[BKARTS] Thomas F. Peterson (1957) Conservator, MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA -

THOMAS F. PETERSON (1957) CONSERVATOR
Curation and Preservation Services
(Librarian II)

The MIT Libraries seek an experienced and forward-thinking professional to manage MIT's special collections conservation program and to contribute knowledge and expertise to the Libraries' overall preservation strategy. Working in a state-of-the-art conservation lab, this is an exciting opportunity to work with the rich collections of a world renowned institution ensuring long-term access for current and future scholars.

Reporting to the Head, Curation and Preservation Services, the Conservator develops and manages MIT's special collections conservation program, planning and executing conservation treatments for the physical maintenance of rare books, archives, and manuscripts. S/he conducts condition assessments and utilizes data to inform planning and evaluate outcomes of services and projects. S/he provides expertise and guidance to collections curators and other library and facilities staff regarding collections care, treatment, and storage.  S/he also keeps current on standards and best practice, documents procedures and workflows, and develops outreach and training programs.

The Conservator collaborates with the Department Head and Preservation Librarian to provide a comprehensive preservation program that leverages emerging and evolving technology and tools.  S/he manages projects to maintain or expand access to paper-based materials and media through various reformatting methods, primarily digitization and, s/he develops preservation plans and priorities in consultation with managers of collections, user services, and digital repositories.  S/he shares management responsibility of lab operations with the Preservation Librarian which includes budget development and administration, oversight of compliance issues, vendor relationship management, and supervision of one support staff and occasional interns.

Additional responsibilities of the Conservator include exhibition support for the Maihaugen Gallery, environmental monitoring and disaster preparedness and response, participation in stewardship of donors and fundraising, developing projects and funding proposals, and serving as the Libraries' representative to MIT Environmental Health and Safety.



QUALIFICATIONS:

  *   Graduate degree in conservation or comparable education and training
  *   Minimum of 3-5 years of professional conservation experience with demonstrated ability to perform complex treatments for rare books and paper-based materials

*         Working knowledge of chemistry and materials science as applied in the field of conservation; demonstrated knowledge of current conservation theory and practice

  *   Ability to identify, adapt, and utilize relevant technologies and emerging techniques
  *   Ability to plan, organize, and set priorities
  *   Strong training skills; excellent oral and written communication skills
  *   Experience supervising staff and managing a laboratory that meets OSHA requirements for health and safety

Preferred

  *   Masters in Library Science or substantial experience working collaboratively in a research library setting
  *   Familiarity with relevant technology and tools
  *   Experience with exhibition production and support



SALARY AND BENEFITS: $58,500 minimum salary.  Actual salary based on qualification and experience. MIT offers excellent benefits including a choice of health and retirement plans, a dental plan, tuition assistance and a relocation allowance.  The MIT Libraries afford a flexible and collegial working environment and foster professional growth of staff with management training and travel funding for professional meetings.



APPLICATION PROCESS:  Apply online at: http://hrweb.mit.edu/staffing/. Please include cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin March 4, 2013 and will continue until position is filled.  MIT is strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community and particularly encourages applications from qualified women and minority candidates.



Through a culture that encourages innovation and collaboration, the MIT Libraries are redefining the role of the 21st century library - making collections more accessible than ever before, and shaping the future of scholarly research. Library staff, at all levels, contribute to this spirit of innovation and to the mission of promoting learning, discovery and the advancement of knowledge at MIT and beyond. "Reinventing the Research Library:  The MIT Libraries in the 21st Century<http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/mitlibraries/videos/10837-reinventing-the-research-library-the-mit-libraries-in-the-21st-century>" is a short video that looks at how the Libraries are expanding beyond their traditional role to shape 21st century research library --creating innovative services, reaching out to students and faculty, and leading efforts to increase global access to MIT's scholarly work.



The MIT Libraries support the Institute's programs of research and study with holdings of more than 2.9 million print volumes and 3.1 million special format items, and terabytes of MIT-owned digital content. In addition, rare special collections, Institute records, historical documents, and papers of noted faculty are held in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Library resources and services are accessible to students and researchers through the Libraries' website (http://libraries.mit.edu/), and library spaces are widely available for both collaborative work and quiet study. Traditional library resources are supplemented by innovative services for bioinformatics, GIS, metadata, social science data, and research data management services, as well as multimedia facilities and services for video production, conferencing, webcasting and distance education. The Libraries utilize the Ex Libris Aleph system for its public Web-based catalog and as the support system for user service and processing functions. DSpace@MIT, a digital repository developed over the past ten years by the MIT Libraries, serves to capture, preserve and communicate the intellectual output of MIT's faculty and research community. Other MIT repositories include: Dome, a second DSpace instance, providing access to a sizable image collection and other digital collections owned by the MIT Libraries; the MIT Geodata Repository for a diverse collection of GIS Data; and MIT's DataVerse for licensed social science datasets. MIT Libraries maintain memberships and affiliations in arXiv, Association of Research Libraries, the BorrowDirect group, the Boston Library Consortium, DDI Alliance, DuraSpace, HathiTrust, CLIR/Digital Library Federation, the Coalition of Networked Information, EDUCAUSE, North East Research Libraries, OCLC Research Library Partnership, National Digital Stewardship Alliance, and NISO.

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Helen Bailey
Library Fellow for Digital Curation and Preservation
MIT Libraries

hbailey_at_mit.edu
'via Blog this'