Registrar, Creative Arts​/Media, Creative Design ​/ Digital Art

The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia provided pay range

This range is provided by The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

$45,000.00/yr - $50,000.00/yr

Direct message the job poster from The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia

A little bit about us…

The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) is located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia and serves patrons of all ages. Founded by Carroll Anderson in 1981, BHMVA celebrates the rich culture and moving histories of African American people in Virginia and their contributions to our magnificent country. The museum’s mission is to provide, develop, and partner in the creation of educational resources, services, and opportunities to promote and advance understanding of the history and culture of Black people and African Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

For the last 40 years, BHMVA has achieved its mission by telling untold, and often forgotten, inspirational stories in the full context of American history so that there is a greater understanding of our history, leading to a more diverse and inclusive society.

A little bit about the role…

The Registrar will establish and oversee the registration function at BHMVA, ensuring the proper care, documentation, and accessibility of the museum’s growing collection of more than 5,000 archival records. This role is responsible for cataloging, managing loan agreements, overseeing permissions requests, and coordinating collection digitization efforts in partnership with outside institutions. The Registrar will also manage interns and assist in securing new collection pieces alongside the Director of Curatorial Services.

This position requires strong archival and museum services expertise, with specific experience in rare books and collections management.

The Registrar will be responsible for…

• Managing all aspects of the museum’s collections, including both digital and non-digital holdings, across headquarters and off-site storage locations.
• Developing and maintaining loan agreements; overseeing the museum’s participation as both a lending and borrowing institution.
• Cataloging and inventorying collection pieces, ensuring accuracy and accessibility.
• Managing permissions requests (e.g., photo borrowing and reproduction), ensuring adherence to museum policy.
• Supporting acquisition of new collection pieces in partnership with the Director of Curatorial Services.
• Overseeing conservation practices, with particular attention to rare books and archival materials.
• Coordinating weekly with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture digitization team.
• Providing supervision and guidance for interns.
• Supporting photography and documentation of collection items.
• Developing agreements and partnerships with external institutions as needed to support collection use and access.

Along with a demonstrable passion for BHMVA’s mission, the strongest candidates will bring many of the professional experiences, knowledge and skills outlined below:

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, library sciences, archival studies, or related field required;
  Master’s preferred.
• 3–5 years of post-graduate experience in museum services, archival research, or collections management (hint: we’re open to recent grads with relevant experience).
• Demonstrated experience with rare books collections is required.
• Familiarity with conservation practices for archival and rare book materials.
• Experience managing permissions, rights, and reproduction requests.
• Strong organizational and cataloging skills, with comfort managing both physical and digital collections.
• Experience with museum databases and digitization workflows.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to manage relationships with external institutions.
• Team-oriented mindset; willing to step in wherever needed.
• Commitment to and alignment with BHMVA’s mission and values, including…