Career Center

Binghamton University Libraries offers an exciting opportunity for a motivated, skilled, imaginative and highly organized archives professional to be a crucial member of a Special Collections team to undertake new projects and capitalize on recent successes. The archival processing manager will be responsible for providing guidance and management for a user-centered processing program.  They will help to shape the way in which Special Collections arranges, describes, manages, provides access to, and facilitates the discovery of its archival and manuscript collections. The successful candidate will oversee and coordinate the processing and description work of staff, students, and interns.

Binghamton University Libraries Special Collections collects, preserves and provides access to materials that enhance, support, and encourage the research, teaching, and participation in academic programs of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and scholars at Binghamton University and in the region, state, nation, and world. Special Collections includes significant rare book, archival, manuscript, art and realia collections as well as the University Archives. 

The position reports to the Director of Special Collections and Library Preservation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

·         Develop a processing strategy to expand access and discovery, and facilitate the use of collections by students, faculty and other researchers

·         Take the lead in the creation of policies, procedures, workflows, and standards compliance in archival arrangement and description – implementing technologies and strategies to support these activities

·         Arrange and describe complex manuscript and archival collections in all formats, including born-digital

·         Provide leadership in setting priorities, training and supervising student assistants and interns, and coordinating processing work within the department in collaboration with the other archivists and Special Collections librarians on staff

·         Integrate best practices, professional standards and processes into workflows and operations

·         Create online descriptive guides using ArchivesSpace   

·         Prepare statistical and narrative reports

·         Explore and implement a sustainable and efficient approach to processing born-digital collections in collaboration with relevant library and university partners

·         Work closely with the Cataloging, Digital Initiatives and Preservation departments to provide long-term access to archival collections

·         Participate in records surveys and appraisal, collections acquisitions and accessioning, and donor relations

·         Share in remote and in-person reference services with other Special Collections staff 

·         Assist in identifying, applying for, and managing grants 

·         Contribute to outreach activities such as instruction, exhibitions, public programming,  and creating social media posts, as needed

·         Participate in library and University committees

·         Expand professional expertise by attending conferences and continuing education opportunities

·         Participate in a work culture that promotes diversity and anti-racism and actively works to eliminate or mitigate the effects of systemic racism and bias

Requirements / Qualifications:

·         Graduate degree in archival studies, library and information science, history, public history, or a related field with a focus on archives management; or a combination of a Bachelor’s degree and equivalent archival work experience  

·         Working experience with archival content management systems, particularly ArchivesSpace

·         Experience in surveying, appraising, accessioning, arranging, and describing archival collections of varying sizes and complexity according to best practices

·         Familiarity with the use and application of archival processing approaches such as MPLP and iterative/extensible processing 

·         Demonstrated organizational skills in project management and working collaboratively in a team, including setting, tracking and meeting goals and deadlines as well as evaluating outcomes

·         Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, and attention to detail

·         Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively

·         Strong computer skills and knowledge of emerging technologies within the field 

·         Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity and anti-racism and working to advance a culture that strives to eliminate or mitigate the effects of systemic racism and bias

Preferred Qualifications:

·          Two or more years of applied archival processing experience

·         Supervisory experience and ability to successfully train and direct the work of student assistants and staff

·         Working knowledge of current and developing strategies, technologies, and best practices in digital collection management  

·         Knowledge of preservation, conservation, legal/copyright, and ethical issues related to archival material

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions:

·         Lift/carry/push/pull heavy boxes up to 50 pounds and fully loaded library carts

·         Twist/bend/stoop/squat/kneel

·         Frequent desk-based computer tasks

·         Exposure to dust and mold

Additional Information:

The State University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is the policy of Binghamton University to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

As required by title IX and its implementing regulations, Binghamton University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the educational programs and activities which it operates. This requirement extends to employment and admission. Inquiries about sex discrimination may be directed to the University Title IX Coordinator or directly to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Contact information for the Title IX Coordinator and OCR, as well as the University's complete Non-Discrimination Notice may be found here.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at [email protected].

Binghamton University is a tobacco-free campus effective August 1, 2017.

Application Instructions:

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the vacancy is filled. 

Persons interested in this position should apply online.

Please submit:

1.    Resume,

2.    Cover letter, and

3.    Contact information for three professional references

You may add additional files/documents after uploading your resume. After you fill out your contact information, you will be directed to the upload page. Please login to check/edit your profile or to upload additional documents: http://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/login.jsp.

No visa sponsorship available for this position.