The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
University Archivist
The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of University Archivist. The University Archivist will provide leadership in the acquisition, preservation, access, and understanding of historical and permanent records of the university, including Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health. The University Archivist will promote the use of the university’s historical resources through instruction, exhibits, presentations, publications, and other outreach activities. The successful candidate will join a culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber.
Located in culturally diverse, historic, and dynamic Richmond, Virginia, convenient to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the recreation destinations of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Commonwealth University is one of Virginia's largest universities and among the nation's leading research institutions. VCU Libraries, one of Virginia’s outstanding research library systems, advances the University’s teaching, research, service, and patient care mission with comprehensive digital and print collections and nationally recognized innovation in its facilities, advanced media and technology resources for its community. In February 2018, the Association of College and Research Libraries recognized VCU Libraries with the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.
Diversity and Inclusion
VCU’s commitment to diversity is one of the institution’s unique strengths. Our student body is one of the most diverse in Virginia in terms of race and ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and one of the four themes of our Quest 2025 Strategic Plan is “Diversity driving excellence.” The United States Department of Education has designated VCU as a minority serving institution effective July 1, 2022. VCU is committed to building an increasingly diverse faculty and leadership team, and is actively engaged in partnerships with diverse communities in the Richmond metro area. VCU Libraries is purposeful in our efforts to advance diversity and inclusion and expects that the University Archivist will be a leader in fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all members of the VCU community. The successful candidate will receive support for research, service, and professional development and will have ample opportunity to pursue diversity and inclusion-related opportunities in those areas.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head, Special Collections and Archives, the University Archivist will maintain, develop, implement policy for, and provide leadership for the University Archives, which is the official repository for the records of Virginia Commonwealth University. The University Archivist will develop and maintain strong relationships with the university community to ensure permanent records, regardless of format, are transferred to University Archives to preserve the institutions’ history and document the diverse perspectives and experiences found at VCU. This position will work closely with the Special Collections and Archives processing team to ensure that materials are processed and made available to the public. In addition, the University Archivist will be responsible for promoting collections through campus outreach and programming; providing reference services, and collaborating with researchers, donors, and the campus community to increase engagement, awareness, and use of university archives.
The University Archivist will:
Continue to implement the VCU University Archives Policy and work collaboratively with the VCU Records Management Office to advocate for the timely transfer of permanent records to the University Archives in accordance with the Virginia Public Records Act and the Commonwealth of Virginia Retention Schedules.
Provide expertise to campus offices in identifying records of historical value and preserving the designated permanent records of the university in all formats.
Appraise, acquire, arrange, describe, preserve, and provide access to records of enduring and historical value in all formats according to professional standards and best practices.
Actively seek out and document diverse voices and communities across the university and the university’s history.
Initiate and coordinate outreach programming to promote the university archives through instruction, physical and online exhibits, presentations, tours, and other outreach activities in collaboration with university faculty.
Provide specialized reference service to users of the University Archives collections.
Assist in the preservation of digital materials according to digital preservation standards.
Oversee Special Collections and Archives personnel assigned to process University Archives.
Assist in managing and building oral history collections.
The University Archivist is expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty within the VCU Libraries are evaluated and promoted on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and service.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline.
Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.
Experience working with archival or institutional records in a research library, higher education, or records management setting.
Experience working with born-digital material and preservation of digital formats.
Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience arranging and describing analog, digital, and/or hybrid archival collections and managing legacy electronic records and born-digital materials.
Experience collaborating and working with campus and community groups.
Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within and across organizational and community boundaries in a diverse and evolving organization with a wide variety of users.
Demonstrated project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Experience using ArchivesSpace or similar archival management software.
Certification from the Academy of Certified Archivists and/or course work from the Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist curriculum.
Awareness of current and emerging issues, trends, standards, and best practices in the archives field.
Knowledge or expertise in the ethical and legal issues specific to archival access to records from public educational institutions such as the Freedom of Information Act or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Candidates need not meet preferred qualifications to be fully considered. We value many individual and unique skills that would strengthen the VCU Libraries and our teams.
Salary
Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $70,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. 12-month faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans. Relocation assistance is available. Librarians are provided a generous professional development allowance. For more information about benefits, see the Faculty Benefits page.
Interviews
Initial interviews will be conducted virtually. We anticipate inviting finalists to campus.
https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/jobs/university-archivist/