POSITION: Outreach Archivist

DEPARTMENT: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

PURPOSE AND SCOPE:

The Outreach Archivist is responsible to the Head of the Access and Outreach Unit of the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies for managing all aspects of exhibit research, development, production, and promotion; developing and maintaining an active schedule of public programs; handling all incoming and outgoing loans of material for exhibit purposes; managing all aspects of the Special Collections docent program; overseeing the operation and maintenance of the Russell Library Gallery; participating in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of the Russell Forum for Civic Life in Georgia, a major outreach program of the Russell Library; providing reference services for Russell research contacts and instruction for classes and groups; and managing and developing the Russell Library’s online outreach and social media initiatives, and providing routine maintenance to the Russell Library Web site. This position works closely with Head of Access and Outreach and the Director on special and ongoing projects.

The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies is a department within the University of Georgia Libraries, which reports to the University Librarian and Associate Provost and which serves as a center for research and study of the modern American political system, with particular emphasis on the role of Georgia and that of the U. S. Congress. The Russell Library seeks to document fully the dynamic relationship of politics, policy, and culture—where public interest intersects with the three branches of government at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels—through the papers, archival records, and material culture of individuals and organizations. The Russell Library is also dedicated to developing and presenting public programming and educational materials that facilitate and encourage research, raise public awareness of the Library and its collections and services, and provide learning opportunities for the communities it serves. The Russell Library pursues alliances and opportunities for collaboration with individuals and organizations that advance its mission. The Russell Library is a founding member of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress and is a primary partner and official repository for the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies, a collaborative project dedicated to documenting and chronicling the experiences and perspectives of lesser known participants in the civil rights movement in Georgia. For more information about the Russell Library: http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/

The Russell Library staff consists of the Director (department head), four archivists, and one staff position and is responsible for acquiring, preserving, and making available permanent historical records according to archival standards and procedures and for providing reference assistance to a variety of patrons.

The UGA Libraries is located on the university's main campus in Athens, Georgia, and its facilities include the Main Library, Science Library, Zell B. Miller Learning Center, Repository, and Special Collections Libraries. Perennially rated as one of the nation's top college towns, Athens offers a vibrant place to work and live. With Atlanta 70 miles to the west, Athens offers good proximity to the city while maintaining a small-town culture and feel. The favorable climate supports an eco-friendly campus, and UGA is currently undergoing a major multi-step plan to convert much of the campus into pedestrian friendly green space.
Information about the UGA Libraries: http://www.libs.uga.edu/
Information about Athens: http://www.libs.uga.edu/athens/

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Exhibits: Manages all aspects of the Russell Library’s exhibit program including conducting and supervising students and interns in conducting original research and scriptwriting for all Russell exhibits, managing all incoming and outgoing loans of traveling exhibits, overseeing fabrication and mounting of exhibits including working with outside vendors or contractors, and maintaining the object/exhibit rotation schedule for all gallery spaces, and managing publicity for exhibits by serving as the primary contact for media outlets on campus and off campus and participating in the development and logistics of associated public programs.

Public Programming: Participates in the development, management, logistics, and evaluation of all Russell Library public programming including: coordinating all programming, research, and training activities associated with the Russell Forum for Civic Life in Georgia, the primary outreach program of the Russell Library supported by the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums Institute; developing and overseeing logistics and planning for events; cultivating campus and community partnerships managing training, communication, and performance standards for docent programs for the Special Collections Libraries; and preparing publicity and interacts with media contacts; works with vendors and event partners; attends all public programs of Russell Library.

Communication: Manages the Russell Library’s online communication program through development and coordination of content that appears on the Russell Weblog, the Russell Library Facebook page, the Russell Forum’s Facebook group, the Russell Library Twitter account, and the Russell Library Web site. Records monthly statistics for the Russell Library website, and other online outreach tools listed above. Serves as primary information resource for the Russell Library on museum related issues and trends through review of professional literature and participation at professional conferences. Participates in library-wide communication by reading, responding to, and initiating information transmitted via GRAPEVINE (the Libraries’ listserv), and other communication tools and attending appropriate library-wide or departmental meetings and asking questions, seeking clarification, or initiating discussion on library issues.

Instruction and Reference: Promotes the Russell to users and potential users through knowledgeable, efficient, and courteous assistance. Participates in outreach and instructional activities for the department to encourage use of Library's collections and services by providing instructional classes and reference conferences. Provides orientation to Russell Library collections and services, provides tours to individuals and groups as needed. Participates in reading room and reference service to patrons in accordance with policies and procedures of the department and by maintaining awareness of related holdings at other institutions and by developing and maintaining knowledge of collections within the department. Ensures effective record keeping and work flows by utilizing the online patron management system Aeon.

Supervision: Supervises student assistants and graduate student interns assigned to the access and outreach unit by training and developing staff through effective communication and a fostering of shared goals that yields knowledge, productivity, and dependability. Manages Russell student assistant budget.

Planning and Assessment: Contributes to the mission of the Russell Library, and the Libraries as a whole, by participating in meetings, planning, program review, the development and evaluation of policies and procedures, strategic planning, the development of special projects and functions, and grants writing for the department as assigned. Tracks visitation and usage patterns in the Russell Library using current database tools and compiles data as needed for reports and assessment. Increases the quality of individual contributions to the Department and enhances the regional and national status of the Libraries by participating in continuing education and professional development activities. Maintains flexibility and awareness of changes in department by assuming other duties and responsibilities as assigned. Contributes to the library by participating in committees or other work as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Qualifications:
Master’s degree with concentration in museums studies or public history and ACA certification expected in 5 years for continued employment; Two years of curatorial and outreach-related experience in a museum or archives, or an equivalent combination of education and experience; Demonstrated commitment to public service and outreach; excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to manage time-sensitive projects in a team environment; ability to instruct users effectively both individually and in the classroom setting; experience and facility with social media Web tools; experience with computer database and Internet searching; working knowledge of current archival descriptive standards and intellectual property rights; excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with other departments, as needed; working knowledge of historical research methodology, curatorial standards and practices.

Preferred Qualifications:
Background in modern southern history and/or southern culture and strong grounding in social sciences or humanities preferred; significant coursework in exhibit development and design, museum administration, and collections management preferred; experience with public speaking and meeting facilitation preferred; Fluency in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign; and HTML editing tools such as Dreamweaver preferred. Experience with writing for promotional and popular audiences; and editing and proofreading preferred.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: $38,000; commensurate with experience. UGA librarians are non-tenured faculty members. UGA offers an attractive benefits program including a choice of health and retirement plans, dental plan, tuition remission and a relocation allowance; 21 days annual leave, 12 paid holidays.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should send as three separate pdf documents their letters of application, complete resumes, and the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of three references by October 3, 2012 to: Jan D. Hudson, Human Resources Coordinator, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia 30602-1641 at libjobs@uga.edu

The University of Georgia and the UGA Libraries have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among its faculty and staff. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups and strongly encourage persons of color to apply for these positions. The University of Georgia is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.