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Visiting Exhibit Conservator @ U. of Illinois

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    Posted: 26/Sep/2017 at 7:05pm
VISITING EXHIBITS CONSERVATOR

PRESERVATION SERVICES UNIT

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN



Position Available: This position is available as soon as possible. This is a 100%, twelve-month, visiting Academic Professional appointment for a term of two years. This position may become permanent at a later date.



Duties and Responsibilities: The University of Illinois is seeking a dynamic candidate to work closely with the Head of Preservation Services, the Special Collections Senior Conservator, and the Rare Book Conservator to develop relationships, treatments, policies, and procedures in support of special collections exhibits in the Library. This position will expose an early career conservator to the full process of special collections exhibit planning and preparations. The candidate will have a passion for the holistic process of exhibiting special collections materials in a library and archives setting. The candidate will interact and communicate with both curators and conservators on the process of exhibit planning and execution from conception to deinstallation. Candidates must have the ability to lead deadline-driven conservation treatments as well as build collaborative relationships between Preservation Services and curators of special collections libraries including the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and the Illinois History & Lincoln Collections unit.



The Visiting Exhibits Conservator will report directly to the Head of the Preservation Services Unit. The incumbent will work in close cooperation with multiple special collections curators and Preservation Services staff.



Specific Responsibilities Include:

?     Performing simple through advanced conservation treatments on flat paper and bound materials from both the Rare Book & Manuscript Library as well as the Illinois History & Lincoln Collections Unit

?     Lead in the conservation components of planning, organization, review and selection, preparation, and installation of exhibits

?     Preparing exhibit mounts including cradles, window mats, encapsulation, backing boards, and photo corners

?     Providing leadership and advice to curators of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Illinois History & Lincoln Collections for safe handling and display of rare or delicate materials as related to exhibits

?     Assisting with the review and preparation of loans of special collections materials for external exhibits, as needed

?     Participate, as a member of the Conservation Team, in general training and education programs, as needed

?     Participate, as a member of the Conservation Team, in overall conservation and exhibit planning, program development, and disaster planning and response, as needed

                            

Environment: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UofI) Library is a leader in the delivery of user services, and active programs in information, instructional, access, and scholarly services that help the Library to maintain its place at the intellectual heart of the campus. The Library also holds one of the preeminent research collections in the world, encompassing more than 13 million volumes and a total of more than 23 million items. The Library is committed to maintaining the strongest collections and service programs possible, and to engaging in research, development, and scholarly practice - all of which support the University's missions of teaching, research, and public engagement. The Library employs approximately 400 academic and support staff. For more information, see: http://www.library.illinois.edu/ .



The Preservation Services Unit at the University of Illinois Library operates with the holistic vision of developing a comprehensive preservation, conservation, and imaging program for the entire library system. The Conservation Lab consists of both collections conservation as well as special collections conservation functions in a shared 5,000 square foot lab space, and employs two endowed professional conservators as well as support staff, graduate students, hourly student assistants, volunteers and occasional conservation interns. The Unit also assists in the education, planning and development of the overall preservation program for the Library. For more information on the Preservation Services program, visit http://www.library.illinois.edu/prescons/ .



The Rare Book & Manuscript Library is one of the largest repositories for rare books and manuscripts in the United States. The collections - nearly half a million volumes and three kilometers of manuscript material - are strong in the broad areas of literature, history, art, theology, philosophy, technology, and the natural sciences. Particular strengths lie in early printing (1200 incunabula) and imprints from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with English literature, works by Shakespeare, various important editions of the Bible, and Renaissance school books standing out as distinctive and deep collections. The Illinois History & Lincoln Collections unit is dedicated to documenting the history of Illinois and the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The unit has about 34,000 printed volumes and approximately one thousand archival and manuscript collections. Collection materials date from the colonial era to the present and include early Illinois imprints, Civil War letters and diaries, Lincoln political and memorial pamphlets and ephemera, and various other print and archival materials documenting individuals, organizations, places, and events in Illinois history.



Qualifications



Required:

·        A Master’s Degree in conservation from a recognized conservation training program or a Bachelor’s Degree and significant previous experience in special collections conservation treatments

·        Interest in outreach and exhibits for special collections in libraries and archives

·        Excellent written and oral communication skills

·        Demonstrated knowledge of the material and technical characteristics of formats found in library and archival collections



Preferred:

·        Demonstrated exhibition preparations experience, including planning, communications, and/or installation related to exhibitions of variety of library and archival materials (books, papers, photographs, and objects)

?     2+ years demonstrated conservation benchwork experience focusing on library and/or archives materials

?     Master's degree in Library Science and/or a Master’s Degree in Conservation from a recognized conservation training program

?     Demonstrated skills in matting, framing, and constructing custom supports

?     Demonstrated hand skills with a variety of artist’s and preservation materials used in exhibits

?     Demonstrated skill in communicating priorities and limitations for the conservation of materials with curators and collection managers

?     Experience evaluating materials selected for exhibit

?     Familiarity with project management



Salary and Rank: Academic Professionals are non-tenure track academic appointment. Salary for this position is fixed and non-negotiable at $50,000 per year plus full benefits.



Terms of Appointment: Twelve-month appointment; 24 annual vacation days; 11 annual paid holidays; 12 annual sick-leave days (cumulative), plus an additional 13 sick-leave days (non-cumulative) available, if needed, each year; health insurance requiring a small co-payment is provided to employee (with the option to purchase coverage for spouse and dependents); required participation in State Universities Retirement System (SURS) (8% of annual salary is withheld and is refundable upon termination), with several options for participation in additional retirement plans; newly-hired employees are covered by the Medicare portion of Social Security and are subject to its deduction.



Campus and Community: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive and major public land-grant university (Doctoral/Research University-Extensive) that is ranked among the best in the world. Chartered in 1867, it provides undergraduate and graduate education in more than 150 fields of study, conducts theoretical and applied research, and provides public service to the state and the nation. It employs 3,000 faculty members who serve 31,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate and professional students; approximately 25% of faculty receives campus-wide recognition each year for excellence in teaching. More information about the campus is available at www.illinois.edu .



The University is located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana, which have a combined population of 100,000 and are situated about 140 miles south of Chicago, 120 miles west of Indianapolis, and 170 northeast of St. Louis. The University and its surrounding communities offer a cultural and recreational environment ideally suited to the work of a major research institution. For more information about the community, visit: http://illinois.edu/about/community/community.html or http://www.ccchamber.org/ .



To Apply: To ensure full consideration, please complete your candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload a letter of interest, resume, and contact information including email addresses for three professional references. Additionally, upload documentation (file formats accepted include image, pdf, or word-processing files) of your three most significant treatments, or provide an external link to these in the cover letter . Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For questions, please call: 217-333-8169.



Deadline:   In order to ensure full consideration, applications and nominations must be received by October 27, 2017



The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer .



Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as a qualified individual with a disability or criminal conviction history. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. ( www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu ).







Donna Hoffman
Administrative Assistant
University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign
1408 W. Gregory Dr. - Suite 127
Urbana, IL 61801



Office Phone: 217-333-5495
Cell Phone: 217-621-9149
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