Manager, Archival Accessioning

Overview

The mission of The New York Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities, and we rely on three great resources–our staff, our collections, and our physical and digital spaces–to provide opportunities for learning and growth.

The research centers offer unparalleled opportunities to engage with in-depth and unique collections, inspirational reading rooms, exhibitions, programs, and a range of research services.

Special Collections Processing (SCP) department promotes access to the Library’s most distinctive collections by describing and preparing rare and unique materials for discovery and use.

Archival Processing (AP) is the team within SCP that supports access to archival collections and their preservation by arranging and describing archives and manuscripts, creating finding aids for research use, managing the Archives Space Staff Interface, accessioning new acquisitions, remediating legacy archival description, and managing archival metadata across systems.

The Manager, Archival Accessioning oversees all aspects of archival accessioning across the Research Libraries. They support access to archival collections by establishing immediate physical and intellectual control of new acquisitions and managing accessioning workflows in Archives Space. Additionally, this role is responsible for supervising archival processing staff, including processing small collections at the point of accessioning, and ensuring daily operations align with institutional priorities and national best practices.

While based at the Library Services Center (LSC) in Long Island City, Queens, the Manager works across the organization to accession archival acquisitions and backlog collections in all formats, including audio and moving image recordings and born-digital media. The Manager supports new archival acquisitions, collaborating with Curators, Special Collections Acquisitions Operations, and Collection Management staff for site visits and collection packing.

• The day-to-today accessioning operations to support archival processing priorities and institutional goals for collections access
• The management of accessioning workflows and metadata in Archives Space

• Train staff and stakeholders in accessioning best practices, standards, workflows, and the use of the Archives Space accessioning module

• The range of special collections at NYPL and the needs of each curatorial unit to ensure that accessioning and processing workflows and policies align with each center’s priorities

• Accessioning workflows to support archival description, including for audio and moving image and born-digital materials
• Training on archival standards and systems to ensure all staff understand the integral and essential function accessioning has in processing workflows

• Understand the scope of work in AP and the integral role of accessioning in that work
• Meet acquisitions and curatorial staff to learn the scope and scale of new archival acquisitions and backlog projects

• Meet with the managers in each department in Collections and Research Services to determine shared workflows and the ways in which each collaborates with AP
• Visit each research center and meet key curatorial partners and other stakeholders
• Meet with AP’s partners in Digital and participate in planning conversations for an Archive Space upgrade and data migration
• Begin work on updating accessioning documentation and workflows in alignment with the Society of American Archivists’ Accessioning Best Practices
• Lead efforts to transition all archival accessioning activities into Archives Space
• Work as an active partner with the Senior Manager to identify and manage accessioning and processing priorities

• Create and document new workflows to support migration of all archival accessioning activities into the Archives Space staff interface
• Establish workflows for processing collections under five linear feet at the point of accessioning
• Identify and contribute recommendations for improved accessioning…