What are the responsibilities and job description for the Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow Job at Harvard University in position at Harvard University?
Basic Qualifications
- Master's degree in library or information science, or an equivalent graduate degree from an ALA-accredited program, upon start date.
Additional Qualifications and Skills
Additional Information
We regret that the Harvard Library does not provide visa sponsorship.
An ideal candidate is highly motivated and passionate. Applicants who meet the basic requirements are encouraged to apply. Opportunities for training, mentorship, and support from individuals with a variety of skill sets exist locally and nationally, if needed. Applicants are encouraged to include all relevant previous experience and education / training in their application documents, regardless of the field or format in which it was obtained.
Position Description
EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Physical Requirements
Working Conditions
Job Summary
Although this position will remain posted until filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the end of the day on January 21, 2025.
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library holds a wealth of special collections across a variety of formats. We seek an innovative, collaborative, and user-centered professional to be our Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow. Working with colleagues across the Music Library and the Harvard Library, the Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow will play a lead role in our efforts to curate, steward, highlight, and promote our special collections.
The Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow will have responsibilities spanning the main areas of special collections librarianship. In collaboration with the Curator for the Archive of World Music, other Music Library colleagues, and colleagues throughout the Arts, Archives, and Special Collections portfolio, they will contribute to archival processing and finding aid production, appraise and select materials for digital preservation, and participate in collection development activities. They will provide reference services and research consultations relating to Music Library special collections, and they will collaborate with Music Library colleagues to provide direct instruction to undergraduate and graduate students for classes, orientation sessions, and other related educational activities utilizing Music Library special collections. The Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow will additionally have the opportunity to pursue targeted initiatives relating to their interests and areas of expertise. Possible examples include developing exhibits or events showcasing core Music Library special collections, developing projects that highlight diverse voices and perspectives represented in Music Library special collections, collection development projects addressing diversity in Music Library special collections, or digital exhibits / digital humanities projects highlighting Music Library special collections.
The Special Collections Librarian and Diversity Fellow will leave Harvard having attained substantial practical experience across core functions performed by special collections librarians. They will also gain experience in newer areas such as born-digital processing and digital preservation, as well as a holistic understanding of the ways that libraries curate, steward, highlight, and promote special collections.
Music librarianship as a profession struggles with issues of diversity and representation, perhaps even more so than the library field at large. The Music Library is committed to supporting efforts to diversify our profession. Our participation in this program is one important way that we can help to remove barriers and provide a path for entry into the profession. The Music Library plans to offer a Fellow the same professional development opportunities other Music Library staff enjoy.
Applicants wishing to be considered must submit a cover letter in addition to their resume.
Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Across the Harvard Library, our work is enriched by our diverse campus community. Our unique and wide-ranging abilities, experiences, and perspectives are integral to achieving Harvard University's mission of excellence in research, teaching, and learning for our patrons, our collections, and our workplace. We believe that an inclusive environment that cultivates and promotes understanding, respect, and collaboration across our diverse workforce enables our success.
We invite individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities to be a part of our community of over 700 staff members. Our work with faculty, students and researchers to explore answers to intellectual questions, enduring and new, and to seek solutions to the world's most consequential problems, requires that we not only reflect, but also champion our diverse society.
Harvard Library inspires collaboration, reflection, experimentation, and discovery connecting users to related disciplines and to University-wide teaching resources. The Library engages users through curated discovery, digital collections, reimagined physical space, and specialized research support. Today, Harvard Library's holdings range from traditional print collections to rapidly expanding access to digital resources. Harvard Library provides the University's faculty, students, and researchers-now and in the future-with exceptional experiences and comprehensive access to these materials.
Learn more about our contributions to the academic enterprise by visiting us at and about the Harvard University community at
The Harvard Library is a proud member of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Alliance.
Benefits
We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website () to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include :
Work Format Details
This is a hybrid position that is based in Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only).
Salary : $5,250