The fixed-term Project Processing Archivist will assess, preserve, and make accessible archival material related to Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) history, primarily our collections and exhibitions. The Project Processing Archivist position is a grant-funded role with a fixed-term of three years, and is part of an ongoing priority to meaningfully interpret and expand access to the Museums' history, and to our commitment in making FAMSF a more diverse, accessible, and inclusive institution. 

The Project Processing Archivist will be skilled in processing archival material (including interpreting museum documentation) which will include retrieving, assessing, arranging, rehousing, and describing materials in our backlog, held off-site, and/or transferred from FAMSF departments. This position will also collaborate with a wide range of art museum professionals and assist in developing procedures and workflows for archival descriptions held in ArchivesSpace and TMS. In collaboration with the Head of Library & Archives, the Project Processing Archivist will help define best practices in the creation and revision of policies and procedures for the management and access of the decentralized FAMSF archival holdings. 

Typical Duties and Responsibilities:  

1. Apply current best practices to managing assigned archival processing projects; survey project collections; create processing plans for assigned collections; arrange, rehouse, and describe assigned collections;
2. Process collections using both the “More Product, Less Process” (MPLP) and flexible-level approaches to maximize collection accessibility while remaining amenable to institutional needs, then create EAD-compliant finding aids using ArchivesSpace;
3. Creates work plans documenting basic information about the collection and processing, including the arrangement scheme, the estimated duration of the project, and any decisions made during the project;
4. Contributes to reparative description projects and utilizes national and local best practices for creating anti-racist and anti-oppressive archival description;
5. Manages ArchivesSpace, which will include reviewing existing policies and procedures and creating new ones based on best practices;
6. Assures appropriate handling, physical housing, and storage of collection materials, in addition to referring items to conservation;
7. Employ basic preservation methods for various materials including paper-based and photographic materials;
8. Support records retention efforts as it relates to identifying and transferring materials for permanent storage in the archives;
9. Recommends targets for digitization and assist in the loading of digital images and metadata into TMS; 
10. Provide reference request assistance (and maintains metrics) for FAMSF curatorial and conservation staff, interns, and fellows;
11. Respond to complex communications in carrying out daily operations in person, in writing, via telephone and e-mail and participate with FAMSF colleagues, as needed;
12. Provides support for institutional projects as appropriate and within bandwidth constraints. 

Education: ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in Library and/or Information Science with emphasis in Archives Management combined with an undergraduate degree in Art History or related discipline. 

Work Experience: At least two years of experience in archival processing (appraisal, arrangement, and description).

Skills and Abilities:

Required:

• Experience with multiple analog and digital formats, including textual, visual, and audiovisual;
• Ability to identify and address preservation needs for various analog archival materials (paper, photographic processes, scrapbooks, etc.);
• Demonstrated knowledge of current archival theory, practice, and standards, including MARC, DACS, and EAD;
• Experience using and managing ArchivesSpace; 
• Ability to implement and uphold archival policies and procedures per industry best practices and standards; 
• Familiarity with records management practices, most importantly with the lifecycle ending in archival transfers;
• Understanding of space planning for archives; 
• Familiarity with digital preservation and digitization practices; 
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, manage projects, and meet deadlines; 
• Ability to thrive in a team-based environment and build collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationships with people of varying backgrounds;
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, and oral and written communication skills; 
• Ability to be flexible and responsive to an evolving work environment; 
• Ability to visually inspect work and carry out physical maneuvers that will include lifting,  carrying, pushing, pulling, kneeling, climbing, balancing, stooping, crouching, and reaching;
• Ability to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds. 

Preferred:

• Experience working in a museum archives setting; 
• Working knowledge of The Museum System (TMS);
• Familiarity with the use of bibliographic information systems (such as OCLC);
• Demonstrated willingness to acquire and use new computing skills, such as learning new software applications and exploring innovative tools and services;
• Exposure to coursework or demonstrated experience specifically addressing digital preservation;
• Working knowledge of the Library of Congress Subject Headings, Library of Congress Name Authority, and other authorities.

Working Conditions:

• While performing the duties of this job, this position is required to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs and ladders, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk or hear, and maneuver in a compressed stacks environment;
• This position must routinely lift and/or move up to 40 pounds; 
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision and distance vision;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to quiet.

Additional:

Schedule: This 3-year, fixed-term Union position is eligible for a hybrid schedule with a minimum of four days per week onsite, and with the understanding that it may vary depending on operational needs. This position has an expected timeline of January 2025 to December 2027.

The benefits package includes medical, dental, vision and 401(k), and paid time off.

The hourly rate for Step 1 of 7 on the union wage scale for this role is $29.53.

Application deadline: Monday, October 21, 2024 (9pm PDT)

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HumanResources@famsf.org.

We recommend all new COFAM employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 but it is not required. Please contact humanresources@famsf.org with any questions.

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COFAM is the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums and is the privately funded non-profit corporation which supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a department of the City and County of San Francisco.

COFAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all phases of employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, we are the largest public arts institution in the City of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in the United States. The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa. The Legion of Honor displays a collection of over 4,000 years of ancient and European art including Auguste Rodin's The Thinker and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a Beaux-Arts style building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.