Positions at New York Historical Society

2 positions:

Library Collections Assistant and
Victor Remer Preservation Assistant (1-year position)
New-York Historical Society, Library Conservation Department

Library Collections Assistant

    The New-York Historical Society is seeking a Library Collections
    Assistant to work independently and in consultation with library
    conservation and collections staff. The successful candidate
    will report to the Senior Conservator and will be responsible
    for the following tasks:

        Help to maintain proper physical and environmental
        conditions (monitor overall physical structure of
        collections storage areas, download and generate reports
        from dataloggers, alert conservation staff to problems or
        potential problems).

        Help to ensure the safety of staff and collections by
        maintaining stock of emergency preparedness supplies and
        assisting in instances of disaster recovery.

        Serve as primary library liaison with the N-YHS maintenance
        department regarding repair of storage area infrastructure
        (elevators, light fixtures and switches, locks) and alert
        library staff to temporary changes within storage areas.

        Maintain order and cleanliness in collection storage areas
        (vacuuming, dusting, shelving adjustment and repair).

        Assist conservation and collections staff in the allocation
        of space for growing and newly cataloged collections
        (shifting, weeding, off-site storage planning); maintain
        database that chronicles changes in collection storage;
        create signage.

        In consultation with library staff, select and prepare
        printed publications for binding by outside vendor.

        Assist senior conservator with special projects.

        Qualifications:  B.A. in the humanities or social sciences;
        strong attention to detail; excellent verbal communication
        skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team;
        experience using Microsoft Word and   Preferred:  Previous
        experience working in a library or museum; experience
        handling fragile materials; experience using FileMaker Pro.

        Salary:  $30,000-33,000

Victor Remer Preservation Assistant (1-year position)
New-York Historical Society, Library Conservation Department

    The New-York Historical Society is seeking a Preservation
    Assistant to work with the Children's Aid Society Collection
    under the direction of the Senior Conservator and the Children's
    Aid Society Archivist.  The successful candidate will be
    responsible for the following:

        Perform basic paper conservation treatments such as surface
        cleaning, mending, and repairing fragile items.

        Perform and document conservation treatments that include
        encapsulating flat paper, mending torn pages, leather
        consolidation, resewing simple binding structures, and
        making preservation facsimiles and protective enclosures.

        Depending on skills and experience, may also rebind and
        reattach boards with emphasis on retaining original
        character and binding features.  Will also assist with
        collections storage cleaning and collections movement.

Qualifications:  B.A./B.S. in the humanities or related field, book
or paper conservation-related experience in a private workshop or
institutional lab, library or museum experience, ability to operate
specialized conservation equipment, good manual dexterity,
word-processing, database, and digital imaging software skills,
ability to work independently and cooperatively, strong sense of
organization.

A manual dexterity test may be administered as part of the
interview. Applicants are encouraged to provide examples of their
completed work.

Salary:  $20/hour, 17 hours/week, one (1) year assignment, no
benefits

To Apply:  Send cover letter, resume, and the names of three
references by mail or fax to:

    Alan Balicki
    Senior Conservator
    New-York Historical Society
    170 Central Park West
    New York, NY  10024
    Fax: 212-875-1591

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:30
                Distributed: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-30-020
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