Project Archivist

About Our Job

The Denver Public Library (DPL) isn't just a place to borrow books; it's a vibrant, essential hub for our diverse city. As a growing urban library system with 28 locations and over 4 million annual visitors, we're deeply woven into the fabric of Denver. Join a team where your values align with your work. At the Denver Public Library, we're not just serving our community; we're building a culture guided by values that empower both our staff and the public.

Welcoming

• We make our resources, services, and expertise accessible for all, recognize the inherent dignity in each person, and provide safe places where everyone can be themselves.
• We foster relationships, listen and act to build and strengthen our community. We bring people together to share information, ideas, and experiences.
• We work to change inequitable practices, structures and policies, and attitudes that drive them, to provide opportunities for every person in our community to thrive.

Curiosity

• We foster a culture of exploration, innovation, and forward thinking by creating environments that support learning and growth.

Connection

• We are neighbors. We foster relationships, listen and act to build and strengthen our community. We bring people together to share information, ideas, and experiences.

Equity

• We work to change inequitable practices, structures and policies, and attitudes that drive them, to provide opportunities for every person in our community to thrive.

Stewardship

• We are accountable to our community, using our resources responsibly. We lead with honesty and integrity, protect privacy and preserve and share the full history of our Denver community.

About Our Team

The Special Collections and Archives (SCA) unit at Denver Public Library comprises two archival repositories: at the Central Library, and the African American Research Library at Blair-Caldwell Library. Our team of over thirty librarians, archivists, and paraprofessionals are committed to exceptional access, preservation, and customer service for our world-class collections.

About Our Position

DPL is hiring a Limited-Term Project Archivist to join the Special Collections and Archives team at the Central Library. You will create positive experiences for library customers by performing professional library work, including arranging and describing archival collections and creating online finding aids for our African American Research Library collections, which are focused on the Black and African American experience in the American West, Colorado, and Denver. In addition to processing collections, you may collaborate on preservation, digitization, and reformatting projects. Effectively communicate about issues and initiatives with co-workers, and library administration. Contribute to collection development discussions and process improvements to enhance stewardship of a special library collection requiring specialized handling, security, and subject expertise. This role does not have a regular public-facing reference component, but you may conduct occasional research to respond to customer inquiries. This role will occasionally travel between the two SCA repositories in downtown Denver.

What You Would Bring

• A passion for archives and special collections work in a public library setting, knowledge of the history of African Americans in the American West with an emphasis on Denver and Colorado.
• Experience working with archival collections, including paper documents, audio visual media, photographs.
• Experience with digital archival collections preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills and an ability to manage multiple projects at once with an attention to detail and strong stakeholder communication.
• Strong writing, communication, and customer service skills.
• Ability to use workplace technology effectively including email, calendar, internet, video conferencing, searching databases, creating spreadsheets.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative, innovation, and flexibility, including proposing process improvements; work well under pressure and meet deadlines, and have excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, positive attitude, cultural sensitivity, and a sense of humor in working with customers, coworkers, and community members.
• Experience with archival preservation best practices and knowledge of various analog audio and visual media types preferred.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Management, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of professional or technical level experience planning the administrative aspects of a program(s) or training program participants and/or volunteers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in one of the following or related disciplines: Library Science, Museum Studies, or Public History.
• One (1) to Three (3) years of work experience in a library, archive, or museum.
• Experience with various library databases and content management systems, preferably ArchivesSpace.