Diocesan Archivist
The Diocese of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island

Location: 1340 Cathedral Lane, Halifax NS B3H 2Z1
Compensation: $25/hour
Additional Information: Part-time, 12 hours per week.

The Archives of the Diocese and its Archives Committee, are mandated to collect, preserve and provide access to the records of permanent and enduring value of the Diocese, its officers, clergy, parishes, regions, agencies, committees, societies, organizations and groups created by, or associated with the Diocese.

The Archivist is committed to the purposes of the organization as a whole and its Diocesan Mission Vision: "to be a Christ-centred, mission-minded, ministering community of faith" and the archivists duties are performed for the purpose of supporting the Diocesan Mission Statement and contributing to Diocesan goals.

As caretaker of the records of the Diocese, the Archivist's purpose is to provide the most consistent attention and the highest standard of care available, as this diocesan collection is one of the oldest collections of English church records in North America, its records beginning in 1776, and, as such, is frequently accessed and highly valued by the Anglican community as well as other institutions and individuals, nationally and internationally.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Diocesan Archivist is appointed by the Bishop. The Archivist reports directly to the Diocesan Executive Director and also is responsible to the Bishop, Diocesan Council, Diocesan Synod and, with the Archives Committee, is responsible for the custodianship and maintenance of the Diocesan Archives Collection. As an administrator, the Archivist oversees all aspects of the care of the collection and all activities in the Archives. The Archivist is, by reason of his/her Office, a reporting and participating member of the Archives Committee, a Standing Committee of Synod. In addition, the Archivist is considered part of the Synod office staff team and provides support to individual staff and to diocesan initiatives when needed.

The Archivist also participates in the programs and conferences of the Anglican Diocesan Archivists Network (ADA), The Council of Nova Scotia Archives (CNSA), and actively uses the guidelines of the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA), and the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), to maintain the highest standard of care for the diocesan collection.

JOB DUTIES:

The collection consists of 370 linear metres of textual and graphic material, including 4 metres of small artifacts and a Reference Library of 10 metres of published material.

On a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, the Archivist will:

• Accession and physically process records as they are deposited.
• Describe and arrange records (update finding aids) using the database finding aids and retrieval systems already created.
• Answer research requests received from the Synod staff, parish clergy and staff, and the general public in a timely manner, observing the established access policies and procedures.
• Provide guidelines, recommendations and advice in records management and preservation to the Synod officers, parishes, clergy, diocesan groups and other archivists in need of assistance.
• Assess the collection's needs regularly, plan projects and apply preservation strategies and conservation treatment to the records as needed, following established archival standards and methods.
• Supervise all activities in the Archives, including the work of volunteers and researchers, providing care and handling instruction.
• Follow office procedures and protocols and maintain building and archives security at all times.

Bi-monthly, annually or bi-annually:

• Annually, with the Archives Committee, create and submit to the Financial Comptroller a detailed budget request and work proposal, mid-year, for the following year, using the standard Committee Budget Request form. Report Budget expenditures to the Archives Committee bi-annually.
• Submit written reports of archives work progress at meetings of the Archives Committee at least twice a year, submit summaries bi-monthly to Diocesan Council, and bi-annually to Diocesan Synod and to the Anglican Diocesan Archivists Conference.
• Maintain conferencing and collaboration with the ADA and membership participation with the CNSA, and the CCHS (Canadian Church Historical Society)
• Submit all official reports and proposals to the Archives Committee for initial review and approval before distribution.

EXPERTISE:

• The Archivist will have a bachelor's degree with a minor in History or Cultural History, and post-graduate studies in Archival Science and Information Technology with at least three years of working with collections in an archival work setting with progressively responsible related experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Knowledge of local history and Anglican Church history are assets.
• The Archivist will be a self-motivated person with excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize a wide range of varied tasks.
• The Archivist will have excellent problem-solving skills and be enthusiastic about strengthening existing or acquiring new skills.
• The Archivist will ensure that confidentiality protocols, copyright regulations, and protection of privacy restrictions are followed.
• The Archivist will possess personal integrity and accountability for working independently and also share in team efforts, working with the Synod office staff when needed.

The Archivist will have practical knowledge of:

• Archiving principles (Provenance, Respect des Fonds,)
• Archival processes of Acquisition, Accessioning and Archival Arrangement.
• Archival Description (We use the Manuscript Group system with descriptive elements of Rules for Archival Description).
• Archival Access concepts: search tools, restrictions, digital database search techniques, referencing, indexing, abstracting, retrieval systems application and function.
• Preservation principles and methods, conservation procedures.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Will be familiar with filing and records management systems.

Will have some general office experience and/or the following skills:

• Proficiency with Microsoft WORD, EXCEL and ACCESS database.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Clear hand-printing skill for permanent labeling.
• Research skills, with both primary and secondary material.
• Administrative writing skills (Reports, proposals, policies and procedures, guidelines, manuals, project plans, etc.)
• Experience in serial scanning/photocopying and digital filing.

The Archivist will be able, on occasion, to perform manual labour i.e: lifting, moving and shelving filled file boxes.

Application information

Please send cover letter and resume to employment@nspeidiocese.ca

Application Deadline: April 28th, 2023