Research Resources: Library and Archives Assistant

The Library and Archives Assistant will support the Library and Archives team in all aspects of collections development, cataloging, processing, circulation, reference, access, organization, and storage. This is a part-time role, 28 hours weekly.

• Assist staff with library and archives collection development
• Create original and copy cataloging in MARC for library materials, with particular attention to our ongoing work in reparative and equitable metadata
• Assist with onsite and remote reference and circulation requests from staff and external researchers, including paging and shelving
• Process library and archives materials for secure storge, including items requiring custom preservation housings and encapsulations
• Survey, arrange, and describe Whitney archival collections according to best practices.
• Prepare DACS records for export to the archives’ online public access portal, Archives Space
• Prepare select materials for our digital preservation pipeline via Archive Space, Archivematica, and Resource Space

• MLIS or related degree, with experience in art sources and services

• Experience with library cataloging (MARC, RDA, LCSH, LC classification)
• Ability to work independently with attention to detail
• Experience with an ILS
• Proficiency in Archives Space, or similar collection management systems
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Excel
• Strong working knowledge of DACS and EAD
• Demonstrated familiarity with archival theory and practice, including applying processing strategies and records retention policies
• Ability to lift cartons up to 30lbs is helpful

• Hourly rate of $32.00
• Medical, Dental, Vision, 403(B) elections
• Generous PTO benefits
• Commuter benefits - parking and mass transit
• Admission to world-renowned museums across the city and nationally
• Pet insurance and discounted membership for Citibike
• This position may be covered by UAW Local 2110

We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or take the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States.

Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today. Its signature exhibition, the Biennial, is the country's leading survey of the most recent developments in American art.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate because of age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, pregnancy, partnership status, caregiver status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition, or carrier status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, or any other factor prohibited by law.

The Museum hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled. The Museum encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels.