Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Archivist For The Southeast Asian Archive And Regional History

The University of California, Irvine Libraries seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and innovative professional for the position of Archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History in the Department of Special Collections & Archives.  The first year of the position will be devoted to the Southeast Asian Archive, thanks to generous financial support from the Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors, a chapter of the UC Irvine Alumni Association.  After the first year, responsibilities for the position will expand to include managing regional history collections in the Special Collections & Archives Department and in the general UCI Libraries’ collection.  (Detailed descriptions of these collections and the department are included below.)

Responsibilities

The Archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History plays a critical role in developing unique research collections of lasting historical significance and in building positive community relationships.  Reporting to the Head of Special Collections and Archives, the Archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History is responsible for collecting and making accessible to the campus and the community materials in multiple formats, including archival materials, books, serials, ephemera, government documents, web sites, and oral histories, that document the Southeast Asian American experience and many aspects of Orange County, California.  The incumbent is also responsible for collecting regional history materials and Orange County government information for the general collection.  The position is responsible for cultivating relationships with key donors and organizations, developing and implementing innovative outreach strategies, and offering specialized reference and instruction services.  The incumbent will play a lead role in setting priorities for making materials available to the public for research.  The successful candidate may help accession and process archival materials, prepare exhibits, plan and manage digital projects, and direct the work of student assistants and processing staff.  The position also oversees services in the Southeast Asian Archive Reading Room.  The Archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History will work collaboratively with multiple library and campus staff, particularly the UCI Libraries’ Archivist, the Libraries Development Officer, and the Vietnamese American Oral History Project in the School of Humanities.  This position also serves as the Libraries’ lead liaison to the Southeast Asian Archive Advisory Board.  


Qualifications

Required:

  • A graduate degree in library science from an ALA-accredited institution, or a graduate degree in archival studies, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Educational background or experience sufficient to perform specialized reference, instruction, and collection development for published and archival materials in all formats (including electronic) in Orange County history and the Southeast Asian Archive.
  • Familiarity with archival management theory and best practices.
  • Experience working with archives or using archives for scholarly research.
  • Experience building relationships in diverse communities.
  • Commitment to user-centered library services.
  • Interest in and facility with learning new standards, practices, and technologies for managing library and archival materials.
  • Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills, particularly those necessary for communicating successfully with diverse populations, including students, faculty, immigrants, and community leaders.  
  • Excellent writing and editing skills.
  • Ability to work effectively in teams and in a dynamically changing environment.
  • Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion.
Preferred:
  • Advanced educational background in Asian American studies or California history.
  • Proficient in speaking and reading a Southeast Asian language.
  • Experience working effectively with donors.
  • Experience with grant writing or fundraising.
  • Experience collecting print, electronic, or archival materials for an academic research institution. 
  • Experience organizing and describing archival materials.
  • Experience providing instruction in an academic environment.
  • Experience providing reference services in an academic environment.
  • Project management experience.
  • Experience directing the work of students and staff.
  • Experience conducting oral histories.
  • Familiarity with government information.
The Department of Special Collections and Archives

Special Collections and Archives houses the UCI Libraries' collections of manuscripts and archives, rare books, and notable subject collections. Archival collecting areas of particular strength and distinction include regional history (emphasizing Orange County and Southern California), the Southeast Asian Archive, the Critical Theory Archive (including the papers of Jacques Derrida, Wolfgang Iser, Paul de Man, and others), the University Archives (documenting the UC Irvine campus), dance and the performing arts (including the papers of Robert Cohen and choreographers Donald McKayle and Eugene Loring), and distinguished UCI faculty (including Noble Laureates Frederick Reines and Sherwood Rowland).


