UCLA Library
Professional Position Posting
Head, Center for Primary Research and Training
Library Special Collections
Department: Library Special Collections
Rank and Salary: Salary and appointment level based on experience and
qualifications.
Associate Librarian I - VII ($48,029 - $68,892)
Librarian Rank I - IV ($68,892 - $88,488)
Position Availability: Immediately
The UCLA Library seeks applications/nominations for the position of
Head, Center for Primary Research and Training, Library Special
Collections.
Description of Institution and Library
One of ten University of California campuses, the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is located in Westwood Village,
approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean near Santa Monica.
Comprised of the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional
schools, the 419-acre campus features 174 buildings, including the
Center for Health Sciences. UCLA has more than 6,300 faculty and
academic staff and approximately 26,000 employees. Founded in 1919,
UCLA offers 118 undergraduate degree programs and 200 graduate
programs and has more than 24,800 undergraduates and 10,800 graduate
students. Academic excellence, faculty distinction, and a
comprehensive curriculum are hallmarks of UCLA, which is a member of
the Association of American Universities. Among the faculty are five
Nobel Laureates, nine National Medal of Science winners, seven
MacArthur Grant winners, and 52 Guggenheim Fellows. UCLA is
California's largest university and is a model for public institutions
of higher education. As the 10th largest employer in the region, UCLA
generates almost $9 in economic activity for every $1 state taxpayers
invest in UCLA and generates an annual $6 billion economic impact on
the greater Los Angeles region.
Ranked among the top 10 academic research libraries in North America,
the UCLA Library is comprised of 8 major libraries and 13 library wide
departments and the Southern Regional Library Facility, the remote
storage facility for the southern UC campuses, reporting to the
University Librarian. In addition, there are 12 affiliated libraries
and library units located on the campus. There are approximately 125
librarians on the campus, and the UCLA Library has a staff of
approximately 350 and approximately 600 - 700 student employees. The
Library has an organizational structure that includes the use of teams
in conjunction with departments and units. The library collection
consists of more than 9 million volumes and more than 78,000 current
serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources
collection. The Library's annual budget is in excess of $33.9 million;
more than $10 million supports the acquisition of print and digital
material, and the library is part of the California Digital Library.
The UCLA Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries
(ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Center for
Research Libraries (CRL), the Council on Library and Information
Resources (CLIR), International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions (IFLA), and the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources
Coalition (SPARC).
Library Special Collections (LSC) is a new department created by the
integration of five formerly separate units: Charles E. Young Research
Library Department of Special Collections, University Archives,
Performing Arts Special Collections, the Louise M. Darling Biomedical
Library History of Science and Medicine Special Collections, and the
Center for Oral History Research. The Center for Primary Research and
Training (CFPRT) forms an important component of the LSC Collection
Management division, which is charged with employing a coordinated
approach to accessioning, cataloging, processing, and preserving the
holdings of all formats and subject areas in the department.
The UCLA Library created the Center for Primary Research and Training
to integrate the Library more fully into the teaching and research
mission of the university. The Center provides a substantive
educational experience for graduate students by training them in
archival methods and makes accessible lesser-known collections through
the creation of finding aids or guides. The Center is externally
funded by generous philanthropic organizations, including the Ahmanson
Foundation and Arcadia Fund, which have made significant contributions
toward an endowment for the program. Recognizing that faculty in the
social sciences, humanities, and the performing and visual arts want
to give their students experience with primary sources and that many
graduate students are looking for original subjects for theses and
dissertations, the Center pairs students with unprocessed or
under-processed collections in their areas of interest. The students
have access to materials that others have not yet fully investigated,
and their training in archival organization and description results in
making those collections more accessible to other researchers. CFPRT
Fellows are compensated at a rate competitive with similar on-campus
employment options such as teaching and research assistantships. The
Center has become a nationally recognized model for processing
collections and is a fundamental component to the mission of the UCLA
Library. Under the general direction of the Head of Collection
Management, the Head of the CFPRT manages and oversees all activities
associated with the Center.
