Institution: Princeton University
Location: Princeton, NJ
Posted: 03/15/2013
Application Due: Open Until Filled
Education: Bachelor’s degree, foreign language

Position Summary: The Cotsen Children’s Library, the collection of rare illustrated children’s books, music, manuscripts, prints, and objects within the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, is seeking an assistant to the Curator. This position reports directly to the Curator and would work closely with other members of the department on a variety of projects. The Curatorial Assistant works at the unit’s front desk in close proximity to Cotsen’s public gallery for children. the is a tremendous opportunity for an individual looking to directly apply Arts & Humanities background in a unique library environment.

Major responsibilities for this position are divided into four categories:

1) Public services: includes assisting with reference, monitoring classroom presentations, paging and reshelving, maintaining the unit’s web page, and assisting the Cotsen Outreach Coordinator with research for collections-based educational programs for children.
2) Technical services: bibliographic searching for prospective acquisitions, processing new acquisitions, preliminary organization of collections, overseeing rehousing projects.
3) Administrative: includes arranging for payments for new acquisitions, working with the curator and department manager to process invoices, and assisting in the local arrangements and publicity for academic conferences.
4) Supervisorial: includes hiring, training, and supervising 2-4 part-time student assistants throughout the year.

Other responsibilities:

• Curatorial office operation and services. This position assists with the operation and services of the curatorial offices during regular office hours.
• Pre-order searching: searches Princeton OPAC, Voyager Acquistions and Production, RLIN, OCLC and other specialized reference sources to help curator decide to purchase new materials for the collection.
• Unpacks, checks in, and arranges for payment of new materials to the collection.
• Collection service and maintenance: pages materials from the collection for patrons. retrieves and reshelves them when work completed. helps organize and maintain Cotsen stacks.
• Reference service: provides courteous, thorough, accurate, and prompt assistance to patrons in locating materials they need and helping them check out things to the Dulles Reading Room. Provides basic reference to patrons, including assistance with the library’s OPAC, the Cotsen reference collection. Assists patrons with photoduplications requests, working closely with the Photoduplications coordinator. Helps curator answer reference queries that come by e-mail or surface mail.
• Makes local arrangements with facilities and vendors within the University and town for annual academic conference, corresponds with speakers, arranges for reimbursement of travel expenses; manages publicity.
• Collection interpretation to general public, visiting groups, undergraduate classes, etc. when curator unavailable.
• Undertakes projects relating to unit’s publications as necessary, including their design, development of workflow, implementation; and output.
• Maintenance of unit’s web page.

Essential Qualifications: Position Requires:

• Bachelor’s degree required; background in Literature, Art History, or History preferred.
• Individual must be self-directed, organized, able to solve problems and to work accurately at tasks that require great attention to detail.
• Excellent written and oral communication skill are required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Access, Powerpoint, Outlook Word, and Excel and internet skills.
• Ability to interface effectively and pleasantly with the unit’s various constituencies within the university community (students, staff, researchers, etc.) and general public.
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff in department and across the University.
• Must enjoy working with rare and fragile children’s books in a variety of foreign languages, including their bibliographic description.
• Reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.
• Good analytical skills; ability to recognize and interpret complex information.
• Ability to search Voyager to locate materials for patrons in person or via reference queries.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the abilities to work independently and prioritize tasks.
• Flexibility and adaptability in order to respond to changes in priorities and workflow.
• Exercise good judgment in following guidelines or taking initiative.
• In addition to standard hours, this position requires occasional work evenings and weekends.

Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in a special collections or museum environment
• Knowledge of library cataloging or archival processing principles
• Enthusiasm for public service
• Project management experience
• Web-editing skills
• Supervisorial experience, especially working with undergraduate students
• Reading knowledge of a major European or East Asian language.
• Knowledge of illustrated children’s books
• Library experience, preferably in a department of special collections in an independent research or academic library.
• Familiarity with integrated library systems.
• Familiarity with principles of bibliographic description.
• Familiarity with the process of conducting research in the humanities.
• Experience using on-line catalogs and databases.
• Experience with events planning.
• Experience with web page maintenance
• The final candidate will be required to successfully pass a background check.

For full details and to apply, see HigherEdJobs.com.

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