Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Book, Paper or Photograph Conservation

Job Posting Title:

Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Book, Paper or Photograph Conservation

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Hiring Department:

Harry Ransom Center

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 30, 2024

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The Harry Ransom Center’s Preservation and Conservation Division announces an opening for the Suzanne Deal Booth Post-graduate Fellowship in Book, Paper or Photograph Conservation. This fellowship is a temporary, 12-month, full-time position. This position is 40 hours/week, receives full health and retirement benefits, and considerable time off including vacation, sick leave, and holidays. Generous funding for professional development is provided. Additionally, the Fellow will receive $500 toward the purchase of books and tools.

As an integral member of the Ransom Center’s preservation and conservation staff, the Fellow will perform a full spectrum of conservation treatment activities in their area of specialization. Depending the successful candidate’s area of work, the position will report to either the Head of Book and Paper Conservation or the Senior Photograph Conservator. The fellowship offers an opportunity to acquire advanced training while working in a highly collaborative environment that includes six conservators (book, paper, photograph, preventive) and four preservation technicians. There is ample support for historical or technical research to evolve from the treatment projects undertaken. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across the Ransom Center (e.g. archivists, curators, digital collections staff) and learn broadly about the functions of a library, archive and museum. The Fellow will have the opportunity to learn about and participate in the Campus Conservation Initiative, a collaborative conservation undertaking with UT Austin’s largest libraries and archives, centered at the Ransom Center.

The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research center at The University of Texas at Austin. Our extensive collections provide unique insight into the creative process of some of our finest writers and artists, deepening the understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts.

The collections include nearly 1 million books, more than 42 million manuscripts, 5 million photographs, and 100,000 works of art. Highlights include Robert De Niro's archive of scripts, notes, costumes, and props; the earliest known extant photograph made with the aid of the camera obscura, the Niépce Heliograph; E. E. Cummings's wooden paint box; manuscript drafts by Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing; Jack Kerouac's notebook documenting his writing of On the Road; original works by Frida Kahlo, including her iconic self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird; the Gernsheim Collection, containing some of the world's finest examples of photographic art and science; some of Albert Einstein's unpublished notes and calculations for his work on general relativity; Gabriel García Márquez's manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks, and more (digitized for easy perusal); and one of only 20 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world.

Purpose

Consult with collection managers and carry out treatment of rare and unique materials from the Ransom Center collections. Participate in activities relating to the preventive care of collections. Engage in professional and public outreach activities. Undertake research and/or collaborative projects.

Responsibilities

• Perform the full spectrum of book, paper or photograph conservation treatment activities, including:

• Examination, with written and photographic documentation
• Identification of historical materials, structures and their condition, including technical research as needed
• Dialog with curators and collection managers about treatment choices
• Carry out minor and complex single-item treatment and housing for collection items

• Participate in preventive care activities, including:

• Providing protective enclosures for complex collection holdings
• Monitoring collection and exhibition environments
• Conducting IPM processes

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from a recognized graduate art conservation education program, with a demonstrated concentration in book, paper, or photograph conservation, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Must have received degree in 2022, 2023 or anticipate a grad