Instruction Assistant, Special Collections

Nelib; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Boston University Libraries seek an Archives Instruction Assistant for a 3-year grant-funded program within the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. The role involves planning, hosting undergraduate class visits, and providing day-of support for instruction sessions with faculty, including handling materials and space setup.

You will collaborate with Instruction Archivists to identify relevant materials, help faculty design class activities, and contribute to learning resources for

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of relevant experience.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication.

Responsibilities

• Assist in planning, preparation and hosting undergraduate class visits to the archives.
• Provide day-of support during instruction sessions and manage logistics (moving and tracking material).
• Support in researching and identifying material for teaching contexts and aid faculty in class assignments.
• Assist with creating learning resources repository objects for classroom use and ensure discoverability across platforms.
• Coordinate bookings, scheduling, collections requests, and room setup for class visits; assist with assessment and tracking of visits.

Skills

Relevant experience

Excellent communication

Job description

Instruction Assistant, Special Collections

The Boston University Libraries seek an Archives Instruction Assistant for a 3-year grant-funded instruction program in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center within Boston University Libraries. This position’s responsibilities include assisting Research and Instruction Archivists with planning, preparation, and hosting undergraduate class visits to the archives. It also includes providing day-of support (during Registrar scheduled class times which can be outside of the centers operational hours which are 8-5) for instruction sessions with faculty, including moving and tracking material to and from collection storage. Additionally, this position provides research support by seeking examples of material in collections that might be useful to highlight in a teaching and learning context, helping faculty build class assignments, and light collection description to aid research. A successful candidate will also work with Instruction Archivists to support the creation of Learning Resources Repository objects for future classroom use.

The grant is focused on increasing undergraduate student engagement with the archives of select civil and human rights leaders at BU.

Reporting to the Research and Instruction Archives, the assistant will be a key collaborator supporting the archival instruction program and research initiatives. The incumbant will manage the logistics of class visits, including coordinating with archivists on bookings, scheduling, collections requests, and room setup, while helping faculty and students navigate our collections and reading room policies. Responsibilities include assisting with instruction assessment, tracking class visits and trends to inform program development. Occasional evening and weekend availability may be required.

Beyond classroom support, the assistant will work closely with graduate research assistants, faculty, and our research and instruction teams to identify collection materials that align with course objectives. Using finding aids and research guides, the assistant will identify relevant materials and maintain topical resource lists for future classes. The role contributes to creating engaging learning objects, including worksheets, videos, tutorials, and other instructional materials and ensure these tools are discoverable across our course management systems, website, and other platforms. This role offers an excellent opportunity to support student learning and faculty research while deepening your knowledge of archival work.

Required Skills:

• One to three years of relevant experience.


• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

This is a grant-funded 3-year position.