Photographic Preservation & Digitization Specialist

National Museum of Wildlife Art; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza seeks an experienced Photographic Preservation & Digitization Specialist to support a major two-year initiative to preserve, digitize and expand access to the Bob Jackson Collection, an extraordinary photojournalism collection documenting Dallas and national history from the 1960s and 1970s.

Reporting to the Head of Collections & Registration, the Specialist will assess and stabilize photographic materials; establish and implement preservation quality

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in photography, photographic preservation, conservation, museum studies, archives or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience with photographic collections, digitization, preservation, archives, museums or related cultural heritage collections.
• Knowledge of photographic formats and preservation practices, including the handling, housing, storage and digitization of negatives, slides and photographic prints.
• Demonstrated experience with high-resolution digitization, digital imaging principles, file formats, color management, image derivatives and quality control.
• Familiarity with digital preservation principles, metadata and long-term management of digital assets.
• Strong research, organizational, analytical, documentation and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess the condition and preservation needs of photographic negatives, slides, prints and related materials.
• Rehouse materials using archival-quality enclosures and identify materials requiring conservation assessment or specialized storage.
• Develop and implement preservation and rehousing strategies based on format, condition, use and long-term preservation needs.
• Perform high-resolution digitization according to established professional standards and project specifications.
• Review previously digitized collection materials to determine whether they meet current project standards and identify materials requiring rescanning or additional documentation.
• Conduct image processing and quality control and create appropriate preservation master, research/reference and publication/access files.
• Apply established file-naming conventions, technical metadata, color-management practices and quality-control procedures.
• Coordinate with Digital Preservation Archivist to ensure digital files and metadata meet institutional requirements for storage and preservation in Preservica.
• Maintain documentation of digitization equipment, technical specifications, workflows and quality-control standards.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in photography, photographic preservation, conservation, museum studies, archives or a related field

Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience with photographic collections, digitization, preservation, archives, museums or related cultural heritage collections

Tools

TMS

Preservica

Job description

Who We Are

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is one of the nation’s leading history museums and the most visited historic site in North Texas. Located within the historic Texas School Book Depository, the Museum preserves and shared the story of President John F. Kennedy, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the enduring legacy of the 1960s through exhibitions, educational programming, collection and public engagement.

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, The Sixth Floor Museum stewards an expanding collection of archival materials, photographs, oral histories, audiovisual media, publications and institutional records that document one of the most significant events in American history and its broader historical context.

In 2025, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Bob Jackson made a significant donation to the Museum of more than 22,000 photographic images and related materials spanning his career as a Dallas Times Herald photographer from 1960 to 1978. The Bob Jackson Collection, the largest photographic donation in the Museum’s history, provides an extraordinary visual record of Dallas during a period of significant growth and transformation. The collection includes Jackson’s iconic photograph of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald, which won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in News Photography, as well as his extensive coverage of Dallas life, culture, politics, social change and major national events.

The Opportunity

The Sixth Floor Museum seeks an experienced and detail-oriented Photographic Preservation & Digitization Specialist to support a major two-year initiative to preserve, digitize and expand access to the Bob Jackson Collection, an extraordinary photojournalism collection documenting Dallas and national history from the 1960s and 1970s.

Reporting to the Head of Collections & Registration, the Specialist will assess and stabilize photographic materials; establish and implement preservation quality digitization workflows; review and standardize previously digitized materials; create preservation, research and publication files; and help ensure the collection’s long-term physical and digital preservation.

Working collaboratively with the Museum’s Collections and Curatorial teams, the Specialist will also contribute to cataloging and research as needed, helping identify people, places, events, dates, publication history and other contextual information that strengthens future research, rights and reproduction, exhibition and public access.

This is a full-time, grant-funded, two-year position supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Key Responsibilities

Photographic Preservation & Digitization

• Assess the condition and preservation needs of photographic negatives, slides, prints and related materials.
• Rehouse materials using appropriate archival-quality enclosures and identify materials requiring conservation assessment or specialized storage.
• Develop and implement preservation and rehousing strategies based on format, condition, use and long-term preservation needs.
• Perform high-resolution digitization according to established professional standards and project specifications.
• Review previously digitized collection materials to determine whether they meet current project standards and identify materials requiring rescanning or additional documentation.
• Conduct image processing and quality control and create appropriate preservation master, research/reference and publication/access files.
• Apply established file-naming conventions, technical metadata, color-management practices and quality-control procedures.
• Coordinate with Digital Preservation Archivist to ensure digital files and metadata meet institutional requirements for storage and preservation in Preservica.
• Maintain documentation of digitization equipment, technical specifications, workflows and quality-control standards.

Documentation, Research & Access

• Maintain accurate records documenting condition, rehousing, digitization and digital assets, and update collection management system as required.
• Coordinate with the Photographic Collection Cataloger to ensure physical materials, catalog records and digital assets remain accurately linked.
• Assist with collection research and cataloging as project workflow permits, including identifying individuals, locations, events, dates and subjects represented in photographs.
• Research publication and use history of photographs in newspapers, magazines and other sources to strengthen catalog documentation and support future rights, reproduction, exhibition, research and licensing activities.
• Support metadata development, authority control and other research necessary to improve discovery and public access to the collection.
• Track project outputs and maintain documentation required for grant monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in photography, photographic preservation, conservation, museum studies, archives or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience with photographic collections, digitization, preservation, archives, museums or related cultural heritage collections.
• Knowledge of photographic formats and preservation practices, including the handling, housing, storage and digitization of negatives, slides and photographic prints.
• Demonstrated experience with high-resolution digitization, digital imaging principles, file formats, color management, image derivatives and quality control.
• Familiarity with digital preservation principles, metadata and long-term management of digital assets.
• Strong research, organizational, analytical, documentation and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to maintain accuracy and quality while working with large quantities of collection materials.
• Ability to manage production goals and priorities within an established schedule while working independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in museum studies, archives, conservation, photographic preservation or a related field.
• Professional experience digitizing historic photographic collections in a museum, archive, library, university or cultural heritage institution.
• Experience with TMS and/or Preservica or comparable collection management and digital preservation systems.
• Experience working on grant-funded collections, preservation or digitization projects.