Job Posting: Archives Processing Assistant
September 11th, 2018 – February 1st, 2019
$19/hour
30 hours per week
Monday – Thursday
General Information
The Jewish Museum and Archives of BC is dedicated to the collection and sharing of community memories of Jewish life in British Columbia. Through innovative exhibits and programming, the JMABC builds bridges with the diverse communities of BC and heightens awareness of the rich 150 year history of Jews in BC. As part of the mandate of the JMABC, the archives documents, acquires and preserves archival records, thereby safeguarding the history of the Jewish community of British Columbia.
The JMABC seeks an Archives Processing Assistant for the JMABC Archives Accessibility Project, working to process and make available family fonds in the archives.
This project will focus on processing and providing collection-level access to approximately 20 archival collections currently held at the JMABC, building towards a goal of improving the discoverability and accessibility of the JMABC archival holdings.
These unprocessed collections are comprised largely of small family fonds, and include materials such as correspondence, photographs, and regional memorabilia. This backlog of collections is only processed on an ad-hoc basis, relying largely on the efforts of volunteers. By hiring an Archives Processing Assistant this project will be systematically undertaken, ensuring not only its completion, but also consistency in the results. The Archives Processing Assistant will be responsible for processing these collections, including appraisal, arrangement, description, and the creation of a finding aid, which will then be made available through the JMABC’s online database, AtoM (Access to Memory). The successful completion of this project will result in a significant reduction in the current backlog, allowing the archives to continue to pursue large archival donations, as well as continued digitization efforts.
The archival collections included in this project are family fonds, with many community leaders’ personal lives being represented within the collections, and also feature a large number of photographs and audio-visual materials that require appraisal and preservation activities. Upon the completion of this project finding aids will greatly enhance the public accessibility of these collections, as well as improving the internal ability to prioritize collections for digitization and exhibition.
Requirements:
The ideal candidate for the Archives Processing Assistant at the JMABC will have:
- A demonstrated interest in working in an archival or heritage institution shown through previous volunteer or paid work experiences and/or an academic background in a related field such as history, anthropology, museum studies, library studies or archival studies. Preferences may be given to recent graduates of Archival Studies programs.
- Basic computer skills and will be comfortable working independently at a computer station. Any experience working with databases or digital imaging software such as Adobe Photoshop will be considered an asset.
- Excellent English communication skills, both written and verbal.
- An enthusiastic attitude.
The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia advocates a barrier-free workplace and encourages all qualified candidates to apply.
Applicants must apply with a resume and cover-letter by the application deadline. The application deadline for the Archives Processing Assistant Position is August 31st, 2018.
Please email all applications to:
Alysa Routtenberg, Archivist