Crownsville Hospital Public History Manager

SALARY:

Up to $60/hour based on education, experience, and certifications

CONTRACT DURATION:

One year with opportunity for renewal

JOB DETAIL:

The Cultural Resources Section in the Planning Division is hiring a Contractual Crownsville Hospital Public History Manager. The primary role of this position is to:

• Administer all aspects of a grant awarded to the County from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) titled Anne Arundel County, Maryland: Crownsville Hospital Historic Documentation and Storytelling Project; and
• Work with other County and State Agencies, affinity groups, and citizens to begin to address the recommendations set forth by the Crownsville Cultural History Committee as part of the Crownsville Master Planning process.

Work will include but not be limited to:

• Achieving the performance objectives set forth under the Crownsville Storytelling Project by NHPRC. (Project ED-104987-24), as well as maintaining quality control, and activity/fiscal records for all grant-related deliverables;
• Overseeing the work of a three-person grant-funded team who are responsible for obtaining and processing up to 50 oral histories (three consultants);
• Overseeing the work program of the grant-funded Crownsville Lead Archivist and Oral History Research Associate (two staff members);
• Overseeing the planning and implementation of a series of public Oral History Workshops designed to build future capacity within the community to obtain additional oral histories using best practices.
• Collaborating closely with other County agencies including the Administration, Central Services, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and with State agencies including the Maryland Historic Trust, Maryland State Archives, and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, on the historic preservation components of the Crownsville Hospital redevelopment, advising on preservation actions within the State easement area and on State mandated Project Reviews outside the easement areas; and advising County agencies on best preservation practices on this highly sensitive historic site.
• Making recommendations to the Office of Planning and Zoning and to the Administration as to how the Public/Cultural History aspects of the Crownsville Master Plan can be achieved in the coming years, where supplemental grant funding might come, and suggest actions and work plans that could help the County realize the Master Plan goals, which include:
  
  • Museum and interpretive planning;
  • Conservation and public access to artifacts, archives, photographs, and related cultural and ephemera material associated with the Hospital;
  • Creating a community archive, gathering oral histories and engaging with the affected and affinity community to document, share and highlight the Crownsville Hospital legacy;
  • Developing interpretive programs for on-campus, off-campus and virtual or web-based access by the public.

The position will work under the direction of the Program Administrator for the Cultural Resources Section in the Office of Planning and Zoning. The position is hybrid, with the primary work location being the Crownsville Archives and Collections warehouse and office in Annapolis, MD. Duties will require remote and off site work locations including the Hospital campus in Crownsville, the Maryland State Archives, and in the community.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION:

A Masters in Public History, Anthropology, American or African-American Studies, Historic Preservation, Museum Studies or Library Science (MLS) from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited program, or a graduate degree in library information science, collections or archives management, museum studies, or a closely related discipline. Graduate-level coursework in museum studies, public history, archival administration and/or continuing education in the Digital Archives space preferred. Significant (10-plus years) of demonstrated experience in lieu of a degree will be considered.

Two or more years of experience working in the Public History space, such as historic interpretation and interpretive planning, museum and curatorial practices, programming, and community archives.

Experience working with archival collections documenting the stories of historically marginalized communities, and with digital and online presentation of complex and sensitive historical topics.

Knowledge of best practices and trends in oral history.

General knowledge of best practices for curating and processing physical and digital archival collections, creating metadata descriptions, digitization, and care of born-digital materials.

Ability to maintain best practices and the highest professional standards.

A successful applicant should also have:

• Strong Supervisory and grants management experience;
• Strong project management, organizational, and communication skills;
• Ability to work both remotely and onsite at any Anne Arundel County location;
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team;
• Ability to work effectively with the general public and community groups.
• A sound understanding of regional African American history, segregation and/or mental health in the US during the Jim Crow era, and
• Familiarity with best practices in oral history to support the needs of the oral history consultants and the projects' Oral History Research Associate.

Given the history of Crownsville, a successful candidate should be able to articulate an acute awareness of how to effectively interact with the public when addressing difficult historical topics, and be cognizant of how to sensitively work with under-represented histories and communities.

Application Instructions: Send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae/resume, a writing sample, and a portfolio or work samples to pzpomp22@aacounty.org.