The Disciples of Christ Historical Society seeks a collaborative and resourceful Associate Archivist with a growth mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement. The Associate Archivist is an integral part of a small team of archivists, student workers, interns, and volunteers who together accession, arrange, describe, catalog, preserve, and provide access to the Historical Society’s collections.

Primary Responsibilities:

Provide leadership for the DCHS acquisitions and accessioning activities by:

Fielding inquiries from and corresponding with potential donors of manuscripts, books, and artifacts
Building and maintaining relationships with donors, in coordination with the President and Senior Archivist
Managing logistics and communications around shipping and receiving new acquisitions and deeds of gift
Creating and maintaining acquisition and accessioning files
Appraising acquisitions against the DCHS collecting policy and separating / weeding extraneous materials
Rehousing, labeling, and assigning locations to acquisitions and accessions in the archival vault and the offsite storage area
Creating and maintaining field guidance for the accessions module of the archival information management system
Creating and publishing standards-based accession records that include preliminary archival description
With the Senior Archivist, prioritizing the processing of new accessions
Maintaining accessioning statistics and compiling reports
Recommending and implementing improvements to acquisitions and accessioning policies, procedures, and workflows

Coordinate and participate in reference and research services for the DCHS by:

Serving as the primary point of contact for and provider of reference and research services to a diverse user community of church leaders, academic researchers, and genealogists
Receiving and responding to reference and research requests submitted via email, phone, and the web portal
Registering onsite researchers and maintaining researcher records
Monitoring the reading room and assisting onsite patrons
Conducting limited research for remote patrons and creating and managing digital reproductions of collection materials for remote researchers
Retrieving and reshelving collections materials paged for reference and research requests
Maintaining reference and paging statistics and compiling reports
Recommending and implementing improvements to reference policies, procedures, and workflows

Additional Responsibilities

Assist the Senior Archivist in the preparation of acquisition proposals for large and/or significant acquisitions, deaccessioning proposals, and deaccessioning logistics

Participate in the implementation and management of collection management systems, including a new archival information management system

Contribute to the collaborative development and improvement of policies, procedures, and workflows for all archival functions

Contribute to the Historical Society’s communications program by writing newsletter articles and suggesting social media content.

Contribute to the archival arrangement and description program by writing processing plans, participating in peer review of finding aids, and, as time permits, processing collections.

Perform other duties as assigned

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

An ALA-accredited master’s degree in library / information science or a master’s degree in public history with coursework in archival science

Respect for the mission and vision of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society (no religious/faith requirement; DCHS is a multi-denominational and multi-religious workplace)

Openness to an understanding of religious archives as both intellectual and spiritual resources

Demonstrated experience using an archival information management system (ArchivesSpace, AtoM, ArchivEra, etc.) for accessions management or archival description

Knowledge of current trends in archival accessioning

Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

Ability to work as a team member to reach shared understandings and achieve shared goals

Demonstrated attention to detail, accuracy, and organization skills

Strong oral and written communication skills

Strong interpersonal skills and team orientation, including the courage to contribute and openness to receive feedback, perspectives, and wisdom

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Proficiency in DACS / EAD and EAC-CPF

Experience applying LCSH and other controlled vocabularies in archival description

Commitment to excellent public service

Knowledge of or interest in the history of the Stone-Campbell movement

About the Disciples of Christ Historical Society

The mission of DCHS is to preserve and proclaim the story of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) within the context of the broader Stone-Campbell tradition out of which it grows.

We believe that denominational archives like ours are not only repositories for documents, artifacts, and ideas but, at their best, they are sources for the church’s work for justice and wholeness in the world. We are committed to stewarding a collection that documents the racial and ethnic diversity of the Stone-Campbell movement.

Our collection comprises nearly 14,000 linear feet of archival records, books, periodicals and artifacts; about 1,000 linear feet of collection material is stored in an off-site storage facility. In recent years, we have averaged 60 donations of collection material annually. About half of these donations were archival aggregations; the other half were books, periodicals, and vertical file material. The majority of our reference transactions are conducted via email, and we welcome researchers to use our collections onsite.

As a team, we value camaraderie, thought partnership, and having a safe environment to try out new ideas.

Salary and Benefits

Salary Range: $48,000 - $50,000

Pension Fund payments in the amount of 14% of salary (employer paid with no required match)

Health Benefits: Healthcare Reimbursement Account (QSEHRA: $6,150 per year for self-only coverage and $12,450 per year for family coverage for 2024)

Vacation: 3 weeks per year, plus annual office closure from December 24 through January 1

Disciples of Christ Historical Society

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Associate Archivist