Instruction and Exhibitions Librarian

Description

GENERAL PURPOSE

The Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation (RBSCP) department at the River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester seeks a knowledgeable, innovative, and service-oriented professional to create a new exhibitions program, as well as serve as a curator. This is a reimagined position. The successful candidate will be someone who can build a sustainable exhibitions program by working with curators, librarians, students, faculty, and community members, and staff from Digital Scholarship, Metadata, and Digital Initiatives. 

The successful candidate will have the latitude to create an exhibitions program from the ground up – we want to hire someone excited about the challenges and opportunities that come with creating and building something new. Up to the first two years of the position will be focused on building an exhibitions program. The program must be sustainable and meet preservation standards for special collections. After the program has been launched, exhibitions work will be focused on coordinating and creating exhibits that meet the needs and capacity of the department. 

In their curatorial role, the successful candidate will be proactive about outreach and instruction and take an interest in the subject areas they are responsible for. RBSCP is a vibrant research and learning space. We are looking for a colleague who will have the enthusiasm and curiosity necessary to make our collections richer and more widely known and who is interested in actively exploring ways to remove the barriers to special collections. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Exhibitions Program

Reimagine RBSCP’s exhibitions program and develop sustainable methods of exhibiting—formal, informal, physical, and digital.
Create and strengthen RBSCP’s policies, procedures and workflows for exhibitions and loans of RBSCP collection material.
Develop a plan to assess the impact of the Exhibitions Program.
 

Exhibitions

Create, coordinate, and manage exhibitions in a way that is sustainable given RBSCP’s spaces, staff, and collections.
Create and coordinate the creation of digital exhibits using Omeka S.
Use Photoshop and InDesign to create graphics for exhibitions.
Plan, design, and create exhibitions with a wide range of people, including colleagues, students, and the public and empower them to do the same.
Plan and coordinate events directly related to exhibition topics and themes with a wide range of people, including colleagues, students, and the public and empower them to do the same.
Serve as registrar for loans of RBSCP collection material.
 

Curatorial Responsibility

Assume primary curatorial responsibility for specific collecting areas within Special Collections. The collecting areas will be based on the needs of the department and the interest and experience of the incumbent candidate.
Provide meaningful, in-depth reference and consultation services to a diverse community of onsite and offsite users during regularly scheduled hours.
In consultation with colleagues and independently, acquire published and manuscript materials through gift and purchase and participate in collection development discussions.
Collaborate with the Special Collections Librarian and the Library Section Coordinator on the creation of content for social media across a range of platforms.
 

Instruction and Outreach

Build awareness and use of primary source materials through instruction, research, events, workshops, collaborative projects, and digital scholarship.
Build and maintain relationships with individuals and organizations across the Library, University, and the City of Rochester, including donors, potential donors, partners, and collaborators.
Independently, and in collaboration with colleagues, helps bolster the department’s instruction and outreach initiatives.
Develop discipline-specific instruction, engage new audiences, and increase support for the integration of special collections into undergraduate and graduate curricula.
Collaborate on the planning, publicity, and execution of events in the department and across the library, including tours and other programming that highlights RBSCP’s collections.
 

Professional Development

Maintain currency with library functions, resources, practices, and procedures in the areas of outreach and instruction, integrating primary source literacy into the curriculum, and exhibition creation, design, and methods.
Participate in and contribute toward RCL and University committees, meetings, and events.
Maintain professional collaborations with RCL colleagues and other campus constituencies.
Contribute to the profession through active participation in conferences, associations, research, writing, etc.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program in library, information, or archival science or a Master’s degree in a related field required.
2+ years’ experience working in a Special Collections library or an equivalent combination of education and experience required.
4+ years’ relevant experience preferred.
Proven effectiveness in working with students, faculty, and researchers required.  
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion required. 
Experience creating online exhibits with digital exhibit software required.
Experience creating. coordinating, and/or managing exhibitions required.
Experience creating digital exhibits in Omeka S preferred.
Experience using Photoshop and InDesign preferred.
Experience creating and adjusting mounts for archival materials in a variety of formats preferred.
Experience mounting, cutting, and preparing exhibit labels preferred.
Thorough knowledge of professional theory and best practices in managing, collecting, organizing, and preserving rare books, archival collections, and special collections required. 
Understanding of the nature and value of primary source materials for learning, teaching, research, and outreach required.
Ability to handle rare and unique materials with care and attention to detail required.