Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor

Indiana University; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Indiana University Indianapolis invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor in the American Studies Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. The project archivist will lead the arrangement, description, preservation, and public-access preparation of approximately 186 linear feet of unprocessed Ray Bradbury Collection materials.

Applicants should have archival processing experience, knowledge of metadata standards, and hands-on ArchivesSpace experience.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in LIS with archival training.
• Experience arranging, processing, and describing archival collections.
• Hands-on ArchivesSpace experience; knowledge of DACS and EAD.
• Experience with structured data, CSV, or metadata migration.
• Understanding of provenance, arrangement, preservation, and access.
• Strong written communication and project-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead arrangement, description, preservation, and public-access prep of ~186 linear feet of unprocessed Ray Bradbury Collection materials.
• Collaborate with IU Libraries, University Collections, and the Arts and Humanities Institute.
• Ensure archival processing standards and metadata quality.
• Report to the Center Director and coordinate with on-campus teams.

Skills

Archival processing

Metadata standards

Provenance and arrangement

Descriptive practices

Project management

Written communication

Organizational skills

Fragile materials handling

Education

ALA-accredited LIS degree

Graduate archival training

Tools

ArchivesSpace

CSV files

EAD

DACS

Job description

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online . You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at [e-mail]

The Ray Bradbury Center in the School of Liberal Arts at IU Indianapolis invites applicants for a Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor position in the American Studies Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. The person in this position will bring expertise as an experienced Project Archivist to lead the arrangement, description, preservation, and public-access preparation of approximately 186 linear feet of unprocessed manuscript materials from the Ray Bradbury Collection. The Center holds over 150,000 manuscript pages, four decades of correspondence, Bradbury’s working library of nearly 4,000 volumes, and the contents of his home office. This role requires prior archival processing experience, knowledge of archival metadata standards, and hands-on ArchivesSpace (or comparable) experience. Bradbury’s filing practices were often associative and inconsistent, so the archivist must exercise sound professional judgment when original order is unclear. The Project Archivist reports to the Center’s Director and collaborates with IU Libraries, University Collections, and the IU Indianapolis Arts and Humanities Institute.

Established in 2007, the Ray Bradbury Center is the only public archive dedicated exclusively to Ray Bradbury (1920–2012), preserving manuscripts, correspondence, artwork, AV materials, and memorabilia documenting his creative and professional life. IU Indianapolis is opening a purpose-built reference library, reading room, and archival storage facility for the Center in October 2026. This position offers the opportunity to establish lasting intellectual and physical control over a major American literary archive and make it available for scholarly and public use.

The initial appointment for this grant-funded visiting position is December 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. This position requires regular on-campus presence.

As the state’s premier urban research institution, IU Indianapolis is a dynamic campus of over 20,000 students and has been recognized for excellence in civic engagement and community partnerships. IU Indianapolis is committed to being a welcoming campus community and we seek candidates whose scholarly efforts contribute to robust learning and working environments for all students, staff, and faculty.

Basic Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an ALA -accredited LIS program, or equivalent graduate degree with substantial archival training.
• Professional experience arranging, processing, and describing archival or manuscript collections, including applying archival metadata/descriptive standards.
• Hands-on experience with ArchivesSpace or a comparable collection management system; working knowledge of DACS and EAD.
• Experience with structured data, spreadsheets, CSV files, or metadata migration workflows.
• Demonstrated understanding of provenance, arrangement, description, preservation, and access; ability to make defensible arrangement decisions independently.
• Strong written communication, organizational, and project-management skills; ability to handle fragile and sensitive materials appropriately.

Preferred Qualifications

• Multiple years processing large or complex personal papers, literary manuscripts, or 20th-century cultural collections.
• Experience with complex, multi-level finding aids; advanced ArchivesSpace and CSV /batch-import experience; legacy metadata normalization.
• Experience with restricted records, authority control, and mixed-format collections (photographs, art, AV, oversize).
• Familiarity with 20th-century American literature, science fiction, or publishing history; experience on grant-funded processing projects.

For Best Consideration Date 10/15/2026

Expected Start Date 12/01/2026

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * Have you previously been employed with IU?
  • Yes
  • No