Project Archivist

This is a 2-year term limited position starting in May, 2026 and ending on April 30, 2028

Job Summary:

The Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America documents the lives of women of the past and present for the future and furthers the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s commitment to the study of women, gender, sexuality, and society. The Archival Technical Services unit at Schlesinger Library fosters the discovery, use, and care of archival and manuscript materials through various activities including accessioning, processing, description, metadata creation, preservation, and collection management. Archival Technical Services’ priorities reflect the Library’s ongoing work to document the history and contributions of women and organizations currently under-represented in our collections. The Library has recently acquired the papers of a prominent Black feminist critic, writer, and publisher. The approximately 164 linear feet collection documents the Combahee River Collective, Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, Black lesbian and gay writing and activism, and many other related topics.

To process and make accessible this significant new acquisition, we seek a Project Archivist for a two-year term who is passionate about archival processing and its crucial role in fostering discovery and accessibility, and who is committed to equitable representation and inclusive description in archives. The Project Archivist processes this newly acquired collection, arranging and describing the papers according to national standards and best practices to provide widespread public access to the collection. This is an opportunity for a critical thinker to join an experienced unit of passionate archivists who are working collectively to evaluate and improve our practices while reaffirming our existing strengths. Reporting to the Lead Processing Archivist, they will participate in a team committed to ongoing reflection and improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Appraises, arranges, describes, preserves, and catalogs the papers, in both analog and digital formats, of a prominent Black feminist critic, writer, and publisher. This includes creating a processing plan and achievable timeline for the project, and consulting with conservation staff regarding fragile materials.

• Creates DACS-compliant archival description, including catalog record and finding aid, following national standards and Schlesinger Library procedures and applying best practices for inclusive and reparative description.

• Determines appropriate levels of arrangement and description, using a range of approaches to ensure flexible and efficient processing.

• Adheres to procedures outlined in departmental processing manuals and contributes to the improvement and documentation of departmental workflows and practices.

• May supervise student assistants and interns, including planning and assigning work.

Working Conditions:

• Work conditions involve a climate-controlled, indoor environment with specific temperature and humidity levels to preserve materials. The archivist may encounter dust and mold, necessitating the use of personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. Limited natural light is typical in the workspace, and frequent use of computers and other digital tools is required.

Physical Requirements:

The demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The physical demands of this position include lifting and carrying boxes up to 40 pounds, managing cartloads of material weighing up to 240 pounds, frequent standing, walking, climbing ladders, and bending to retrieve or reshelve collections. 

• Manual dexterity is required to handle delicate archival materials carefully. 

• Prolonged periods of examining documents under magnification and repetitive data entry tasks are also common.