Deadline: Open Until Filled (Review of applications begins on August 4, 2025)

Pay Grade: Open Rank (29E - 32E)

Context of the Job:

The Special Collections Department of the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press seeks a candidate with technical experience and project management skills to accession and process the born digital records of Senator Thomas R. Carper (2001-2025). Reporting to the Political and Public Policy Papers archivist, the Electronic Records Archivist will work with students and staff to ingest, appraise, arrange, describe, and perform preservation activities on digital records in a range of formats. Support for professional development is available, including but not limited to training through the Congressional Papers Section of the Society of American Archivists and the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress. The Electronic Records Archivist position is a three-year grant-funded appointment.  

This position is open rank, so we are eager to meet applicants with all levels of experience. Even if you do not meet every requirement listed below, we still encourage you to apply. 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Create and execute an electronic records processing plan.

• Ingest, appraise, arrange, and describe approximately 5 TB of digital records.

• Apply uniform arrangement and description practices and contribute collection descriptions to ArchivesSpace using established archival standards. 

• Perform preservation activities on digital records, including (but not limited to) file validation, conversion and normalization, and PII identification and remediation.  

• Coordinate student work.

• Review and update departmental procedures for electronic records processing.

• Service on Library committees related to digital preservation, as appropriate. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in the accessioning, arrangement, description,  and preservation of electronic records.

• Familiarity with archival standards and best practices for appraisal, arrangement, description, and preservation of electronic records. 

• Master's degree in library/information science (archival concentration, preferred), archival certification, or equivalent specialized experience.

• Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality in carrying out archival responsibilities. 

• Strong organizational skills, project management skills, and problem-solving skills.

• Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and an ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, and student population.

• Demonstrates an understanding and consideration of the differing needs and concerns of individuals with varying identities, cultures and backgrounds.

• Experience using the BitCurator suite or other digital preservation tools, preferred.

• Experience with a scripting language such as Python, preferred.

General Information: The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press is committed to student success, scholarly research and inclusive excellence. The Library is strongly committed to fostering diversity within our community. We welcome those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. The Library collaborates with strategic campus partners to achieve these priorities, as well as with national professional organizations including the Association of Research Libraries, Center for Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, Council on Library and Information Resources, Digital Library Federation, Greater Western Library Alliance, OCLC Research Partnership, SPARC, HathiTrust, the National Digital Stewardship Alliance, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, the American Alliance of Museums and the ACRL Diversity Alliance. More information about the Library is available at library.udel.edu/.

The holdings of Special Collections at the University of Delaware Library include books, literary and historical manuscripts, maps, prints, photographs, broadsides, periodicals, pamphlets, ephemera, and realia from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century. The collections complement the University’s teaching programs and the Library’s general collections with particular strengths in the subject areas of the Arts; English, Irish, and American literature; history and Delawareana; horticulture; and the history of science and technology. Manuscript strengths include American history, particularly Delaware and the surrounding region; contemporary American, British and Irish literature; art and architecture; land use and the environment in the Delaware Valley; politics and government; and the history and technology of printing, publishing, and the book arts. Special Collections has an active exhibition program, including online exhibitions, and participates in other digital initiatives. Additional information about Special Collections is available at library.udel.edu/special/. 

Appointment: Three-year appointment commensurate with experience. Assistant Librarian, pay grade 29E (less than 3 years professional experience); Senior Assistant Librarian, pay grade 30E; Associate Librarian, pay grade 31E; or Librarian, pay grade 32E. This position is governed by the University of Delaware Library Rank and Promotion System.

Benefits: 25 vacation days. Generous 403(b) retirement plan. Tuition remission for dependents and spouses, and course fee waiver for employees. Full information about the University of Delaware benefits is available at: www.udel.edu/benefits/.

To Apply: Include a resume or CV, a brief cover letter, and the names and contact information for three employment references. In the cover letter, please include examples of digital archiving and electronic records processing knowledge and/or experience (e.g., links to finding aids, description of relevant coursework or scholarship, discussion of prior archival processing experience).