Position Duties
Reporting to the Head of Collection Management, the incumbent will be
responsible for the following duties:
* Coordinate, manage and oversee all processing activities
associated with the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT),
including arranging and re-housing materials, and creating finding
aids and catalog records
* Collaborate with faculty on processing projects and the
recruitment of CFPRT students
* Participate in instruction, curate exhibits, and plan other
public events relating to the CFPRT
* Supervise the work of up to ten UCLA graduate students per
academic quarter, guiding and advising them on a day-to-day basis on
archival processing tasks (arrangement, description, and preservation)
* Train students, volunteers, and staff to create and input
descriptive data to a database that will output finding aids that
follow nationally-accepted archival description standards, such as
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and OAC Best Practices
Guidelines (OACBPG)
* Train students in research for the purpose of developing
finding aid front matter and collection-level MARC records
* Responsible for tracking all CFPRT workflow in a management database
* Provide interim progress reports as requested by Head of
Collection Management and Director of Library Special Collections
* Process collections and create finding aids
* Develop policies, procedures, and activities as they relate
to the CFPRT and collection management
* Draft funding proposals and annual reports relating to
activities in the CFPRT
* Collaborate with curators, public services staff and
collection management staff on setting processing priorities
* Lead monthly meetings with CFPRT fellows
* Participate in reference activities, as needed
* Participate in policy and procedure development related to
accessioning, processing, cataloging, and preservation
* May also assume other responsibilities as assigned
Required Qualifications
* ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library or Information
Science OR significant graduate-level coursework toward such a degree
OR equivalent education and experience (subject expertise combined
with professional library education and/or experience)
* Minimum of two years professional experience working in
special collections in an academic or research library
* Demonstrated experience in archival appraisal, arrangement,
description, and preservation
* Demonstrated experience of supervising staff or students in
a special collections within an academic or research library,
including recruiting, training, reviewing work, and evaluating
performance
* Demonstrated successful project management experience in
special collections and/or archival settings
* Demonstrated knowledge, understanding, and ability to
maintain an awareness of current developments and uses of archival
processing trends and digital information technologies and their uses
in special collections
* Demonstrated knowledge and ability to stay abreast of
privacy, confidentiality, copyright and use policies associated with
special collections materials
* Demonstrated knowledge of professional standards and
practices relating to appraisal, arrangement, description, and
preservation of manuscript and archival holdings.
* Knowledge of the following standards: DACS, MARC, EAD,
LCNAF, LCSH, and other thesauri
* Excellent organizational, time, and project management skills
* Ability to monitor and measure progress toward project goals
and to complete projects within agreed upon deadlines
* Excellent oral and written communication skills and
interpersonal skills
* Demonstrated proficiency and capabilities with personal
computers and software, the Web, and library-relevant information
technology applications, databases, and websites
* Ability to troubleshoot technological hardware and software problems
* Working knowledge of standard computer office applications
such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, ---Access, PowerPoint or other
productivity software
* Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively
both as a team member and independently and to promote teamwork among
colleagues. Ability to cultivate positive relations with staff,
co-workers, and other constituencies and to represent LSC in a
professional manner to such constituencies
* Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment
and workplace and ability to work with a diverse student and faculty
population
* Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous,
future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and
to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities
* Commitment to professional issues demonstrated through
strong interest in local or national committee work, research, or
publication
Desired Qualifications
* Second subject master's degree in social sciences or
humanities discipline
* Certified Archivist
* Working/reading knowledge of at least one foreign language,
preferably a Romance language
* Experience in writing funding proposals
* Experience in working with Archivist's Toolkit
* Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Access or other
relational database software
* Knowledge of AACR2 and RDA
General Information
Professional librarians at UC are academic appointees and are
represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council -
American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). They are entitled to
appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave,
one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to
non-faculty academic personnel. UC has an excellent retirement system
and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life
insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Relocation assistance
is provided.
Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional
backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork,
and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional
degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate
program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service
within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian
series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of
the library, university and community service, and scholarly
activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such
contributions.
Application Procedures
Anyone wishing to be considered for this position should apply to
Jenifer Abramson, Assistant Director of Academic Human Resources, UCLA
Library, Library Human Resources, 22478 Charles E. Young Research
Library, Box 951575, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575.
E-mail applications are encouraged and can be sent to
<jobs-hr(a)library.ucla.edu>du>. Applications should include:
a cover letter describing qualifications and experience;
a current resume/vita detailing education and relevant experience; and
the names and addresses for at least three professional references,
including a current or previous supervisor.
Candidates applying by September 1, 2011 will be given first
consideration. UCLA welcomes and encourages diversity and seeks
applications and nominations from women and minorities. UCLA seeks to
recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our
commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the
excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied
disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.
UCLA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/ADA-compliant
employer. Under federal law, the University of California may employ
only individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United
States as established by providing documents specified in the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Employment is contingent
upon completion of satisfactory background investigation.
Visit the UCLA Library Employment Opportunities Web site at
<http://www2.library.ucla.edu/about/employment.cfm>.
_______________________________
Kelley Wolfe Bachli
Head of Collection Management
UCLA Library Special Collections
kbachli(a)library.ucla.edu
Tel. (310)206-7633