APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

 

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

 

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Pennsylvania State University Libraries’ Special Collections seeks an organized, detail-oriented, and experienced Processing Archivist to join our Collection Services team. This role focuses on the management, processing, and description of large and complex record groups from organizations internal and external to the University. In addition, this position also completes arrangement and description work for collections of personal and professional papers. The Processing Archivist engages in best practices for archives to ensure adherence to evolving descriptive standards. The ideal candidate will possess proven expertise in implementing innovative solutions for intricate archival challenges.

Assistant Librarian candidates are required to hold a graduate degree in library or information studies or other appropriate degree; must have demonstrated potential ability as a librarian; and ideally show potential of growth in research and/or service.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive arrangement, appraisal, and description of large-scale and complex archival collections.
• Develop and execute processing plans for multi-format collections, including textual records, digital files, and audiovisual materials, which may include sensitive personal information.
• Apply archival description standards, including DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), and metadata frameworks such as EAD (Encoded Archival Description) and MARC.
• Collaborate with Special Collections Library colleagues to establish priorities for processing, preservation, and digitization.
• Ensure collections are appropriately housed, stabilized, and described for research access and long-term stewardship and preservation.
• Create and update finding aids and inventories for use by researchers and stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, ethical guidelines, and legal requirements regarding archival practices.
• Participate in engagement and outreach efforts, including weekly reference desk shifts, presentations, and public programming, to promote the institution’s collections.