Undergraduate Collections Assistant (Work Study Only)

CP02 Chatham College for Work Study Students; United States; In loco; USD 13.000 - 18.000; Part-time

Descrizione del lavoro

Chatham University’s Carnegie Museums of Natural History in Pittsburgh seeks an Undergraduate Collections Assistant (Work Study) to support archival projects, digitization, and collections tasks. You will reorganize archives, catalog specimens, and assist researchers in a dynamic museum setting.

Ideal candidates are undergraduate students in related fields with strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to work independently.

Competenze

• Eligible or pre-approved for Federal Work Study program
• Able to work 15 hours per week Fall 2026/Spring 2027, with a general schedule of 5–10 hours a week
• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in a related field
• Must obtain Pennsylvania Act 153 clearances (child abuse history, state police, FBI fingerprinting)
• Ability to go up and down a ladder and lift up to 50 lbs; extended sitting or computer work may be required
• Self-starters with intense attention to detail and strong organizational skills; able to take direction and work independently
• Undergraduate education in related fields such as anthropology, history, museum studies, archival studies, biology, ecology
• Previous experience with collection work, lab practices, or organizing and scanning documents/photos helpful
• Developing finding aids for archives and MS Access experience is a plus

Mansioni

• Reorganizing archives or museum papers
• Scanning and populating databases
• Project planning
• Interaction with staff and visiting researchers
• Collections management tasks (organizing, numbering specimens, sorting materials)

Conoscenze

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Self-starter

Independent work

Formazione

Undergraduate student in a related field

Strumenti

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Access

Descrizione del lavoro

Position Title

Undergraduate Collections Assistant (Work Study)

Location

Carnegie Museums of Natural History (Oakland), 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh PA, 15213

Department

Section of Mollusks (Malacology)

Employment Duration

Monday, August 24th, 2026 – Monday, May 3rd, 2027

Reports To

Mollusks Collection staff

Compensation

$11/hour

Purpose

The Natural History Undergraduate Collection Assistant will aid collection managers in projects and tasks central to the organization and study of museum collections, research, and specimens. Archival work will include reorganizing and digitizing section archives which consist of reports, field notes, archaeological site records, personnel files, correspondence, financial records, staff projects, exhibits documentation, and all other section documentation from the last 125 years. This work will require the physical reorganization of the archives space, digitization of paper and photo documents, and aiding in the creation of an archival access database using Microsoft Office applications. Collections assistants also perform duties and tasks in the scientific sections: organizing specimens, cataloging, lab work, etc. Student workers will be assigned to projects aligned with their areas of study and academic foci adjacent to vertebrate paleontology, geology, mollusks, ornithology, environmental science, ecology, biology, herpetology, education, and other museum sections.

Responsibilities

• Reorganizing archives or museum papers
• Scanning and populating databases
• Project planning
• Interaction with staff and visiting researchers
• Collections management tasks (organizing, numbering specimens, sorting materials)

Qualifications and Requirements

Students must qualify or be pre-approved for the Federal Work Study program

Must be able to work 15 hours per week during the Fall 2026/Spring 2027 terms, with a general schedule of at least 5-10 hours a week

Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in a related field

During museum registration and onboarding, the final candidate must obtain Pennsylvania Act 153 clearances, including Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, Pennsylvania State Police criminal history report, and FBI fingerprinting clearance

Some positions may require ability to go up and down a ladder and to lift boxes and other materials up to 50lbs. All positions may require extended periods of sitting or working at a computer

Candidates should be self-starters, intensely detail-oriented, and adept at organizational skills. They must also be able to take direction successfully and work independently without constant supervision

The successful candidate should have at least some undergraduate education in a related field such as anthropology, history, museum studies, archival studies, library and information systems, biology, ecology, environmental sciences.

Previous experience with collection work, laboratory practices, or organizing and scanning documents and photos is helpful.

Developing finding aids for archives and Microsoft Access experience are a plus.

Employer Brand & Diversity Statement

Chatham University strives to promote a campus environment that understands and embraces multiculturalism while increasing individuals' intercultural competence. We actively work to build and sustain a diverse and culturally vibrant campus, which promotes employee and student success and retention.

Chatham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Chatham University does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, age, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital or family status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that’s unique about our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to success, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it’s our people. Our employees are self-disciplined, hardworking, curious, trustworthy, humble and truthful. They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in our area.