WASHINGTON PRISON HISTORY PROJECT ARCHIVIST - University of Washington

Req #: 239753 Department: SCHOOL OF IAS Appointing Department Web Address: https://waprisonhistory.org/ and https://www.uwb.edu/ias/ (https://waprisonhistory.org/ and https://www.uwb.edu/ias/) Job Location Detail: FOUR DAYS OF TELEWORK AVAILABLE Posting Date: 10/21/2024 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: $6,445 - $7,580 per month Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-staff-20230701\_a11y.pdf) **Although open until filled, priority application date is October 28, 2024.** As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty. **The School of IAS has an outstanding opportunity for a Washington Prison History Project Archivist to join their team.** This is a grant funded position and will not continue beyond three years. The continuation of this position beyond three years is contingent upon future funding. The Washington Prison History Project Archivist is responsible for coordinating the acquisitions, processing, and public curation of archival items to the project collection. This position involves arranging, describing, and managing both physical and digital archival materials. The range of tasks in this position include: leading and tracking the accession and processing of new WPHP archival materials; contributing to documentation tools and processes, finding aids, and other description mechanisms in alignment with standard archival practices and community preferences; coordinating the process of making WPHP archival materials available for use by researchers by, and establishing rudimentary physical and intellectual control over the materials by recording brief information in a standard way. This position is funded by a three-year grant and reports to the project's Principal Investigator. The Washington Prison History Project is a multimedia archive of prisoner activism and prison policy housed in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UWB. IAS provides a rigorous liberal arts education that draws connections across academic disciplines and links classroom learning to practical experience across diverse fields and sectors. IAS values engaged scholarship, transformative pedagogy, social justice, equity, and diversity. With transformational funding from the Mellon Foundation, the Washington Prison History Project is expanding its reach and offerings in four areas: 1. Conducting research and preparing data visualizations that extend the project's historical scope and application; 2. Developing community outreach and exhibition; 3. Expanding our platform to make archival materials more accessible and available; and 4. Formalizing connections with similar prison history projects nationwide. This is a three-year grant-funded position that will report to the principal investigator of the grant and work as part of a small team. The ideal candidate for this position would be a collaborative and detail-oriented archivist who possesses knowledge of the criminal legal system, interest in community history and reciprocal modes of research, and a deep commitment to working with currently and formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones. **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** ARCHIVAL ACCESSIONING + Oversee the accession of archival collections including initial arrangement, rehousing, and description of incoming collections and items. + Track accessioning and processing of materials and consult with curators to set accessioning and processing priorities. + Ensure that the proper records are updated when errors are found or when additional processing has been completed. + Assist in research of background information for collections. + Arrange and describe manuscript material and archival collections in all formats (paper, photographic, electronic, audiovisual, etc.). + In collaboration with curators, develop processing plans for collections, including description and digitization. + Manage accessioning supplies and collection storage spaces, in consult with UWB Library staff.EXHIBITION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT + Prepare and review finding aids, catalog records, and other description to ensure quality and compliance with national and local standards and practices. + Manage and prepare collection materials for reproduction, display, and exhibition. + Develop public exhibitions of project materials, both physical and digital, in consult with project staff or relevant community partners. + Prepare relevant written or visual aids to accompany exhibition of archival materials. + Work with project team to update or revise research materials as needed, and to ensure that project materials are made accessible for diverse audiences. + Identify and pursue opportunities for public engagement with archival materials. + Provide professional and technical support to the project for interested researchersADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT + Meet regularly with principal investigator, project staff, UWB Library contacts, and project advisory board. + Work with principal investigator and project staff to hire, support other staff positions for the grant as needed. + Assist project manager and principal investigator on relevant topics as needed. + Identify future possible funding opportunities. **MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS** + Bachelor's degree with an archival focus or related field, and at least four years' experience in archival processing, library science, labor or community organizing, research, nonprofit administration, or related fields. **Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.** **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS** + Ability to communicate, build, and maintain collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies, including faculty, staff, community partners, and currently and formerly incarcerated people. + Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with partners who include historically marginalized communities. + Knowledge and understanding of issues related to incarceration and other systems of oppression and ability to translate this knowledge to higher education context. + Ability to take initiative in a team-based environment while simultaneously following through on independent projects. + Strong time management, organization, verbal and written communication skills. + Ability to multitask and adhere to detail-oriented projects in time-sensitive manner + Demonstrated ability to use basic and some advanced functions of Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and web-based platforms (including Google Suite, Zoom, Eventbrite or similar). + Demonstrated experience processing archival collections. + Experience working with personal papers, organizational records, and media materials and the ability to conceptualize and organize collections in a variety of diverse formats, including born-digital, audiovisual, photographic, and paper material. + Ability to describe collections and materials in writing for content and preservation documentation, as well as collection significance for donors and grant narrative statements. + Strong project management skills, with an ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously. + Detail oriented, with an ability to think flexibly and creatively. + Experience identifying and restricting sensitive information. + Experience with social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Instagram), and with prison-based communication platforms (e.g., Securus). **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS** + Experience with issues of preservation and handling collections in a variety of formats. + Experience supporting academic- and community-based research practices. + Familiarity with digitization and digital collections metadata creation and the CONTENT platform or similar digital asset management systems. + Knowledge of criminal legal system and issues faced by currently and formerly incarcerated people. + Experience designing curriculum or other educational materials. + Experience in community organizing contexts + Ability to present materials in multiple formats, including written, visual, and online. + Experience with community organizing. + Experience with WordPress, graphic design (e.g., Adobe suite or Canva), and multimedia software for designing timelines or other data visualizations. + Knowledge of research equity and reciprocity. + Experience with archives, public history and/or oral history methodology, or participant action research. **CONDITITONS OF EMPLOYMENT** + A hybrid model of in-person and telework is common. In-person office is shared with other project staff members. + Ability and willingness to travel statewide, particularly to correctional settings and to community events statewide + Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends. **Application Process:** The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select "Apply to this position". Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your "My Jobs" page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed. University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.