Sa Salazar Curator Bancroft Library Western Americana Collection - Bancroft Library

Position Overview

Position title:

Associate Librarian‑Librarian, Career Status or Potential Career Status

Salary range:
The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and salary point at appointment. A reasonable estimate for this position is $94,277–$133,296.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start:
As soon as Spring 2026 (exact start date negotiable).

Position duration:
This is a full‑time career appointment.

Application window:
Open date December 16, 2025.
Review date Saturday, Jan 31, 2026 11:59 pm (Pacific Time).
Final date Thursday, Apr 30, 2026 11:59 pm (Pacific Time). Applications received after the review date will be considered only if the position has not yet been filled.

The Bancroft Library seeks a Curator for its Western Americana collections to serve as a creative, user‑centered, and collaborative professional in stewarding, developing, and interpreting the library's exceptional collection of manuscripts, archives, rare books, photographs, and maps documenting the American West. The Curator will determine strategic priorities for the Western Americana collection, lead collection development, engage in teaching with the collections, curate exhibitions, build sustainable relationships with donors, and participate in research services activities.

Building on the existing staff, including a University Archivist, Curator of Latin Americana Collections, Curator of Pictorial Collections, and Curator of Rare Books and Literary Manuscripts, the Curator will ensure equitable and wide public access to newly acquired and existing collections, while offering intellectual guidance on acquisition and processing. The role requires demonstrated experience working with diverse racial, ethnic, religious, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds using a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible approach.

The Western Americana Collection at The Bancroft Library documents the history of human activity in Western North America, with the greatest emphasis on California, from the earliest days to the present. The collection provides an unparalleled opportunity to explore primary and secondary sources about the social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural development of the western half of the United States.

Topical strengths include materials documenting Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican California; exploration of the Pacific Coast and the American West; the California Gold Rush and subsequent settlement; economic development (mining, transport, lumber, agriculture, commerce); land and water use; the environmental movement; labor; urban development; politics and social movements; and religious and utopian communities.

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at one of the nation's premier public universities. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 33,070 undergraduate students, 12,812 graduate students, and 1,525 faculty. The library comprises 20 campus libraries, including The Bancroft Library, and offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with the collections and build their research skills.

With a collection of more than 12 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the library maintains rare materials under the stewardship of the Bancroft Library, which holds more than 800,000 volumes, 210 million manuscript items, 9 million photographs and other pictorial materials, 86,000 microforms, 9.4 million digital files, and 25,000 maps.

• Collection Development and Stewardship:
  Work collaboratively to build and steward collections of lasting importance, relevance, and interconnectivity, identifying historic gaps and areas of strategic opportunity. Appraise and select materials for acquisition through donation or purchase across manuscripts, archives, visual materials, digital media, and all formats of print materials.
• Donor and Community Relations:
  Establish and maintain dealer and donor relations. Foster collaborative relationships with communities and individuals whose…