Audiovisual Archivist (Librarian)

Department: University Libraries

About the Role

The University of Houston (UH) Libraries seeks a collaborative and resourceful candidate for the position of Audiovisual Archivist. This position is part of the Special Collections unit, which supports teaching, learning, and scholarship, on campus and globally, with primary source collections of distinction in priority collecting areas including university archives, energy and sustainability, Houston and Texas history, women’s studies, performing and visual arts, and LGBT history.

The Audiovisual Archivist will work closely with archivists, librarians, and staff to achieve the goals of the Special Collections department in alignment with the strategic priorities of UH Libraries. Reporting to the Head of Special Collections, the Audiovisual Archivist will develop and implement policies, procedures, and workflows for the stewardship, description, access, and use of audiovisual collections held by Special Collections. The successful candidate is expected to collaborate with Libraries’ colleagues to ensure the responsible management and long-term access of audiovisual collections.

The position serves as the primary subject specialist for the KUHT and KUHF collections and works closely with colleagues in Preservation and Reformatting, Resource Management and Metadata, and Library Information Technology to support preservation and reformatting initiatives, collection description, and discovery.

The Audiovisual Archivist is a promotion-eligible librarian position. Librarians hold academic rank pursuant to the University of Houston Libraries’ Bylaws and are expected to develop a record of service, scholarship, and professional involvement. UH Libraries supports the ongoing professional development of librarians, and our goal is to recruit librarians committed to continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and workflows for the stewardship, description, access, and use of audiovisual collections.
• Collaborate with Libraries’ colleagues to ensure responsible management and long-term access of audiovisual collections.
• Serve as the primary subject specialist for the KUHT and KUHF collections.
• Work closely with colleagues in Preservation and Reformatting, Resource Management and Metadata, and Library Information Technology to support preservation, reformatting initiatives, collection description, and discovery.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited program.
• Experience with audiovisual collections management best practices.
• Experience managing access to audiovisual collections in a wide variety of formats.
• Ability to work strategically and collaboratively with stakeholders.
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with obsolete media types.
• Experience with space planning for audiovisual collections storage.
• Experience with audiovisual repositories and audiovisual digital collections.
• Experience identifying preservation condition concerns in audiovisual collections.

Pay

The salary range is $66,000-$68,000 for Assistant Librarians and $73,000-$75,000 for Associate Librarians. We anticipate filling this position at the rank of Assistant Librarian.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Choice of retirement programs, including TIAA.
• Tax-deferred annuity program available.
• Release time to take a class up to 3 hours/week.
• No state or local income tax.