Project Archivist

Position Title

Project Archivist

Vertebrate Paleontology - 019

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific and cultural institutions, and has as its mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition. The Vertebrate Paleontology department is seeking a Project Archivist to organize and create finding aids for the Frick Collection within the Vertebrate Paleontology archives.

This position collaborates with collections and research library staff, supervises a student intern, and ensures the successful management of the project.

• Manage all project activities, including supervision of one intern and maintenance of project metrics.
• Collaborate with Museum collections and research library staff to develop basic catalog records for most of the archive's collections, create EAD finding aids for selected collections, ensuring comprehensive access to the materials.
• Run weekly status meetings with museum staff.
• Develop and execute work plans, assessing, analyzing and proposing arrangement schemes for unprocessed materials within the archive.
• Write finding aids for collections chosen during the grant project and create basic records for others. Ensure consistency with archival standards.
• Perform basic preservation tasks, such as unfolding and flattening documents, and transferring materials to new, acid‑free folders and boxes. Identify items in need of re‑housing and conservation.
• Write blog posts for outreach, promoting awareness of the project and the archive's significance within the paleontology community.
• Contribute to the long‑term accessibility, discoverability, and use of VP archives, including inventory and order archival supplies, create metadata consistent with institutional parameters, create archive guidelines such as collection scope, accessioning, deaccessioning and restrictions, collect and record aspects of departmental history, create workflows and implement digital record accessioning and processing in collaboration with the main Museum archive.

• ALA‑accredited master’s degree in library and information science or equivalent, with formal training in archival theory and practice.
• Two years professional archival processing experience, preferably in a museum or academic setting.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and implement complex projects, including experience developing successful project and processing plans, setting goals, establishing timelines, and reporting on milestones and outcomes.
• Demonstrated success in arranging, describing, and processing archival collections, writing finding aids while leveraging legacy arrangement and description.
• Experience and comfort working with delicate physical collections; experience with flat files, maps, and/or art a plus.
• Proficiency working in archival content management systems, such as Archives Space with knowledge of archival description standards, including DACS, EAD, EAC.

• Experience in conservation a plus.
• Reading comprehension in foreign languages a plus.
• Experience with scientific archives is a plus.
• Experience with flat files, maps, and/or art a plus.

• Must be able to move about the Museum campus.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position (sitting or standing) for prolonged periods.
• Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and up to 20 pounds of force frequently. May include positioning, balancing, lifting.

Full‑Time/Term

The expected salary range for the Project Archivist is $65,000/annual – $70,000/annual.

The American Museum of Natural History is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum does not discriminate with respect to employment, or admission or access to Museum facilities, programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, gender (including sexual harassment), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, pregnancy and lactation accommodations, alienage or citizenship status, current or former participation in the uniformed services, status as a veteran, caregiver, pre‑employment marijuana testing, sexual and reproductive health decisions, salary history, national or ethnic origin, height, weight, or on account of any other basis prohibited by applicable City, State, or Federal law.

Additional protections are afforded in employment based on arrest or conviction record, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, unemployment status, and credit history, in each case to the extent provided by law.

• Resume
• Cover Letter