Archives Technician

Smithsonian Institution

Suitland (MD)

Remote

USD 58,000 - 75,000

Full time

5 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, CRC in Suitland, MD, seeks an Archives Technician to assist with arrangement, description, preservation, and access to its archival collections.

You will support the Head Archivist and staff in managing papers, photographs, film, and sound recordings; perform inventories, describe materials, and help researchers onsite and remotely. This permanent, full-time role offers telework eligibility and federal benefits.

Responsibilities

Assist the Head Archivist and Archive Center staff in the physical collections management of archival materials including papers, photographs, film, video, and sound recordings.
Track, rehousing, and storing of archival collections; monitor temperature, relative humidity, and storage conditions.
Describe archival materials for new acquisitions and legacy collections.
Prepare finding aids and collection level records entered in Archivists' Toolkit in accordance with standards (DACS).
Prepare small purchase orders to secure supplies and services from outside vendors.
Assist with travel arrangements for staff and contracted consultants, including transportation and hotel reservations.
Provide reference and research services onsite and remotely to the public, Native American communities, researchers, and Smithsonian staff.
Assist on-site researchers in the Archive Center reading room by identifying collections, pulling items, and refiling them.

Job description

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), NMAI's Cultural Resources Center (CRC) in Suitland, MD. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Key Responsibilities

The Archives Technician is responsible for assisting with the arrangement, description, preservation, cataloging and access to NMAI's moderately large archival collections. In this position, you will: Assist the Head Archivist and Archive Center staff in the physical collections management of a wide-range of archival materials including but not limited to papers, photographs, film, video, and sound recordings.

Responsibilities include tracking, rehousing, and storing of archival collections; monitoring temperature, relative humidity, and storage conditions; conducting archival collection inventories and surveys; and reorganizing and refiling collections materials, among other duties related to the care, preservation, and management of archival collections. Process new and legacy archival collections.

Apply basic preservation methods including removing damaging residue or attachments; rehousing documents in acid free folders and containers; and identifying and maintaining a running list of fragile materials that require preservation treatment and digitization. Describe archival materials for both new acquisitions and unprocessed legacy collections.

The description includes well-written and concise finding aids and collection level records entered in Archivists' Toolkit system in accordance with archival descriptive standards including DACS. Prepare small purchase orders to secure supplies and services from outside vendors.

Work on administrative and program support tasks including arranging travel for staff and contracted consultants, including scheduling transportation, making hotel reservations, supporting staff en route and preparing travel authorizations and vouchers. Assist the Reference Archivist in providing reference and research services both onsite and remotely, to the public, Native American communities and constituents, researchers, and Smithsonian staff.

Assist on-site researchers in the Archive Center reading room by identifying appropriate collections, pulling items, assisting in their use, and refiling them. Answers staff and public inquiries by performing necessary research about archival holdings and responding in a detailed manner via email, phone, or letter.

Requirements & Education

See above under qualifications..

The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options. Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.