The Southeast Asian Archive

Since the end of the Vietnam Conflict in 1975 a large number of refugees and immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have come to the United States, and especially to California. In order to document their experiences in a new culture, the UC Irvine Libraries established the Southeast Asian Archive in 1987. The Archive's collection strengths include materials relating to the resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants in the United States, refugee camp and other experiences of the "boat people" and land refugees, and the development and progress of new ethnic communities. There is a special focus on materials pertaining to Southeast Asians in Orange County and California. Holdings are in English and in Southeast Asian languages (primarily Vietnamese), and include books, periodicals, refugee orientation materials, government documents, reports and surveys, newspaper clippings, video and audio recordings, personal papers and organizational records, posters, photographs, ephemera, paintings, and dissertations and theses.

Regional History Collections

The UCI Libraries collects materials related to Orange County, California as well as Orange County government information.  Special Collections and Archives seeks to document the history of Orange County from the mission period through the present: collection strengths include urban planning and development, the Irvine Ranch and the City of Irvine, environmental issues, city histories, politics, Disneyland, surfing, LGBT history, and women in the public sphere. The Special Collections and Archives collections include photographs, family papers, organizational records, maps, postcards, newspapers, government documents, books, serials, and ephemera.

The UCI Libraries

The UCI Libraries are committed to innovation and excellence and are in a major period of change.  The Libraries consist of the Langson Library, the Ayala Science Library, the Library Gateway Study Center, and the Grunigen Medical Library.  These buildings contain over 3,600 public seats for study and research and provide more than 600 public access computers.  The UCI Libraries have a staff of approximately 140 FTE plus approximately 30 student assistant FTE.  The library collection consists of over 3.4 million volumes and over 86,000 journals and serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection.  The UCI Libraries are a member of the:  Association of Research Libraries (ARL), California Digital Library (CDL), HathiTrust Digital Library, Center for Research Libraries (CRL), Coalition of Networked Information (CNI), Digital Library Federation (DLF), Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance (PRDLA), and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine, is nestled in over 1,500 acres of coastal foothills, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, between San Diego and Los Angeles.  Founded in 1965, UCI has more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,100 faculty.  Nearly 67% of UCI students identify themselves as Asian American, African American, Chicano/Latino, or Native American.  The University offers graduate degrees in more than 100 academic disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in addition to the M.D. and J.D.  UCI’s academic programs are ranked nationally among the top universities; several doctoral programs are ranked in the top ten.

Librarians at the University of California Irvine are academic appointees and receive potential career status at the time of their initial appointment.  Librarians periodically receive administrative and peer review for merit increases based on the following criteria: 1) professional competence and quality of service within the Library; 2) professional activity outside the Library; 3) university and public service; and 4) research and other creative activity.

Salary & Benefits:  Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Preferred appointment level is $47,544 - $70,956 (Assistant Librarian I – Librarian I).

Librarians are entitled to two days per month of annual leave, thirteen paid holidays, and one day per month sick leave.  The University has an excellent retirement system and offers a variety of group health, life, and disability insurance plans.  Benefits are equal to approximately 40% of salary.

Consideration will be given to applicants with a wide range of years of experience, including qualified early career librarians.

Deadline for Applications:  Applications received by ­­­­­­­March 28, 2013 will receive first consideration, but applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

To ApplyElectronic applications are preferred.  Qualified applicants who wish to be considered for this position should send their application materials including: cover letter; complete résumé; and the names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of three references, with a statement of each reference's professional relationship to the applicant, to: 

E-mail: libhr@uci.edu
Library Human Resources
UC Irvine, P.O. Box 19557
Irvine, CA 92623-9557
Confidential fax:  (949) 824-3270

Upon application, candidates should be in possession of proof of their legal right to employment in the U.S.  In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, verification of legal right to work will be required between the time of final selection and hiring, and is absolutely essential in ultimately being hired.

This position description is listed on the UCI Libraries Web site at http://www.lib.uci.edu/about/jobs/librarian-vacancies.html with links to additional Web sites featuring campus and community information.

The University of California, Irvine is an equal opportunity employer
committed to excellence through diversity.

No comments: