Teaching and Outreach Archivist/Librarian, Queen's University Library, Kingston, ON

Location: Kingston, ON
Compensation: Archivists and Librarians at Queen's University are members of the Queen's University Faculty Association. Compensation is governed by the collective agreement between the Association and the University.  Information concerning compensation may be found at Article 42.5 "Compensation: Librarians and Archivists."  Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience as per the Years of Experience Guidelines.  The 2024-2025 floor for a General Archivist is $69,449.00 and the Assistant Archivist floor is 1.125 times the General Archivist floor.

People from across Canada and around the world come to learn, teach and carry out research at Queen's University. Employees and their dependants are eligible for an extensive benefits package including prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long term disability insurance, life insurance and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. You will also participate in a pension plan. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their spouses and dependent children.  Queen's values families and is pleased to provide a 'top up' to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave.  In addition, Queen's provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen's-QUFA Collective Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen's Human Resources.

Additional information about Queen's University can be found on the Faculty Recruitment and Support website. The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe, in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Kingston's residents enjoy an outstanding quality of life with a wide range of cultural, recreational, and creative opportunities. Visit Inclusive Queen's for information on equity, diversity and inclusion resources and initiatives.   
Social Media    @QueensULibrary @jordan_library @queensarchives

Description and Duties    

Queen's University Library invites applications for an Initial Continuing-Track Appointment at the rank of General or Assistant Archivist, based on academic experience.  The preferred start date is early 2024.

Located at Queen's University in Kingston, the Teaching and Outreach Archivist/Librarian is a Continuing track position reporting to the University Archivist & Associate University Librarian in the Queen's University Library's Archives and Special Collections division. The position collaborates closely across the division with the Curator for Rare Books and Special Collections and the Public Services/ Private Records Archivist to share responsibilities for liaison with faculty, campus and community outreach, and reference and teaching.  

The incumbent is a specialist in archives and special collections as their subject matter to teach about the theory, practice, and material culture of archives, rare books, and special collections. The Teaching and Outreach Archivist/Librarian works with a focus on teaching and outreach opportunities across the library system and in the broader community that promotes the use of archives and special collections. The position undertakes course-based instruction, attends regular reference shifts, and answers reference requests from both units; leads or co-leads both community based and faculty and student focused promotion and outreach services and projects, such as the Archives' From the Page crowd-sourced transcription service, programmed and pop-up digital and physical exhibitions, and projects for for-credit (HIST 212, 501/502), paid, or volunteer students and community members.  This position may also attend, when appropriate, Library Advisory Committees; inform Cyclical Program Reviews; attend other library meetings; and work with liaison librarians, archivists, and staff to promote collaboration and communication in the context of the library's organizational design and vision of one library with a shared allegiance to common goals and a 'learning organization' philosophy of continuous staff development, engagement, teamwork, and communication.


Teaching, Reference, and Research

• Prepare and deliver course-integrated instruction related to archives, rare books, and special collections to support faculty teaching, balancing the teaching load with the Curator and the Public Services/ Private Records Archivist.
• Support reference and research inquiries in collaboration with colleagues in Archives and Special Collections, including taking regular reference shifts in and answering questions from both units.
• Support and facilitate learning, teaching, and research by focusing on the use of archives, rare books, and special collections as the position's subject matter expertise.  
• Contribute to the educational and research missions of the library and university, as well as to the learning that occurs within extended communities.  
• Show high quality academic and/or professional development, which is normally, but not necessarily, demonstrated by presentation or publication in a suitable professional, academic, or artistic forum.
• Collaborate with librarians, archivists, staff, and internal/external partners to develop experiential learning projects for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as community members or groups.  
• Identify and understand the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of diverse users in support of learning, teaching, and research to meet their needs; review/ re-imagine public services and pedagogies in new contexts, including digital environments.
• Participate in divisional meetings; periodically serve on the Archivist Renewal, Continuing Appointment and Promotion Committee, hiring committees, and other ad-hoc committees.
• Seek out opportunities to co-teach with subject specialist liaison librarians using archives, rare books, and special collections; when appropriate participate in extra-unit processes and meetings to enhance communications and collaboration, such as Cyclical Program Reviews, Library Advisory Committees, the Librarian and Archivist Forum, etc.
• Share developments in archives and special collections with colleagues in other units within the library and the community that also promote the discovery and use of primary sources. 
  

Outreach and Promotion

• Co-lead with the Curator and Archivists in managing the digital (using Omeka) and physical exhibition program at W. D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections and pop-up exhibits for the Archives.
• Assist in creating services for and supervising internships including for-credit internships (HIST 212, 501/502), paid internships including the Digital Humanities Undergraduate Assistant-ship and McWatters-MacDiarmid Student Internship, as well as community based internships, co-ops, and volunteers.
• Assist in creating services for and supervising and digital outreach projects, including managing and growing the Archives From the Page transcription service and its community of users.
• Work with faculty and the broader community in the creation of exhibits, project, grants, etc. that promote the use of the collections and/ or highlight work in the fields of archives and special collections.
• Conducts outreach in physical and digital settings collaborating with Queen's University librarians, archivists, and staff.  
• Seek opportunities to collaborate with colleagues at other institutions and with community partners to promote the unique, rare, and special materials in our holdings.  
• Promote collections through public and professional events and publications, social media, and other forms of outreach and collaboration with campus and external partners.
• Identifies appropriate methods and platforms of outreach to engage current and potential users, including members of non-traditional communities.  
• Actively participates in a culture in the Library where diversity, equity and inclusion are valued and recognized.  
• Contributes to open and welcoming spaces, collections and experiences for faculty, staff, students and visitors.

Qualifications    

• An MAS or ALA accredited MLIS/MISt or equivalent degree.
• Minimum 2-5 years of professional experience working with archives, rare books, and special collections.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret archives, rare books, and special collections through classes, presentations, and exhibits (virtual and physical).
• Demonstrated ability to present to groups/ classes.
• Record of professional engagement and contribution, such as research, publication, and involvement in pertinent professional and scholarly organizations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of rare books and special collections, the history of the book and best practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of archival collections, theory, and practice.
• Demonstrated ability to provide reference service in archives, rare books, and special collections.
• Subject matter expertise in Canadian literature, history, and culture would be an asset.
• Demonstrated high degree of computer literacy.  
• Demonstrated research and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated leadership, oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of team.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and organizational skills required.

Additional Information    

The University Archives comprises over 10 km of unique print records, two million photographs, tens of thousands of architectural plans and drawings, and thousands of sound recordings and moving images. It is unique in Canada in that it also serves as municipal and regional archives for the City of Kingston and County of Frontenac. It also serves as the repository for the Kingston General Hospital. W. D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections is home to a variety of collections from the earliest printed books to the personal libraries of significant authors such as John Buchan and Robertson Davies. At the heart of Rare Books and Special Collections is the extensive Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana-a repository of Canadian Studies materials that dates from Canada's earliest histories and literature, as well as the more recent Schulich-Woolf Rare Book Collection, which is focused on history and culture as expressed through early modern printing.

The regionally, nationally, and internationally significant print, photographic, audio-visual, and digital resources within Archives and Special Collections means that the position plays a key role in supporting Queen's University faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in addition to external scholars and community users.

Academic staff at Queen's University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the University and the Queen's University Faculty Association (QUFA), which is posted here and here.  
 
How to Apply

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minority and Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.  

To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens / permanent residents of Canada.  Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applications must include one of the following statements: "I am a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada"; OR "I am not a Canadian citizen / permanent resident of Canada". Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.  

In addition, the impact of certain circumstances that may legitimately affect a nominee's record of professional achievement will be given careful consideration when assessing the nominee's research productivity. Candidates are encouraged to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions.   

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant's accessibility needs.  If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Rachael MacDermid at library.hr@queensu.ca.


A complete application consists of:  

• A cover letter (including one of the two statements regarding Canadian citizenship / permanent resident status specified in the previous paragraph)
• A current Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications)
• The names and contact information of three referees

Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their application packages electronically as one PDF via email.  
Application Webpage (URL)   
Application Deadline: October 18, 2023