolidate finding aids and inventories into ArchivesSpace and update metadata from these legacy systems, in collaboration with the Archivist for College Records and Collections Curation and the Archivist for Community Records and Collections Curation
• Prepare collections for digitization and digitize collections; supervise students and volunteers working on digitization projects
• Collaborate with Technology & Innovation and the Archivist for College Records and Collections Curation on the transfer and ingestion of inactive born-digital records
• Streamline access to born digital and digitized materials by identifying appropriate storage spaces and migrating and organizing collections in them
• Work with the Annex Manager and the Archives & Special Collections Librarian for Researcher Experience and Education to ensure safe and efficient movement of materials between the offsite storage facility and the library
• Manage supplies for departmental collections and monitor environmental conditions in collections storage spaces
• Serve on assigned library and campus committees, steering groups, and project groups
• Monitor national trends, advances, and best practices in archival practice, digitization, and processing and evaluate the potential application of these strategies to the Davidson College Archives & Special Collections

Qualifications that will help you flourish in this role:

• You use inclusive practices to arrange and describe archival and manuscript collections
• You are familiar with the use and application of archival description and content standards - including Dublin Core, EAD, and DACS - and are willing to learn others as necessary
• You have practice in creating and editing resources in an archival information management system, such as ArchivesSpace, Archon, or Archivists' Toolkit
• You have knowledge of best practices for the handling, housing, storage, and preservation of physical archival materials
• You are aware of current and emerging methods for the digitization and display of archival collections and want to apply this knowledge to making digitized and born-digital materials discoverable in our digital asset management system
• You have a demonstrated ability to learn new technologies and a willingness to use these systems to enhance access to departmental materials
• You have strong project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize effectively
• You are a thoughtful, open-minded, collaborative colleague with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• You are resilient, adaptable, and demonstrate a capacity to operate flexibly in a rapidly evolving landscape
• You cultivate an optimistic mindset
• You are committed to creating an inclusive environment that values and celebrates difference

For this job, we require that:

• You have a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from a program accredited by the American Library Association

About Us

Guided by our organizational values, the staff of the E.H. Little Library work to advance the college's purpose in developing disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service. We do this by offering expertise, space, resources, and services that facilitate research, provide access to, and foster the creation of knowledge. Our library staff play a critical role in expanding the global reach of traditional scholarship, preserving born-digital materials, supporting digital scholarship, and championing equitable and sustainable access to information. Our library is a proud recipient of the 2021 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.

There has never been a more exciting time to join our team! As Davidson embarks on a transformative, campus-wide strategic plan, we are excited to explore how our expertise, programs, and resources will advance the college's key priorities. We take pride in our strong collaborations with campus partners such as the John Crosland Jr. Center for Teaching and Learning and the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship--strategic alliances that highlight the library's central role in the teaching and learning mission. We are inspired by the college's public commitment to racial equity and justice. To create an inclusive learning community and to reflect the diversity of Davidson experiences, we collaborate on projects that reframe the narratives our college tells about itself, develop collections in partnership with students and faculty, and create meaningful community connections. We seek a thoughtful colleague who joins us in embracing a special set of responsibilities as we articulate the college's relationship to the past, confront our present moment, and chart a hopeful future. Read more about Davidson College's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion here: https://www.davidson.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion.