SENIOR SPECIAL COLLECTIONS CONSERVATOR, PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Academic Professional
University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign
Position Available: Position is open immediately.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks applications for a Senior Special Collections Conservator. Reporting to the Head of Conservation, the Senior Special Collections Conservator will be responsible for the item-level conservation treatment of rare and unique library materials, as well as keeping written records and photo-documentation of such work. This position will provide conservation support for special collections materials in close consultation with collection managers.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Treatment-50%: Provide conservation treatment of rare and unique paper-based library materials, both single-item and collection-based treatments, as well as keeping written and photographic documentation of such work. Treatment will also include exhibition preparation, condition assessment for a variety of digitization and other projects, and disaster recovery and response.
- Consultation and project planning-20%: Provide conservation support to locations holding rare book and paper-based special collections materials in close consultation with collection managers and other Library units, as applicable. Includes, but is not limited to, identifying treatments, arranging workflow, and aiding in the development of care and handling guidelines for special collections materials.
- Supervisory-10%: As budgets allow, staff at various levels will report directly to the Senior Special Collections Conservator to support the initiatives of the Conservation Unit. Staff supervision may include, but is not limited to, graduate assistants, graduate hourly, graduate practicum, undergraduate hourly, and volunteers.
- Outreach and service-10%: The incumbent will allot a portion of his or her weekly time to performing outreach to the Library, campus, state, and Midwest region. In addition, the incumbent is encouraged to serve in leadership positions in professional organizations. The incumbent will also develop and organize a biennial colloquium, suite of workshops, conference, or any combination thereof pertaining to an issue of direct relevance to the conservation community as a whole or to conservation of the collections of the University Library in particular.
- Research-10%: The incumbent will pursue analytical research on topics of interest that apply to conservation treatment of books and paper documents, conservation management, or book history, in collaboration with research scientists within the University of Illinois scientific community and beyond. Research topics will be approved by the Head of Conservation and pursuits will be supported by the unit and Library. In addition, every effort will be made to share the results of this research with as broad an audience as possible.
Qualifications: Required: Bachelor’s degree. Minimum of three years of professional conservation experience. Extensive knowledge of book and/or paper conservation principles and practices and of the physical and chemical nature of books and paper, as evidenced by (i) a graduate degree in conservation, or (ii) the completion of a conservation apprenticeship with an established conservator, or (iii) other verifiable certification of advanced training and education. Excellent communication skills. Preferred: Experience working collaboratively in a research library; undergraduate or graduate degree or significant coursework in a related field such as history, art history, library science, museum studies, chemistry or studio art; and demonstrated experience in dealing with the intellectual issues involved in the use of research library collections; grant writing or fund-raising experience; experience in professional writing; experience in research methodologies related to conservation; experience in professional outreach and/or service; experience organizing educational or public events; experience of training others.
Environment: The University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign is one of the preeminent research collections in the world. With more than 11 million volumes, it ranks third among academic research libraries in the United States and first among public university libraries in the world. As the intellectual heart of the campus, the Library is committed to maintaining the strongest possible collections and services and to engaging in research and development activities in pursuit of the University’s mission of teaching, scholarship, and public service. The Library currently employs approximately 100 faculty and 300 staff members. For more detailed information, please visit http://www.library.illinois.edu/.
The Library consists of more than 37 departmental libraries that are located throughout campus and administratively organized into eight divisions. The Preservation and Conservation Program at the University of Illinois Library operates with the holistic vision of developing a comprehensive management program for the entire library system. The Conservation Unit consists of both collections conservation as well as special collections conservation. The Unit also assists in the education, planning, and development of the overall preservation program for the Library.
Salary: Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience. These positions are Academic Professional appointment.
Terms of Appointment: 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.
Campus and Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public, land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University – Extensive) ranked among the best in the world, including “Top 20″ programs in Chemistry, Engineering, English, Mathematics, Music, Library & Information Science, Psychology, and Veterinary Medicine. Chartered in 1867, its faculty and staff provide undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conduct theoretical and applied research, and provide public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members serving 31,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receive campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. For more information, see: http://www.uiuc.edu . The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated approximately 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 miles northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution and its members. For more information, see: http://www.uiuc.edu/community/
To Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest and resume. Online application will require names and contact information for three professional references. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.
Deadline: In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by 04/28/2011. Interviews may occur before the closing date; however, no decisions will be made prior to the closing date.
Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).
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