Manager, Archival Processing and Special Projects

The Digital Asset Management Consortium, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York Public Library seeks a Manager, Archival Processing and Special Projects to lead a team of archivists within the Special Collections Processing unit. You will oversee archival processing, description remediation, and the creation of finding aids to advance access and preservation across diverse collections.

This role partners with Digital Collections Operations and curatorial teams, directs staff training, manages grant-funded initiatives, and ensures compliance with national

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in an archives or manuscripts repository.
• 3+ years supervising staff and managing projects.
• Strong background in archival processing and archival theory, including processing collections in all formats (analog, digital, and audio and moving image).
• Experience with efficient and extensible archival processing.
• Experience developing and conducting staff training in archival systems and standards.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current standards for archival description, cataloging, and archival metadata (DACS, EAD, MARC 21, RDA, DCRM, LCSH, LCNAF, AAT, TGM).
• Familiarity with scripting and querying languages such as SQL and Python.
• Experience managing and versioning documentation, particularly in GitHub.
• Experience with project management tools including Trello, AirTable, and JIRA.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; high integrity, reliability, and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Supervise staff processing new acquisitions and backlog collections, ensuring alignment with national standards and curatorial processing priorities.
• Recruit, hire, and manage processing staff for special projects, managing deliverables and timelines for archival processing grant-funded projects.
• Develop and help to maintain documentation for archival processing, ArchivesSpace, and accessioning on AP's public GitHub documentation site.
• Conduct training on archival processing and descriptive systems for archivists across NYPL research divisions.
• Maintain archival metadata in all descriptive systems, including ArchivesSpace, Archives Portal, and the Research Catalog, ensuring descriptive content is aligned with national standards.
• Perform database queries and produce reports to inform description remediation priorities in support of data migration projects.
• Represent NYPL in committees, professional organizations, and conferences, keeping up-to-date with evolving standards and new developments in archives management
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Staff management

Project management

Communication

Detail orientation

Archivist theory

Documentation

Interpersonal skills

Quality service

Education

ALA-accredited Master's degree in Library and Information Science or archival training

Tools

ArchivesSpace

FTK

OCLC Connexion

Sierra

RDA Toolkit

MARCEdit

SQL

Python

GitHub

Job description

Manager, Archival Processing and Special Projects

The Special Collections Processing (SCP) department promotes access to the Library's most distinctive collections by describing and preparing rare and unique materials for discovery and use. Archival Processing (AP) is the team within SCP that supports access to archival collections and their preservation by arranging and describing archives and manuscripts, creating finding aids for research use, managing the ArchivesSpace Staff Interface, accessioning new acquisitions, remediating legacy archival description, and managing archival metadata across systems. Each year AP arranges and describes over 1,500 linear feet, 6,000 audio and moving image recordings, and 3 terabytes of archival material. The Manager, Archival Processing and Special Projects oversees a team of archivists who process collections from across the Research Libraries.

Some expectations for this role are that within:

1 month, this person will:

• Understand the scope of work in AP and their unique role in contributing to the success of the department.
• Meet with teams across Collections and Research Services and determine the ways in which each collaborates with AP.

3 months, this person will:

• Visit each research center and meet key curatorial partners and other stakeholders.
• Meet with AP's partners in Digital and participate in work to remediate and migrate legacy description in ArchivesSpace.
• Partner with the Senior Manager to create, assign, and manage processing projects.

6 months and beyond, this person will:

• Work with partners in Digital Collections Operations to support large-scale digitization projects.
• Assist in the management of AP's Description Remediation Program.
• Support ArchivesSpace users, including troubleshooting, resolving technical issues, and facilitating training.

Responsibilities

• Supervise staff processing new acquisitions and backlog collections, ensuring alignment with national standards and curatorial processing priorities.
• Recruit, hire, and manage processing staff for special projects, managing deliverables and timelines for archival processing grant-funded projects
• Develop and help to maintain documentation for archival processing, ArchivesSpace, and accessioning on AP's public GitHub documentation site.
• Conduct training on archival processing and descriptive systems for archivists across NYPL research divisions.
• Maintain archival metadata in all descriptive systems, including ArchivesSpace, Archives Portal, and the Research Catalog, ensuring descriptive content is aligned with national standards.
• Perform database queries and produce reports to inform description remediation priorities in support of data migration projects.
• Represent NYPL in committees, professional organizations, and conferences, keeping up-to-date with evolving standards and new developments in archives management
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Education, Experience & Skills

Required Education & Certifications

• ALA-accredited Master's degree in Library and Information Science or a Master's degree with successful completion of archival training

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience in an archives or manuscripts repository working with collections of personal papers and organizational records for collections of varying size, complexity, format, and condition.
• 3+ years of experience supervising staff and managing projects.
• Strong background in archival processing and archival theory, including processing collections in all formats (analog, digital, and audio and moving image)
• Experience with efficient and extensible archival processing.
• Experience developing and conducting staff training in archival systems and standards.

Required Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of current standards for archival description, cataloging, and archival metadata (DACS, EAD, MARC 21, RDA, DCRM, LCSH, LCNAF, AAT, TGM).
• Strong working knowledge of descriptive tools and systems (ArchivesSpace, FTK, OCLC Connexion, Sierra, RDA Toolkit, MARCEdit).
• Familiarity with scripting and querying languages such as SQL and Python.
• Experience managing and versioning documentation, particularly in GitHub.
• Experience with project management tools including Trello, AirTable, and JIRA.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: ability to listen actively, speak, and write clearly.
• High degree of personal integrity, reliability, and commitment to quality service.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities

• 4-8 full-time direct reports
• Conducting project management and staff trainings

Employer: New York Public Library

Location: New York, NY, USA

Type: Full-Time