The Getty Research Institute (GRI) seeks a Library Assistant II for a twelve-month, limited-term position. Located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Getty Research Institute is dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts and their histories. Serving an international community of scholars, the Research Library is one of the largest art and architecture libraries in the world, with holdings of more than one and one-half million volumes. Special Collections include rare books and journals; rare photographs, prints, and drawings dating from the 15th century to the present; architectural drawings and models; art multiples, film, audio, and video recordings; digital content; and extensive archives and manuscript collections.
The Library Assistant will work both in partnership and under the supervision of the Project Archivist, in processing the papers of Richard Hunt, acclaimed fine art sculptor and creator of public art who was born and based in Chicago. Executed in welded and cast steel, aluminum, copper, and bronze, Hunt’s abstract creations make frequent references to plant, human, and animal forms as well as classical music, traditional African American spirituals, and African and African American history and mythology.
The archive, estimated at approximately 765 linear feet, contains notes and correspondence, notebooks, sketchbooks, photographic documentation, financial records, research, ephemera, blueprints, posters, prints, and a selection of wax models for public sculptures. At the heart of the archive are Hunt’s project files relating to his commissions, projects, exhibitions, and bodies of work.
The Library Assistant’s duties will include physical processing, description, and re-housing of collection materials according to archival standards and best practices. The position will be based at the Getty Center, with occasional work at a warehouse thirty miles north of the Getty Center. We expect onboarding for this role to begin in August 2026.
Major Job Responsibilities:Undergraduate coursework in art history or related discipline preferred
Please note: This position is not eligible for employer-based immigration sponsorship. Applicants must have authorization to work for Getty in the United States without the need for sponsorship, currently or in the future.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:Here are just some examples that Getty offers/provides for full-time employees:
To learn more about our comprehensive benefits and long list of perks, go to Getty HR
The J. Paul Getty Trustis a cultural and philanthropic institution dedicated to the presentation, conservation, and interpretation of the world’s artistic legacy.
Through the collective and individual work of its constituent programs—the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute—the Getty pursues its mission in Los Angeles and throughout the world, serving both the general interested public and a wide range of professional communities in order to promote a vital civil society through an understanding of the visual arts.
The Getty and its four programs are dedicated to the proposition that works of art are windows onto the world's diverse and intertwined histories, mirrors of humanity's innate imagination and creativity, and inspiration to envision the future.
To this end, the Getty works to:
• Enhance understanding of art through innovative, digitally driven research, shared for the benefit of the widest possible audience,
• Strengthen and broaden our collections to provoke the curiosity of scholars and visitors alike,
• Chart a new course for how art, humanities, and cultural and public policy can together foster a more inclusive, vibrant civil society,
• Serve as a convener and catalyst in the cultural life of Los Angeles, and
• Offer transformative experiences for visitors to our collections, gardens, and facilities at the Getty Center, the Getty Villa, and the Getty's presences online, free of charge now and forever.