Reference and Special Collections Librarian – New York University, Institute of Fine Arts

The Librarian will be responsible for administering the Institute of Fine Arts Library’s rare book, manuscript, archival, and other special collections including: supervision of the Special Collections reading room, providing user services, doing collection development, planning preservation, and contributing to bibliographic control. Other responsibilities include creating and maintaining user access resources through research and writing, developing an exhibits program and publications in support of use of the collections. The Librarian will also be responsible for educational outreach to the professors, graduate students, and undergraduates who do or may potentially use Special Collections materials. This outreach will take the form of direct contact with faculty whose research interests overlap with the holdings of the Special Collections and IFA Archives, instruction to students in the use of special collection and archival materials, and the development of other venues (such as blogs and Wikis).

Job Description

Required Experience

Education Requirements

Library Information

Catalog Librarian – Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts Yale Center for British Art

Job Title: Catalog Librarian
Organization: Yale Center for British Art
Location: New Haven, Connecticut,
Description:

Rank: Librarian I-III Yale Center for British Art The Yale Center for British Art, both a research institute and a public museum, houses the largest collection of British paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, and rare books outside Great Britain. Given to Yale University by the late Paul Mellon (Yale Class of 1929), the YCBA is a flourishing center for research and scholarship on all aspects of the history of British art since the 16th century. For additional information about the Center, consult the web site at http://www.yale.edu/ycba/

The collection of Rare Books and Manuscripts, one of three curatorial departments at the Center, contains approximately 35,000 titles, consisting of material relating to the visual arts and cultural life in the United Kingdom and former British Empire from the 16th century to the present. Particular strengths include illustrated “color-plate” books from the renowned J.R. Abbey collection, sporting books and manuscripts, early maps and atlases, printed books by William Caxton and his contemporaries, private press books and contemporary artists’ books, drawing manuals, as well as archival and manuscript material relating to British art, society, and culture of all periods. The Prints and Drawings collection offers a comprehensive view of the development of British graphic art, with an emphasis on the flowering of the British watercolor school.Other areas of interest include architectural drawings, topographical prints, caricatures, and mezzotint portraits. The Paintings and Sculpture collection contains masterpieces by the leading artists who worked in Britain from the 16th century to the present, including Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Stubbs, Constable, and Turner.British sporting art, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, the Camden Town School, and the Bloomsbury Group are well represented, together with more recent British art.

The Center’s Reference Library holds materials in a variety of formats supporting the study of British art and related fields including architecture, history, literature, and the performing arts. The Photograph Archive, located within the Reference Library, consists of over 200,000 black-and-white study photographs of British art worldwide, with a special focus on works in United States, Canadian, and Australian collections.

RESPONSIBILITIES Under the general direction of the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, the Catalog Librarian creates, enhances, and maintains original and complex copy cataloging records for a wide range of materials in a variety of formats dating from the 16th century to the present, including printed books, maps, manuscripts, archival collections, serials, ephemera, and realia. Descriptive cataloging of all materials is performed in accordance with national standards and the requirements of Yale’s local on-line system (a version of Endeavor’s Voyager).The Catalog Librarian keeps abreast of revisions in cataloging rules and trends and applies new rules, interpretations, and techniques as appropriate. Subject analysis and classification assignment follow Library of Congress standards and local practice. Authority records follow NACO standards and are contributed to the national authority file.The Catalog Librarian arranges and describes archival collections, and creates finding aids in accordance with local descriptive and EAD-encoding standards.Works with Curator to establish cataloging priorities for newly acquired material, and to set priorities for processing collections in the backlog, including determining appropriate levels of treatment for groups of materials. Trains and revises the work of Catalog Assistant and students.Works collaboratively with librarians and staff of the Center’s Reference Library and other departments within the Yale Center for British Art, as well as other Yale libraries and departments, particularly the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Art and Architecture Library, the Lewis Walpole Library, and the Yale University Art Gallery.Participates in Center and Yale library-wide planning and committee work, and is expected to be active professionally.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree from an ALA-accredited library science program and experience in cataloging rare materials.
• BA with strong knowledge of British and Western European history, art history, and literature, and broad knowledge in the humanities, as demonstrated through academic degrees or an equivalent combination of training or experience.
• Good reading knowledge of at least one Western European language.
• Demonstrated experience in cataloging rare materials, both printed and non-printed, in a wide variety of formats (including books, manuscripts and archival collections, maps, ephemera, and realia) according to DCRB.Knowledge of AACR2, Library of Congress rule interpretations, Library of Congress subject heading practice, MARC21,and other relevant LC cataloging standards.
• Familiarity with DACS and EAD encoding standards.
• Working knowledge of basic preservation and conservation standards for rare book and manuscript collections; good understanding of the principles of rare book librarianship.
• Working knowledge of automated library information management systems, such as RLIN and Endeavor/Voyager, for the purposes of cataloging and collections management.
• Proficient in the use of basic software applications in a Windows environment as needed to perform library functions.
• Strong service orientation, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Excellent organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Supervisory and staff training experience.

Appointment at Librarian II level requires a minimum of two years professional library experience and demonstrated professional accomplishments; appointment at Librarian III level requires five years of professional experience and demonstrated professional accomplishments appropriate to the rank.

Offer is contingent upon successfully completing a background check.

Salary and Benefits Rank and competitive salary will be based upon the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience (min: 49,500). Full benefits package including pro-rated 22 vacation days; 18 holiday, recess and personal days; comprehensive health care; TIAA/CREF or Yale retirement plan; and relocation assistance.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications consisting of a cover letter, resume, and the names of three references should be sent by creating an account and applying online at http://www.yale.edu/hronline/stars/application/ Please be sure apply to requisition #4262BR.

Yale University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.Yale values diversity in its faculty, staff, and students and strongly encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented minority groups.