Lead Research Archivist - Manuscripts & Access

Colby College; Waterville (ME); On-site; USD 66,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Colby College Libraries seeks a Research Archivist, a faculty librarian position within Special Collections & Archives. The role oversees processing and care of manuscript collections, provides specialized research services to Colby and external scholars, and supports the Archives Education program.

The Research Archivist engages in reference leadership, digitization collaboration, and supervision of student workers to promote scholarly engagement and access to Colby’s historical materials.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in library science is required.
• Minimum of two years of experience in special collections/archives including archival research and manuscript processing.
• Experience with library systems and archival management software, preferably ArchivesSpace and JSTOR.

Responsibilities

• Lead archival reference services and provide research support for campus and community users.
• Coordinate archival research appointments and manage the department’s research spaces.
• Collaborate with SC&A faculty to enhance accessibility and discoverability of collections.
• Manage physical manuscript processing workflows and ArchivesSpace.
• Create workflows and guidelines for processing manuscripts.
• Collaborate on digitization projects to promote outreach and scholarly engagement.
• Supervise and train student workers in archival processing.
• Assist with planning department visits and events.
• Prepare departmental statistics for reports and maintain procedures.

Skills

Research skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Professional development

Organizational skills

Education

Master’s degree in library science

Tools

ArchivesSpace

JSTOR

Integrated Library Systems (ILS)

Job description

Colby College Libraries seeks a Research Archivist, a faculty librarian position within Special Collections & Archives. The role oversees processing and care of manuscript collections, provides specialized research services to Colby and external scholars, and supports the Archives Education program.

The Research Archivist engages in reference leadership, digitization collaboration, and supervision of student workers to promote scholarly engagement and access to Colby’s historical materials.