Curator, Lapidus Center Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery - Schomburg Center

Compensation: $113,000 - $118,000 / year

Final date to receive applications: 11 October 2026

Department: Research Libraries

Location: Schomburg Center

Description

Overview

For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library (NYPL) has been an essential provider of books, information, ideas, and education. With collections numbering more than 56 million items and serving more than 16 million patrons in person each year and millions more online, NYPL’s reach is both local and global. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities.

At our world-class research centers–including the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library at the Stephen

A. Schwarzman Building, the Library for the Performing Arts, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture–expert staff facilitate the work of our diverse communities, offering inspiring reading rooms, exhibitions, fellowships, and a dynamic range of research services. Their work is supported by dedicated staff on the Collections and Research Services teams. We are proud to be the most public and widely used research library in the world.

Founded in 1925 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of materials focused on African American, African, and African Diaspora experiences. The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center generates and disseminates scholarly knowledge on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery pertaining to the Atlantic World.

The Center supports long-term and short term fellowships; engages the public with a variety of programs, an annual nonfiction prize, exhibitions and conferences; and partners with local, national, and international institutions. Funded by a generous gift from Ruth and Sid Lapidus, which included a collection of rare books and manuscripts, the Center is the only facility of its kind based in a public research library.

The Curator supports the development and interpretation of the Lapidus collection and manages Lapidus Center affairs including new acquisitions, scholarly research and publications, engagement and outreach. In partnership with NYPL and Schomburg departments, the Curator participates in exhibitions, programming, and other opportunities that foster learning and collaboration.

Some expectations for this role are that within:

1 month

• Become oriented to the NYPL and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
• Develop a knowledge of Lapidus Center collections, legacy events, projects and key funders
• Meet key collaborators across the Schomburg Center and NYPL Research Libraries

3 months

• Become familiar with abolition and slavery related collections in Schomburg and NYPL collections
• Re-establish existing and begin building key relationships with Lapidus Center communities of interest and support
• Manage upcoming legacy events, projects and activities

6 months and beyond

• Develop an understanding of budget oversight, events, and fellowships
• Provide recommendations for the growth and strengthening of the Center, as it relates to new acquisitions, interpretation, and engagement
• Assist in outreach endeavors and promote the Center
• Keep abreast of current trends in scholarship and the field of Transatlantic Slavery Studies

Responsibilities

• Serve as an advocate for the Lapidus Center collection, developing an in-depth knowledge of its holdings, gaps, and opportunities for growth
• Oversee and manage Lapidus Center activities including prizes, fellowships, conference and programs
• Participate in the selection of fellowship recipients and support fellows’…