Rapaport Archivist

Title: Rapaport Archivist

Department: Curatorial & Collections

Reports to: Director of Collections and Exhibitions

Overview

The American Folk Art Museum is seeking a highly motivated, collaborative, and service-oriented Archivist to manage and enhance its substantial archival collections. The Rapaport Archivist is responsible for the arrangement and description of the archival collections, ensuring a user-centered, access-driven approach to all processing work. The Archivist will also play a key role in building and diversifying the Museum’s archival holdings, in collaboration with the Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Senior Curator of Self-Taught Art & Art Brut, and Curator of Folk Art.

Established in 2014, the American Folk Art Museum Archives holds institutional records and distinctive collections related to the founding and development of the field of folk art and self-taught art, its artists, and its networks, and has been shaped by artists, collectors, curators, and scholars. Materials include manuscripts, correspondence, ephemera, clippings, photographs, audio, and video, as well as expansive artist and subject files.

Key Responsibilities

Collection Management and Records Management

• Arrange and describe manuscript, institutional, photographic, digital media, and related special collections.
• Prepare finding aids in ArchivesSpace in accordance with local and national standards.
• Refine, implement, and execute processes that enable effective acquisition, description, preservation, access to, and security of archival collections, including born-digital and hybrid collections.
• Collaborate with the Digital Asset, Image, and Rights Manager with the creation, implementation, and management of procedures for the preservation of born-digital and digitized archival records.
• Participate in the strategic growth of the collections, with a focus on diversifying the holdings, including identification of important acquisitions, potential donors, and funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with the research and writing of grants related to collection development, digitization, processing, and interpretation of archival collections.
• Present new acquisitions at Collections Committee meetings.
• Strategize with AFAM colleagues on opportunities to present archival collections in AFAM exhibitions and loans to other institutions.
• Implement a records management program, including creating a record retentions schedule across departments.

Reference Services

• Provide onsite and remote comprehensive reference assistance to external researchers, scholars, and Museum staff.
• Develops strategies for improved reference service.
• Maintain statistics for all reference inquiries for the Library and Archives.
• Participate in outreach activities such as class instructions, group presentations and tours.
• Collaborate to create programs, initiatives, and exhibits that feature, promote, and make accessible the AFAM Archives, as appropriate.
• Train and supervise interns, volunteers, and freelance consultants.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Library and Information Science or related field from an ALA-accredited institution.
• Minimum three (3) years of professional experience in an archival setting, including processing, arranging, describing, and providing reference for archival/ manuscript collections.
• Proficient in ArchivesSpace; familiarity with Gallery Systems preferred.
• Knowledge of the principles of archival functions, applied to survey, arrangement, description, preservation of collections containing mixed formats while creating DACS-compliant finding aids to support discovery and research.
• Knowledge of best practices in handling and preservation of archival material.
• Knowledge of archival metadata standards and authorities such as DACS, Dublin Core, and LCSH.
• Experience managing and conducting oral history interviews preferred.
• Experience providing high-quality research assistance to external and internal researchers.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, and impeccable attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently.

Salary range: $65,000.00 - $68,000.00

The above statements of this job description entail the general duties and level of work performed by an employee assigned to this position. They do not claim to describe all of the functions of the position. The Employee may be assigned other duties, and the essential functions may change or be changed from time to time.

Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@folkartmuseum.org. No phone calls, please.

The American Folk Art Museum is located at 2 Lincoln Square in midtown Manhattan. The administrative office and storage facility for the museum is in Long Island City, Queens. The position requires in-person attendance several days per week at our Queens location.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The American Folk Art Museum provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, gender identity, military status and any other category protected by Federal, State and City employment law.