Job description

Archives Assistant

Reports to: Archivist

Program/Department: Digitizing the Barrio

Classification: Hourly

Revision Date: April 2023

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

• The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), a community-based organization with a 50-year history, is seeking a part-time archives assistant for a three-year grant-funded archival and digitization project. Digitizing the Barrio: Documenting and Disseminating the Puerto Rican Experience in Chicago through Community-Based Inquiry is supported by the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections & Archives Initiative of the Council on Library and Information Resources, made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The archives assistant will assist in the processing, description, and digitization of PRCC’s archival collection, including political posters, event flyers, press releases, bilingual community newspapers, correspondence, and photographs. This project will train and employ community residents and students, organize a series of public events, and create exhibitions with both web and in-person components. Ultimately, the project aims to use the PRCC’s materials as the pilot collection for a sustainable community-led archive that focuses on the political, organizational, and cultural history of Puerto Rican Chicago.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Accessioning, processing, and collection management of archival collections representing a wide variety of formats, including paper, audiovisual, and born-digital
• Collaboratively planning and participating in community-based programming that builds awareness and use of the PRCC Digital Archive
• Assisting in the training, mentoring, and supervising of the work of the project’s staff and volunteers
• Participate in ongoing training, staff development, and program evaluation activities
• Attends the PRCC and program-specific and organizational activities and meetings, including but not limited to the monthly organization-wide General Assembly
• Participates in organizational annual events including but not limited to the Puerto Rican People’s Parade, Fiesta Boricua, Three Kings Day, and Haunted Paseo Boricua
• Performs other functions assigned
• The archives assistant is primarily responsible for applying standard archival principles and practices to arrange, describe and provide access to archival collections
• Conduct preliminary surveys and preservation assessments
• Rehouse existing and incoming collections, including refolding, re-boxing, and removing rusty paper clips and staples
• Assist archivist in describing collections and creating finding aids, including evaluating, sorting, arranging, and describing materials to facilitate access to information
• Digitize analog materials and prepare digital files in compliance with digital curation practices, including image post-processing, creating OCR transcriptions, quality control, uploading to a collection management system, and file maintenance
• Manage the physical collections as needed, including shelving, shifting, and moving as required
• Assist in training student employees, interns, and volunteers to perform basic processing projects and tasks
• Plan and execute social media strategies and generate, edit, publish, and share content that builds meaningful connections and engages with community members
• Help develop programs and support services for a wide variety of user groups, including scholars, educators, and community members
• Contribute to primary source instruction, outreach, programs, and exhibitions that draw on the PRCC archives
• This position requires compliance with all of The PRCC’s written standards, including its Standards of Conduct, all policies and procedures, and Regulatory Compliance requirements. Compliance will be considered as part of the regular performance evaluation.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Archival experience and /or currently enrolled in an ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library Science program preferred but training will be provided to the right candidate
• Experience working both independently and collaboratively
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Experience grant writing preferred but not required

SKILLS:

• Bilingual - English/Spanish preferred
• Must demonstrate excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communications skills
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships, and work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds
• Ability to learn new skills through research and self-study
• Good planning, project management, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work with diverse constituencies

LICENSURE:

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

OSHA Category equal-opportunity regular exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues, and tasks that involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues are not a condition of employment.

Job Type: Part Time

Pay: $17.00-$25.00 per hour, rate will be based on experience

EEO Statement:

The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to creating a welcoming workplace that celebrates inclusion and diversity. The PRCC provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, or promotion based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other basis or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, The PRCC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Prepared by: HR Department

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $17.00 - $25.00 per hour

Schedule:

• Day shift

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Chicago, IL: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

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