Archives Technician

Archives Technician

Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Job Description:

The Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (FRM) seeks an archives technician with responsibility for various tasks related to the management and use of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s vast collection of library and archival materials (including paper, photographs, negatives, microfilm, books, serials, and electronic materials), working under the supervision of the Site Administrator and in collaboration and consultation with the Curator 2, the Museum’s Collections Committee, the PHMC Collections Committee, and PHMC Collections Management. The successful candidate will have excellent written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal skills; a strong background/interest in history and material culture; and computer, database, and multi-media skills. Some lifting of up to 20 pounds may be required.

About the Employer:

The Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (FRM) was formed in 1983 and is chartered and licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as an associate nonprofit organization which assists the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in fulfilling its mission to document, preserve and interpret the rich and diverse heritage of railroading in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania hosts about 80,000-100,000 visitors annually, and FRM staff and volunteers play a key role in the Museum’s daily operations in visitor services, education, restoration, library and archives, administration, advancement and the museum store. Presently, the nearly 1,500 memberships with the FRM include guests from many US states and several foreign countries.

Work Location:

Primarily in an office setting at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Road, Strasburg, PA 17579. The Library & Archives are located mainly on the Museum’s second floor.

Schedule:

This is a full-time, hourly position for a maximum of 37.5 hours weekly (or 75 hours bi-weekly); some evening and weekend hours may be required. Scheduling is flexible and will be coordinated with the Site Administrator and other staff members. This position is Monday through Friday, with the workday starting at 8:30 AM and concluding at 5:00 PM, with a one-hour lunch break. The Museum is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday, 12 PM to 4 PM.

Compensation:

Compensation commensurate with education and experience, starting at $19 per hour.

Minimum Requirements:

· Bachelor’s degree in history, American studies, applied history, museum studies or a related area.

· Experience in a museum, archives, and/or library setting.

· Effective teamwork, customer service, common courtesy, and communication skills.

· Experience working with library and archival materials (including paper, photographs, negatives, microfilm, books, serials, and electronic materials).

· A basic understanding of computer and internet-based data management.

· A familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite programs like Word, Excel, Power Point, and Publisher.

· Experience with photo scanning and photo-editing software.

Other Requirements:

· Must obtain: (1) Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Background Check; (2) Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance; and (3) an FBI Criminal History Clearance.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Collections Management

· Interfaces with potential donors of archival material and determines whether potential donations meet the needs of the Museum, in consultation with the Curator 2 and PHMC Collections Committee.

· Helps the Curator 2 prepare acquisition and deaccession recommendations of archival and library material for the PHMC Collections Committee.

· Processes, identifies, classifies, arranges and catalogs accessioned archival and library collections.

· Re-houses archival material and delicate library items into acid-free enclosures.

· Scans and ascribes metadata tags to images for the FRM’s online database.

· Oversees day-to-day operations of the Library & Archives, including the volunteers who work there.

· Works with staff to determine project priorities and to assign volunteers accordingly.

Research

· Receives and answers incoming research inquiries, either in person, by mail, by email, or by phone.

· Fills photo orders and supplies copies of archival and library material to customers according to the Museum’s prescribed fee structure.

· Works with outside vendors to digitize archival materials when required.

· Assists in the preparation of exhibitions, including the drafting of exhibit labels and the printing of reproduction photographs and documents.

· Prepares scholarly articles for The Milepost, the FRM’s membership publication.

Other Responsibilities

· Manages budgeted funds and restricted gifts assigned specifically to the Library & Archives.

· Prepares a monthly report of activities related to the Library & Archives for the Site Administrator.

· Occasionally gives behind-the-scenes tours of archival and library collections areas.

· Attends professional meetings and conferences to stay current on museum archival and library “best practices.”

· Performs other duties as required.

· This position works in conjunction with the Site Administrator and the Curator 2.

Additional Notes: (Additional information related to this position.)

· The FRM Archives Technician is a non-exempt, regular employee (see FRM employee handbook section 201.2 and 202.0) that works 75 hours per pay period.

· The FRM Archives Technician will receive overtime pay or compensatory time for any additional hours worked in a pay period.

· As stated in section 301.2 of the FRM employee handbook, the FRM Archives Technician may make schedule adjustments with permission from the Site Administrator.

· The Site Administrator will conduct an annual Employee Performance Review (EPR) of the FRM Archives Technician in the first six weeks of each fiscal year. As stated in section 403.1 of the FRM employee handbook, the Site Administrator will perform periodic salary reviews for the position.

· While the FRM Archives Technician reports to the Site Administrator, they will be required to coordinate activities with other individuals, such as the Curator 2, the Museum’s Collections Committee, the PHMC Collections Committee, and PHMC Collections Management among others.

· The FRM Archives Technician will be responsible for determining work priorities based upon present needs (for example, the volume and urgency of research inquiries) and in concert with the Curator 2.

· The FRM Archives Technician will submit a bi-weekly time sheet to the FRM business office.

· The FRM Archives Technician will submit a brief monthly report to the Site Administrator on activities in the Library & Archives, including the number of research inquiries answered, scans completed, collections accessions and deaccessions processed, and data entered.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $19.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift

Ability to Commute:

• Strasburg, PA 17579 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Strasburg, PA 17579: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $19