Position at Harry Ransom Center

Paper Conservator
Head of Paper Conservation Laboratory
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin

The Conservation Department of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research
Center at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a qualified
Paper Conservator to serve as head of its paper conservation
laboratory. The Paper Conservator will develop, coordinate and
participate in the activities of the Ransom Center paper
conservation laboratory and its staff and provide support for
institutional conservation objectives and a wide range of
conservation department services to the Center.

Essential functions of the position include all aspects of the
physical care of a wide range of paper based works  in the Center's
collections. The Paper Conservator will take a collegial, leadership
and educational role in all activities of the Ransom Center
Conservation Department and will support other areas of the
institutional preservation endeavor. The Paper Conservator will
develop and maintain programs and procedures for the conservation,
preservation and exhibition of works on paper, and will be
responsible for training and managing paper conservation laboratory
staff, including one FTE Assistant Conservator III and one FTE
Assistant Conservator I, as well as interns, students and other
persons occasionally invited to work in the facility. The
performance of paper conservation treatments of all levels of
complexity on works of art, manuscripts, documents, maps and other
historic and artistic works is a key responsibility of this
position. The head of the paper conservation laboratory will serve
as part of the Conservation Department senior management team, and
will work with Ransom Center curators, collection managers, and
administrative personnel to identify and resolve preservation
concerns throughout the Center and to ensure that Conservation
Department programs are effective.

Minimum requirements for this position include a Master's degree and
three years of experience applying preservation and conservation
practices to library, special collection, museum, or archive
collections. A Bachelor's degree and five years of experience as
stated, or high school graduation and nine years of experience will
be considered to meet the minimum qualifications. Experience
primarily should be in paper conservation and include the treatment
of works of art on paper, documents, manuscripts and other paper
based work. Treatment of bound volumes, photographs, or other types
of objects may be included as part of the experience qualifications.

Preferred qualifications for this position include extensive
experience in all aspects of paper conservation; and a superior
knowledge of papers, inks, colorants, adhesives, and materials
technologies as applied and encountered in the creation and
conservation of artistic, literary and documentary works. Experience
managing basic and advanced collections care programs, supervising
and training staff, and working with other conservators in a team
environment will be considered favorably, as will demonstrable
interpersonal and communication skills. Other preferred
qualifications include strong knowledge of basic research methods in
paper conservation, exhibition standards and techniques, HVAC
systems, disaster planning and response strategies, current trends
in conservation and preservation, and collection survey techniques.

The Ransom Center Conservation Department, established in 1980,
maintains three separate conservation laboratories for the treatment
of paper, bound works, and photographs. Seven Conservators work in
these labs. Five Technical Staff work in two other laboratories and
are responsible for preparing exhibitions and the construction of
collection housings. The collections of the Ransom Center include
37,000 linear feet of 19th and 20th century literary manuscripts and
archives, one million books, 5 million photographs, and several
hundred thousand works of art.

The salary range for this position is $2250-$2500 per month
depending on qualifications. The retirement plan for this position
is with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The position is
permanent. All positions at the Ransom Center are classed as
security sensitive and a conviction verification will be conducted
on the applicant selected.

Applicants are invited to submit a letter of interest, a resume, and
a list of three references familiar with their professional career
to James Stroud, Harry Ransom Center, Conservation Department, P.O.
Box 7219, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78713-7219.

The University of Texas is an Equal Employment
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:32
                  Distributed: Monday, October 6, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-32-021
                                  ***