The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library (AUC Woodruff Library) supports the teaching and learning missions of three institutions of higher learning that comprise the world’s largest consortium of HBCUs—Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Conveniently located and easily accessible to the campuses, the AUC Woodruff Library is the center of intellectual and social life at the Atlanta University Center.
The AUC Woodruff Library seeks a dynamic and relationship?driven professional to lead donor and community engagement initiatives that elevate awareness, access, and stewardship of the John R. Lewis Congressional Papers and other significant archival collections. Reporting to the Director of the Archives Research Center and working closely with the Strategic Partnerships, Communications, and Engagement department, the Community Engagement and Partnerships Archivist serves as a primary liaison between archival donors, community stakeholders, and the Library.
This role is instrumental in building lasting partnerships, cultivating donor trust, and creating inclusive, community?centered programming that expands public access to archives. Through outreach, education, collaboration, and stewardship, the position advances the Library’s mission to preserve, interpret, and activate collections for current and future generations. This position will be responsible for outreach, curating community-centered activities, leading educational programming, and partnering with other academic and community organizations to promote collections and increase accessibility.
Supervision Exercised: None
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
Donor & Community Relationship Management
Cultivates and sustains meaningful relationships with archival donors, community members, and organizational partners through consistent communication, personalized engagement, and stewardship activities.
Serves as a primary point of contact for established archival donors, ensuring transparency, trust, and timely reporting on collection-related updates when appropriate.
Identifies and develops strategic partnerships that expand community participation, amplify donor impact, and increase visibility of archival collections.
Community Engagement, Outreach & Education
Designs and delivers community?centered programs, including workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and educational events (both in?person and virtual), that highlight and interpret archival collections.
Collaborates with the Communications Manager to develop compelling outreach materials, including social media content, presentations, newsletters, and public?facing communications related to archival processes and collections.
Contributes to the development of interpretive and educational materials that contextualize archival holdings and enhance public understanding and accessibility.
Archives Reference & Research Support
Assists researchers, students, and community members in accessing archival collections, providing reference services that support scholarly inquiry and public engagement.
Strategic Collaboration & Representation
Works collaboratively with internal library departments, faculty, nonprofit foundations, cultural organizations, and academic institutions to develop shared initiatives, programming, and events.
Represents the AUC Woodruff Library at conferences, public programs, donor meetings, and community forums to promote awareness of archival collections and engagement opportunities.
Experience:
Minimum of two (2) years of experience in a library, archives, or special collections environment (including internships, fellowships, student or volunteer work, or community archiving).
Demonstrated experience in donor relations, community engagement, partnership development, or event coordination preferred.
Background in public programming, education, or community?based organizing strongly preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work, with strong project management skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Commitment to continuous personal and professional improvement in cultural diversity competence.
Ability to work independently and effectively as part of a team.
Ability to initiate and lead collaborations with diverse constituencies.
Demonstrated interest in 20th century African American history and culture.
Established in 1982, the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, Inc. (AUC Woodruff Library) partners with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. The library provides information management, instruction and access to a variety of global information resources acquired and organized in support of teaching and learning, scholarship and cultural preservation of the Atlanta University Center and African American history and has evolved into a model repository of information resources and a front-runner in the innovative delivery of digital resources.
The Library's premier Archives Research Center provides collaborative leadership in preservation, access and collection development of unique archival resources documenting African American history and culture and is noted for its holdings of materials on the African American experience, including the John Henrik Clarke Africana and African American Collection, the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Collection, The Henry P. Slaughter and Countee Cullen memorial Collection, Black Women in Radio Historic Collection and the Southern Education Foundation Collection. The Archives Research Center is the repository... of institutional records for selected schools within the Atlanta University Center and it serves as custodian of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, jr. Collection. In July 2022, the AUC Woodruff Library became the 127th member of the Association Research Libraries, becoming the second HBCU in its history to achieve this distinction.
