Processing Archivist, Assistant Librarian

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• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location.For additional information on remote work at Penn State, seeNotice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries' Special Collections seeks an organized, detail-oriented, and experienced Processing Archivist to join our Collection Services team. This role focuses on the management, processing, and description of large and complex record groups from organizations internal and external to the University. In addition, this position also completes arrangement and description work for collections of personal and professional papers. The Processing Archivist engages in best practices for archives to ensure adherence to evolving descriptive standards. The ideal candidate will possess proven expertise in implementing innovative solutions for intricate archival challenges.

Assistant Librarian candidates are required to hold a graduate degree in library or information studies or other appropriate degree; must have demonstrated potential ability as a librarian; and ideally show potential of growth in research and/or service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive arrangement, appraisal, and description of large-scale and complex archival collections.
• Develop and execute processing plans for multi-format collections, including textual records, digital files, and audiovisual materials, which may include sensitive personal information.
• Apply archival description standards, including DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), and metadata frameworks such as EAD (Encoded Archival Description) and MARC.
• Collaborate with Special Collections Library colleagues to establish priorities for processing, preservation, and digitization.
• Ensure collections are appropriately housed, stabilized, and described for research access and long-term stewardship and preservation.
• Create and update finding aids and inventories for use by researchers and stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, ethical guidelines, and legal requirements regarding archival practices.
• Participate in engagement and outreach efforts, including weekly reference desk shifts, presentations, and public programming, to promote the institution's collections.
• Engage in work to foster an inclusive and welcoming professional environment that values individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Qualifications:

Required:

• A graduate degree, including course work in archives and/or records management.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in processing archival collections.
• Experience with archival management software (e.g., ArchivesSpace) and metadata standards.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or a related field from an ALA-accredited institution (or equivalent),

• Knowledge of preservation techniques for fragile or deteriorating materials and/or for digital materials
• Knowledge of born-digital appraisal, arrangement, and description strategies

• Experience with establishing priorities and communicating those priorities to a variety of stakeholders.

• Experience supervising students and/or volunteers in an archival processing context.
• Experience coordinating workflows and/or projects across departments

Compensation and Benefits: Salary is commensurate with a candidate's qualifications, education, and experience. In addition to a competitive salary, full-time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits program, generous paid time off, and tuition discount for employees and eligible family members. In addition, faculty in the University Libraries are afforded funds for professional development travel annually.

Application Process: All candidate materials must be submitted via Workday. Interested candidates are expected to upload a cover letter and a resume or CV. Candidates also must provide three professional references, indicating their professional relationship to each reference; furnished references must include a current/previous direct supervisor, a colleague, and one at the candidate's discretion. References will be contacted later in the search process.

The University expects full-time faculty to participate fully in their university workspace or on-campus intellectual and educational community, and generally does not permit remote work arrangements.

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BENEFITS

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

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