Librarian (Assistant Curator, Graphic Arts)

Job Title

Curatorial Section of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

Duties

The Prints and Photographs Division has one of the largest pictorial research collections in the world with more than 15 million pictures in a variety of visual formats contained in hundreds of individual collections and stored in several locations and remote sites. The collections are among the most varied in subject, time-period, medium, format, physical condition, and intellectual property rights requirements, with attendant concerns regarding security, preservation, safe handling and service. The collections are accessed by means of complex, diverse and often multi-layered intellectual controls in written, filmed and digital forms. The Graphic Arts area has an estimated 500,000 artist prints, posters, documentary drawings, cartoons and comics, historical prints, and pictorial ephemera like trade cards.

• Provides reference and research services of limited technical complexity to researchers where user needs are determined easily from interviews or written requests. Provides accurate, competent research guidance on the use and technical aspects of the visual materials collections. Examines publications, electronic resources, and trends in topics related to a specialized field. Develops knowledge of collections for use in performing research tasks. Assists in preparing finding aids and related written products describing collections. Prepares basic and standard responses to written, telephone, or electronic media inquiries.
• Assists with the full range of curatorial duties, including reference, processing, preservation, publication, and exhibition work. Identifies and provides basic curatorial documentation on items and collections for purposes of preservation, processing, and cataloging. Monitors condition and preservation needs of items in the collections. Assists with special reference service, such as unprocessed collections.
• Sees to arrangements for new acquisitions or donations. Researches visual works identified for possible acquisition. Proposes works for possible acquisition. Helps maintain contacts with donors and potential donors, including correspondence and phone communications. Arranges for delivery of objects. Prepares listings of new items.
• Conducts research using established methods. Researches visual collections, searches published and unpublished sources to complete cataloging, establish provenance, answer public inquiries, provide research support for exhibit/publication projects, and otherwise contribute to the accessibility and wider availability of the collections, etc. Compiles background materials under the direction of a curator to inform the interested public (government officials, scholars, publishers, writers, learned societies, etc.) of the Library's resources and services and to support special exhibit and publication projects. May participate in professional associations.

Performs other duties as assigned.