Position at Center for Jewish History

Assistant Conservator
Center for Jewish History, New York

The  Center for Jewish History is a cultural institution,
independent research facility and destination for the exploration of
Jewish history and heritage.  It is home to five partner
organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi
Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO
Institute for Jewish Research.

The partners' archival collections span more than 700 years of
history and total over 500,000 volumes and 100 million documents.
The collections also include thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual
objects, recordings, films and photographs.

Position description:: The Center for Jewish History seeks an
Assistant Conservator.  Reporting directly to the Associate
Conservator, the Assistant Conservator will participate in the
activities of the Werner J.  and Gisella Levi Cahnman Preservation
Laboratory, which provides a comprehensive conservation service for
the research collections held by the five partner institutions of
the Center, and supports overall collection care and digitization
efforts.

The successful applicant will carry out conservation treatment,
contribute to activities related to the Partner collections'
preventive care, and assist with installation of artifacts.  They
will also contribute to the ongoing running of the laboratory and
support the lab's outreach program to both internal and external
stakeholders, through participation in demonstrations, tours and
writing blog articles.

Conservation treatment focuses on stabilizing material for long term
storage and providing access for researchers.  Work is conducted in
a visible laboratory that is an important part of the guest
experience.

The position is part-time with no benefits, for a maximum of 20
hours per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

    Carry out conservation treatments for paper-based archival and
    library materials

    Create custom protective enclosures for a variety of collection
    material

    Maintain proper documentation of all treatments and tracking of
    artifacts

    Follow best practices and ethical standards for treatments

    Carry out condition surveys on both item and collection level

    Assist with IPM activities and with monitoring environmental
    conditions in storage areas and in the galleries

    Assist with the creation of mounts for exhibition material, and
    with the unpacking, condition examination, and installation of
    incoming loans

    Assist with disaster preparedness planning and training

    Create and update content for the Preservation page on the
    Center's wiki and write blog articles of select conservation
    treatments

    Research and purchase equipment and supplies for conservation

    Supervise enthusiastic volunteers and interns

    Keep current about latest conservation techniques and practices
    through research and training

    Selection criteria:

Required:

    Master's degree from a recognized conservation training program
    with a specialization in paper conservation

    Minimum two years experience conserving paper-based collections

    Good manual skills and demonstrated ability to perform
    conservation treatments as evidenced by presentation of
    conservation portfolio

    Demonstrative ability to work within the AIC Code of Ethics

    Knowledge of preservation theory and standards of conservation
    practice

    Experience with technology-based management tools

    Good organizational and communication skills

    Ability to work independently and as part of a team

    Ability to work with diverse constituencies, including curators,
    archivists, librarians and administration

Preferred:

    Conservation training or experience treating books and/or
    photographic materials

    Experience working with archival collections

    Ability to compile time and cost estimates

Application procedure:

Review of applications will begin immediately.  First consideration
will be given to applications received by 5pm Friday, March 21,
2014.  Please direct questions and applications (cover letter
addressing each of the selection criteria, resume and hourly salary
requirement) to:

    Felicity Corkill
    Associate Conservator
    Center for Jewish History
    15 West 16th Street
    New York, NY 10011
    fcorkill<-a t->cjh< . >org

No phone calls please.  Candidates invited for interview will be
required to present a conservation portfolio and the contact details
of three references.  All applicants will be notified of the outcome
of their application.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:32
                Distributed: Thursday, February 20, 2014
                       Message Id: cdl-27-32-052
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