Assistant Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions

Association of Academic Museums & Galleries.; Arlington (NY); On-site; USD 62,353 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY seeks an Assistant Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions to preserve, document, and care for the museum’s collection. The role supports curricular object-based study, assists with gallery changeovers, and maintains the collections management database (TMS Collections).

Responsibilities include coordinating exhibitions, imaging processes, and inventory of 24,000 objects, while mentoring a student employee each semester and collaborating with colleagues

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in art history, museum studies or related field.
• Three years of registration and/or collections management experience at an art museum or gallery.
• Strong cataloging, data entry skills, and knowledge of collections management databases.
• Knowledge of art handling best practices and care of art and artifacts in a museum environment.
• Prior experience with condition reporting and organizing domestic shipping.
• Ability to take initiative and exercise independent judgment.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, with clear written and verbal communication.
• Detail-oriented, collaborative, and able to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to mentor part-time work-study students.

Responsibilities

• Serve as administrator for the Museum’s collection management database (TMS Collections), including user accounts, access, and security.
• Collaborate on Project Gallery displays, scheduling, preparation, and installation; coordinate with faculty and students.
• Assist with exhibition planning and production; manage exhibition data in TMSC and generate reports.
• Coordinate imaging of collection objects, including arranging photography and processing images into derivative files.
• Process rights and reproductions requests for loans and catalogues; maintain catalogue archive and ISBN issuance.
• Enter core cataloguing data and transcribe inscriptions; contribute to subject tagging and relationships in cataloguing.
• Assist with inventory of ~24,000 objects and perform quarterly location spot-checks.
• Lead pull/re-house operations for class use, examination, and research; track object movements.
• Maintain main storage cleanliness and climate/pest control; assist with courier duties as needed.
• Mentor one student employee per semester in consultation with Registrar for Exhibitions.

Skills

Registration experience

Cataloging

Data entry

TMS Collections knowledge

Independent judgment

Interpersonal skills

Written communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in art history or museum studies

Graduate degree in art history or museum studies (preferred)

Tools

TMS Collections

Job description

Assistant Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions – Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY

Vassar College is deeply committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees by promoting an environment of transparency and respect for differences. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds who meet the qualifications of a posting. If you need to request an accommodation to fully participate in the search process, please contact [e-mail].

Job Description

Position Summary

Reporting to the Registrar for Exhibitions, and ultimately the Head Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions, the Assistant Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions aids in the preservation, documentation and care of the museum’s collection, supports curricular object‑based study in the museum, and assists with gallery changeovers and exhibition planning. The Assistant Registrar for Collections and Exhibitions also assists with maintaining accurate up‑to‑date information in the Art Center’s collections management database (TMS Collections), and is responsible for making all objects accessible and for providing proper accounting practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an administrator for the Museum’s collection management database, TMS Collections (TMSC), to include: administration of user accounts, access and authorities; liaise with Gallery Systems and CIS regarding security, system backups, maintenance, troubleshooting, system updates for TMSC, eMuseum, and related systems, consistent with industry standards and protocols.
• Collaborate with Curator of Academic Programs and Preparator to oversee Project Gallery (exhibition space for object‑based study) displays, including scheduling, preparation, and installation; liaise with faculty and students on classroom requests and independent projects; coordinate classroom viewings of artworks and occasionally proctor classes.
• Assist with exhibition planning and production, including, but not limited to: coordinate exhibition‑related vendors, enter and maintain exhibition‑related information in TMSC, create reports, perform artwork inspections, and attend necessary meetings.
• Facilitate process for imaging collection objects, including: schedule photographer, pull and re‑house objects, process object images into derivative files, create and run scripts for bulk processing, crop images and link in TMS, and maintain image archive and access; consult with CIS and others to make sure all imaging equipment is in good working order.
• Process rights and reproductions requests for loans, collection objects, and exhibition catalogues; maintain catalogue archive, publication list, and issuance of ISBN numbers.
• Adhere to established standards and guidelines, enter core cataloguing data in collections information management system (TMSC), including taking precise dimensions, creating photo documentation, and transcribing inscriptions; contribute to comprehensive subject tagging and relationships as outlined by best practice in cataloguing.
• Assist with inventory of 24,000 objects on a systematic basis (each full inventory is currently a three‑year project), as well as quarterly location spot‑checks to include all classifications of works of art within a single year.
• Lead coordinator to pull and re‑house works of art for a variety of purposes (class use, examination, research) and track object movements in TMSC; produce object packages and reports as needed.
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of main storage and order departmental supplies; monitor the climate and pest control for that area.
• Mentor one student employee per semester, in consultation with Registrar for Exhibitions to assign meaningful projects.
• Provide support to other collections team members as needed, including assistance with exhibition changeovers, condition reporting, and occasional courier duties.

Required knowledge, skills and abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in art history, museum studies or related field.
• Three years of registration and/or collections management experience working with an art museum collection or gallery.
• Strong cataloging, data entry skills, and knowledge of collections management databases.
• Knowledge of art handling best practices and art and artifact collections care in a museum environment.
• Prior experience condition reporting and organizing domestic shipping.
• Ability to take initiative, anticipate actions needed, and exercise independent judgment.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally both verbally and in writing.
• Detail‑oriented, collaborative, and adaptive; comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to work with/mentor part‑time work‑study students from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to handle art storage boxes and objects up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to climb ladders and lift materials above head.

Preferred knowledge, skills and abilities

• Graduate degree in art history, museum studies or related field.
• Advanced working knowledge of TMS Collections.

Compensation

The compensation for this position is $62,353.20 - $65,000 (USD) per year.