General Council Archivist
United Church of Canada

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Compensation: Hiring range $59,404.89 to $65,956 with progress up to maximum of $79,206

Within the United Church the General Council Office supports the mission and ministry of the communities of faith and regional councils.  It is the denominational expression of The United Church of Canada, working ecumenically and in global partnership.

The purpose of the Archives is to acquire, preserve, and make available for research, in accordance with accepted professional principles and procedures, records, private documents and publications in all media pertaining to the history of The United Church of Canada. The United Church of Canada Archives in Toronto (located at 40 Oak Street) is comprised of two archival programs and teams:

The General Council Archives Program, including records of the Denominational Council, administrative offices, private papers collections and the records of antecedent denominations;

The Ontario Regional Councils Archives Program, including records of Communities of Faith, administrative records of the Regional Councils and relevant organizations including former Conferences and presbyteries of the Ontario region.

Description and Duties    

Primary areas of responsibility includes:

1. Acquisitions/Appraisal/Arrangement & Description

• Accept and accession deposits of records from private donors;
• Accession and appraise physical and hybrid denominational record collections in accordance with Archives collection mandate and established policies. Recommends changes to policy around appraisal, accessioning or processing work as a reflection of the nature of records accumulated and adjustments in the archival profession around best practices;
• Processing, Arrangement and Description of Records:
• Re-box, re-folder and identify physical records; identify records requiring conservation work or preservation concerns;
• Coordinate processing of any hybrid collections (analogue and digital) with GC Digital Archivist.  Identify media requiring conservation (e.g. reel to reel audio, 16 mm film, film strips, tape cassettes, microfilm, microfiche etc.) within collections and coordinating any conversion or preservation required;
• Apply Canadian Rules of Archival Description and relevant federal and provincial legislation and/or Archive policies that guide access or restriction to records, best practices and guidelines for preservation in a wide variety of formats (graphic media, A/V, architectural records etc.); and
• Create descriptions and finding aids for records in The United Church of Canada descriptive databases and/or software.  Reviews and creates research tools/guides to the collections as required for urgent or emerging areas of public research interest (e.g. Schools, Hospitals, Maternity Homes etc.).

2.    Reference

• Answers escalated reference inquiries related to General Council records by applying the Archives' reference policies, performing a reference interview and preparing clear and courteous responses;  
• Prioritize requests from Indigenous communities and researchers investigating records of the United Church's history of involvement in residential and day schools, hospitals, adoptions and missions.  Applies a trauma-informed approach in responding to any researchers who may have had harmful interactions with the Church;   
• May occasionally perform reproduction work; retrieval of digitized content for research requests;  
• Retrieve and re-shelve library and archival holdings; Backup for Reference Coordinator.

3.    Records Management

• Maintains inactive records storage & coordinate transfers of physical General Council records from 3250 Bloor Street to 40 Oak Street; coordinates transfers of records to and from offsite facility in Sackville, NB;
• Coordinate physical destruction of records or media with vendors at 3250 Bloor Street or 40 Oak Street.

4.    Administration and Facility Management

• Maintain supplies of archival boxes, folders, envelopes, etc., and supplies for audio-visual and reprographic equipment; check prices, and order supplies as required; understand maintenance agreements; arrange equipment service calls when required;  
• Monitor the environmental conditions of the archives, flagging any issues with the Archives Manager or Property Managers as required; arrange services of specialized HVAC equipment.   
• Monitor the stack space required for library and archival holdings, shifting materials in the library and archives after consultation.  
• Participate in quarterly Archives Network staff meetings (up to 2 hours); and up to 3 days for an in-person meeting arranged bi/tri-annually.

Qualifications    

• Master of Archival Studies, Master of Information Studies, Master of Library and Information Science (with a focus on archives) degree (or a suitable equivalent);
• Records Management certification, training or related experience are assets.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of related experience working as an Archivist
• Working knowledge of the Canadian Rules for Archival Description (RAD); working knowledge of archival principles and practices, including metadata standards;
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and/or policies that guide access or restriction to records, specifically copyright and privacy;
• Knowledge of best practices and guidelines for records management and preservation knowledge for a wide variety of formats, including digital records;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications, Adobe Photoshop, internet and social media. Knowledge of AccessToMemory archives descriptive software; Ability to use equipment in the archives (i.e., Microfilm/fiche reader/printers, dataloggers, scanners);
• Ability to learn procedures and apply them to tasks assigned together with attention to detail and the ability to work quickly and accurately with little daily supervision;
• Customer service oriented, good listening skills; Good communication skills
• Research skills, knowledge of current research trends and possible future uses of a variety of informational sources;
• Ability to perform work that may occasionally be tedious with high attention to detail;  and
• Alignment with the vision and values of The United Church of Canada - respect, integrity, passion and diversity.

Additional Information    

This position works from The United Church of Canada Archives located at 40 Oak Street in Toronto, Ontario under normal office working conditions.  Any duties that can be accomplished working off-site is at the discretion of the Archives Manager.

Sitting and viewing a computer screen for long periods, being on the phone for long periods, keyboarding/using voice recognition software, personal mobility (with or without reasonable accommodation) which permits the employee to physically handle collections, open doors, navigate stairs, and occasionally lift up to 40 pounds will be required. Occasional additional hours may be required.

The United Church of Canada is committed to inclusion and diversity and encourages applications from all candidates including but not limited to: all religions and ethnicities, LGBTQ2SIA+, Indigenous and racialized peoples, and persons with disabilities.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, The United Church of Canada will aid employees who request accommodation throughout their employment with us, unless the position is deemed to be a bona fide occupational requirement and/or to the point of undue hardship considering issues of health, safety and cost.

How to Apply    

Interested applicants are invited to submit their resume, quoting job number 23-47 to Human Resources, e-mail careers@united-church.ca

Application Deadline:  July 18. 2023