Archivist for Athletics
| Published | May 10, 2024 |
| Location | 1150 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Category | Academic |
| Job Type | Full-time |
| Apply Here | https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/248775/archivist-athletics |
| Cover Letter Requirements | Required |
| Education Requirements | Master's degree with archival coursework, or advanced degree in an allied discipline combined with relevant experience |
| Minimum Compensation in Local Currency | $58,000 |
| Maximum Compensation in Local Currency | $68,000 |
| Hourly or Salary? | Salary |
| Pay Grade | This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the Lecturers Employee Organization, AFL-CIO, on behalf of their Librarian, Archivists, and Curator bargaining unit (LEO-GLAM) |
| X (formerly Twitter) Handle | @umichBentley |
Description
The Bentley Historical Library (BHL) seeks an enthusiastic, collaborative, and innovative archivist to document and preserve the history of athletic competition at the University of Michigan.
Under the general supervision of the Bentley's Assistant Director and Archivist for University History, the Athletics Archivist is responsible for building, maintaining, preserving, promoting, and providing access to athletic-related archival content, in a variety of formats, chronicling the history and development of athletic competition and the administration of athletics at Michigan.
The Bentley Library collects and makes available material about athletics ranging from student- managed teams in the 19th century to today's current Athletic Department and dedicated athletic facilities. Since 1990, the Bentley Library has partnered with the Athletic Department to develop one of the most comprehensive archives of collegiate athletics publicly available anywhere.
The position will also support and participate in the general work of the university archives including field work, general historical inquiries, instructional support, reference, and outreach.
Responsibilities
Provide reference and outreach services with subject matter expertise on the history of intercollegiate athletic competition at the University of Michigan (40%)
- In collaboration with the Bentley Reference team, respond to internal and external queries relating to athletics, including requests originating from U-M's Sports Information Office, and requests originating from sports media and networks
- Work with organizers of special events and team reunions to locate images and content
- In collaboration with the Archivist for Academic Programs, support and encourage the use of athletics-related archival material in classroom instruction
- Participate in the on-site reference rotation answering in-person and remote reference questions based on subject expertise and knowledge of the Bentley Library's collections.
Acquisition and field work (20%)
- Lead acquisition efforts in the area of athletics, including targeted field work with athletic administrative offices, staff, and coaches to expand and strengthen holdings
- Collaborate with colleagues in University History to support general university history field work
- Serve as the lead for offers of athletic-related content from new and existing donors
- Work with content managers to import annual roster data and results for all 29 varsity sports, and update the all-time roster databases and historic results databases
- Identify websites for archival web crawling and preservation by Bentley's curation team
- Monitor monographs and publications to add to existing holdings
Support for description and digitization (25%)
- Collaborate with the curation team on the arrangement and description of archival records pertaining to athletic history
- Enhance existing description of archival collections relating to athletics in order to facilitate and promote discovery and use
- Improve and enhance description of digitized images of athletics and athletes
- Work with the Bentley's curation team on digitization projects, and to extract content from removable media
- Participate in identification of photographs, negatives, and audiovisual materials of athletic competition and individual athletes for digitization
Professional development and service (10%)
- Expand professional expertise by attending professional conferences and workshops and engaging in continuing education opportunities
- Contribute to the archival profession, whether through professional organizations or other efforts relevant to the job
- Participate in library-wide planning and committee work as appropriate
Other duties as assigned (5%)
Required Qualifications
- Master's degree with archival coursework, or advanced degree in an allied discipline combined with relevant experience
- Experience providing reference services using primary source materials
- Familiarity with current trends in teaching with primary sources
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of collection development and field work
- Familiarity with born-digital records appraisal, description, and preservation
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and tasks and to work effectively, both independently and collaboratively, in a dynamic environment with a diverse group of colleagues and external stakeholders
- Experience arranging and describing archival collections of varying sizes and formats
- Excellent interpersonal, organizational, written, and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, and a commitment to professional engagement and continuous learning
- Comfort with and ability to learn new technologies
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and serving the needs of a diverse population.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with born-digital records appraisal, description, and preservation
- Experience working with analog film and video
- Experience with ArchivesSpace, Archivists' Toolkit, or another collection management system
- Experience engaging public audiences with archival material, both in a classroom environment and with the public
- Expertise in the history of collegiate athletics
Experience with digital asset management systems
Underfill Statement
Appointment is anticipated at the Assistant, Associate, or Senior Associate rank. Salary and rank are dependent on your qualifications and experience. The target salary for this position is $58,000 for the Assistant Archivist rank, $64,000 for the Associate Archivist rank, or $68,000 for the Senior Associate Archivist rank.
Additional Information
- Work is completed primarily onsite with some remote possibilities.
- Must be able to routinely move boxes up to 40 pounds and to occasionally ascend/descend ladders and/or stairs.
Union Affiliation
This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the Lecturers Employee Organization, AFL-CIO, on behalf of their Librarian, Archivists, and Curator bargaining unit (LEO-GLAM), which contains and settles all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO/AA Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.