The Raynor Library at Marquette University seeks a creative, collaborative, enthusiastic professional for the position of processing and reference archivist. The position will be responsible for the acquisition, appraisal, description, management, and preservation of archival collections. While the primary focus of the position will be on manuscript collections, the processing and reference archivist may also engage with university records.

Raynor Library offers a collegial work environment that fosters creativity, engagement, and personal growth. Collaboration is encouraged with library colleagues, Marquette faculty, and others on initiatives that enhance student success, advance faculty research, and foster belonging. Professional development funds and other resources are provided to allow Raynor Library’s participating faculty to grow in their positions and succeed. The library embraces Marquette University’s Catholic, Jesuit commitment to the dignity of each individual, regardless of age, culture, faith, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, disability or social class, and welcomes candidates with a wide range of lived experience.

Essential Functions

• Managing the Native American collections, the Joseph McCarthy collection, and other collections to be determined.
• Arranging, describing, managing, preserving, and providing access to manuscript and university archives records, both born digital and analog.
• Providing in-person and remote reference and research services.
• Developing exhibits in collaboration with the department and as a member of the library’s exhibits committee.
• Engaging in professional development and contributing to the archival profession.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Arranging, describing, and stewarding collections in a variety of formats, following departmental guidelines and priorities, as well as current professional standards.
• Creating digital collections, using appropriate metadata standards, and associated content.
• Providing research and reference service to onsite and remote researchers, both from the Marquette community and the general pubic.
• Developing and maintaining knowledge of the collections held by the department.
• Supervising and training student assistants.
• Contributing to exhibits developed by the department and by the library exhibits committee.
• Participating in library initiatives, special projects, committees, and meetings as appropriate.
• Maintaining currency in best practices and trends in archival arrangement and description.
• Actively participating in archival associations and/or other relevant professional service.

Review of applications begins January 5, 2026 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• ALA-accredited master’s degree in library or information science with a specialization in archives.
• One year of experience in an archive or manuscript collection as an employee or intern, and/or coursework or experience resulting in knowledge of principles and practice for archival processing.
• Knowledge of archival and manuscript collections arrangement, description, electronic records management principles and practices, and digital preservation theory and practice.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with a diverse range of individuals and groups.
• Knowledge of metadata standards and reformatting guidelines.
• Superior interpersonal, communication, and writing skills.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience working in an academic library or higher education.
• Experience supervising student workers.
• Experience with Preservica, ContentDM, or other tools for archival collection management and digital preservation.
• Experience creating digital exhibits with Omeka.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying DACS, EAD and XML, and familiarity with Dublin Core, AACR2, LCSH, and MARC.
• Working knowledge of current archival descriptive standards, intellectual property rights, and issues related to born-digital content and digital conversion of archival materials.

About Marquette University Raynor Library

Marquette University is located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee—a beautiful, diverse, and walkable city with a rich history located on the shores of Lake Michigan. The university is a private, Catholic, Jesuit doctoral-granting institution with 7,700 undergraduates, 3,600 graduate students, and 2,500 faculty and staff. Student success, access to education, and service are emphasized by the university in its work to educate well-rounded servant leaders who transform their fields, their society, and the world. Raynor Library, which sits at the intellectual and geographic center of Marquette’s campus, houses a 1.8 million volume print collection, many one-of-a-kind archival collections, and an online collection that includes 2.5 million e-books and 500 databases. Raynor Library welcomes candidates with a wide range of lived experience and who enjoy working with individuals of diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and perspectives.

Connections working at Marquette University Raynor Library