About Us - Values Overview

Department Summary

A wide range of student- and faculty-centered services are the cornerstone of the Libraries' integral role in the University of North Texas community. As the most-used service on campus and an essential component of education and research at the University of North Texas, the Libraries offer access to an abundant collection of more than 6 million items (print and digital) along with expert personnel to assist patrons in achieving their academic and scholarly goals. We provide innovative programs and support to enhance the intermingling of teaching, learning, and research at UNT.  

The Special Collections department collects and preserves rare and unique research materials for use by students, scholars, and the public. The department consists of five highly collaborative units; Digital Collections, Preservation, Processing/Description, Public Services/ Outreach, and University Archives. Special Collections offers unique experiences to students and faculty to engage with primary sources, rare books, arts, and artifacts. Faculty in a variety of disciplines including arts, humanities, and sciences schedule class visits to Special Collections each semester. Faculty also take advantage of coursework development grants to integrate Special Collections into curriculum, and research fellowships to further scholarly pursuits. As one of the largest contributing partners to The Portal to Texas History, Special Collections leads initiatives each year to digitize archival collections and preserve born digital archival content.

Position Overview

This position will support the work of the Acquisitions, Processing, and Preservation units at the Research Collections Library. Oversee accessioning of all incoming archival collections in support of UNT Special Collections’ collection acquisition program. Maintain physical and electronic donor files and assign collection numbers utilizing ArchivesSpace. Fulfill University Advancement requirements for all gift-in-kind donations. Manage onsite requests for Special Collections being paged to the remote facility utilizing Aeon. Collaborate with Access Services Specialist (working at Willis Library) and remote facility manager ensure requests are fulfilled and reshelved appropriately. Fulfill on-demand scanning requests for collection materials that can be digitized at the RCL. Ideal candidate will possess a combination of specialized knowledge and practical experience in an archive and/or Special Collections environment. This position works primarily at the Research Collections Library; a remote campus facility located approximately one mile north of campus. Work will require occasional visits to Willis Library for department and divisional activities.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and one year of progressively responsible library experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of library principles and policies, and extensive knowledge of specialized area functions and workflows.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Evidence in working effectively with students, faculty, staff, and the community.
• Verified ability to utilize multiple computer applications toward increased productivity in a rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and independent decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in archives or Special Collections
• Cross-trained in archival processing, preservation, and acquisitions
• Strong tendency towards collaboration.
• Experience using information organization software such as ArchivesSpace and Aeon.
• Experience using project management software, like Trello
• Experience performing archival research
• Strong supervisory skills

We want to emphasize that the preferred qualifications are not required and that we are committed to helping our future colleague develop these preferred skills.

Required License/Registration/Certifications

Job Duties

• Oversee accessioning of special collections materials. 
• Manage donor files of new acquisitions including processing gift agreements, generating acknowledgement letters, and making files accessible once processed. 
• Adhere to policies governing gifts-in-kind to the library, as required by University Advancement. 
• Assign locations to unprocessed collections. 
• Effectively utilize department project management software, Trello. 
• Assist with processing, preservation, and acquisition projects as needed. 
• Contribute to departmental initiatives and community outreach projects such as Archives Institute, gallery exhibition(s) and installs, and National Juneteenth Museum’s History Harvest. 
• Oversee preservation queue of processed and unprocessed collection materials. 
• Enhance and improve workflows and processes to better facilitate the acquisitions, preservation, processing, and cataloging goals of Special Collections. 
• Use Aeon to fulfill and track patron/staff requests for collection materials to be accessed at RCL. Manage Aeon queues for requests fulfilled at RCL, ensuring that materials are requested, checked in, and returned to storage. -
• Submit and manage preservation supply orders for the department, oversee supply inventory, enter and track orders in financial worksheets. 
• Process archival collections, as needed. 
• Assist with other Special Collections projects as assigned and help with workshops and special events. -
• Hire, supervise, and train student assistants, as needed. 

Physical Requirements

Communicating with others to exchange information.
Lifting and Moving objects up to 20 pounds.

Environmental Hazards
No adverse environmental conditions expected.

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8am – 5 pm

Driving University Vehicle

No

Security Sensitive

This is a Security Sensitive Position.

Special Instructions

Applicants must submit a minimum of two professional references as part of their application. If needed, additional references can be added after the application has been submitted. Applicants must submit a resume, a cover letter and a list of three professional references with their online application.

Benefits

For information regarding our Benefits, click here.

EEO Statement

The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit –and takes actions to prevent – discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking), and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application, employment practices, and facilities; nor permits race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or sex discrimination and harassment in its admissions processes, and educational programs and activities. UNT System Administration promptly investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation and takes remedial action when appropriate. System Administration also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist, or participate in a related investigation or proceeding.