Preservation Technician

Core Duties

• Collection Care, Conservation, and Housing
• Assess the condition, format, stability, handling needs, and preservation risks of library, archival, and object collections.
• Identify concerns and recommend appropriate housing, treatment, handling, access, or referral actions.
• Carry out basic and intermediate conservation treatments for books, paper-based materials, and mixed collections under the supervision of the Book & Paper Conservator.
• Construct protective housings, including folders, enclosures, custom boxes, spacers, boards, supports, and other storage or access solutions.
• Rehouse and stabilize materials during accessioning, processing, extended processing, retrospective projects, and special preservation initiatives.
• Arcives and Library Workflows
• Consult with archival processors, catalogers, curators, librarians, and other colleagues regarding preservation needs, handling requirements, and appropriate workflows for collection materials.
• Support accessioning-to-access workflows by assessing, stabilizing, housing, and treating materials as needed.
• Review recently cataloged library materials and sort and prioritize items requiring housing, repair, treatment, or other preservation action.
• Support tracking and documentation workflows using spreadsheets, Smartsheet, integrated library systems, collection-management systems, and related tools.
• Assist with shelving, reshelving, paging, and other collection-maintenance activities in library vaults, stacks, and remote-storage locations.
• Participate in storage-area walkthroughs and report or address immediate preservation, environmental, facilities, lighting, or building-related concerns.
• Digitization, Access, and Research Services
• Prepare materials for mass digitization, researcher imaging requests, and vendor digitization by assessing condition and completing needed foldering, housing, stabilization, mending, flattening, and safe transport.
• Support photographers and digitization staff with safe handling, imaging setup, collection preparation, and the design or use of appropriate supports and props.
• Prepare fragile, oversized, encapsulated, object-based, or otherwise challenging materials for imaging and researcher access.
• Provide preservation support for reading-room services, including paging, condition assessment and stabilization, special handling, access photography, and provision of boards, weights, cradles, supports, and other handling tools.
• Aid researchers and staff with the safe consultation of fragile, oversized, rare, or three-dimensional materials in reading rooms and other approved research settings.
• Exhibitions, Outreach, and Loans
• Help assess and prepare collection materials selected for exhibitions, tours, media engagements, classes, and other outreach activities.
• Prepare, mount, support, and house books, archival materials, posters, objects, and other collection items for exhibition, digitization, display, and transport.
• Assist with exhibition installation and deinstallation, including preparation of mounts, supports, props, and protective materials.
• Prepare materials and spaces for tours and visits; supervise or advise on safe collection handling; and welcome visitors to the conservation laboratory as assigned.
• Collections Transport, Receiving, and Off-Site Support
• Receive incoming collections and shipments from shippers, curators, vendors, and the loading dock; identify immediate preservation concerns and coordinate safe movement to appropriate locations.
• Prepare supplies and packing materials for incoming and outgoing collections, digitization vendors, loans, and off-site work.
• Assist with collection pickups, packing, loading, unloading, shipping, remote-storage activities, and collection moves.
• Travel locally as needed to support off-site storage, collection pickup, packing, transport, installation, and related activities.
• Preventive Preservation, Emergency Preparedness, and Lab Operations
• Support integrated pest management activities, including trap placement, monitoring, documentation, and response.
• Assist with collection quarantine activities, including bagging, boxing, pest monitoring, and identification of mold, pest, or other condition concerns.
• Participate in disaster preparedness, building walkthroughs, emergency response, collection salvage, documentation, and maintenance of disaster-response supplies.
• Maintain conservation laboratory spaces, tools, equipment, supplies, and inventories; receive and organize shipments; and assist with equipment adjustment and basic upkeep.
• Produce and maintain commonly used preservation supplies, including folders, spacers, boards, envelopes, and other standard housings.
• Work with Stanford facilities personnel and other staff to protect collection materials during maintenance, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or building-related work.
• Maintain accurate treatment, housing, workflow, and production documentation.
• Participate actively in departmental meetings, training, safety activities, and continuous improvement of preservation procedures.
• May train, coordinate, or provide guidance to student assistants, interns, volunteers, or temporary staff, as departmental needs and the incumbent’s experience permit.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in conservation, book arts, studio art, library or archival studies, museum studies, cultural heritage, or a related field, and two years of relevant preservation or conservation experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience performing book and paper stabilization, repair, or conservation treatments using established methods and materials.
• Demonstrated experience constructing custom protective housings and enclosures for library, archival, or museum collections.
• Experience safely handling rare books, archival materials, special collections, and/or cultural heritage objects.
• Experience accurately measuring, cutting, folding, sewing, adhering, and assembling paper-, board-, cloth-, and other conservation or housing materials.
• Demonstrated fine hand skills and the ability to use conservation tools and equipment safely and accurately.
• Ability to assess routine preservation needs and make sound decisions regarding standard housings, basic stabilization, safe handling, and access support.
• Proficiency with PC-based applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, email, and internet-based tools.
• Ability to create clear written documentation and maintain accurate records.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple concurrent assignments.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, adjust to changing priorities, and maintain a high level of productivity and quality.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to meet Stanford driving requirements for university-related local travel.