Job description
Join Pacific Northwest Archives & Digital Services as an Archivist responsible for preserving, organizing, and providing access to our rich digital and physical holdings. This role blends traditional archival practices with modern digital preservation, metadata creation, and access systems to help researchers, students, and the public discover knowledge.
We seek a proactive professional who can steward sensitive records, implement robust metadata schemas, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure long-term preservation and scalable access.
As a part of our team, you will contribute to high-impact projects, shape archival workflows, and participate in community outreach that highlights the relevance of archives in the digital age.
Responsibility
- Lead appraisal, accessioning, processing, and description of archival materials, both physical and digital, following recognized standards.
- Implement and maintain metadata schemas such as Dublin Core, MARC, and EAD; ensure accurate cataloging in ArchivesSpace or comparable system.
- Oversee digital preservation workflows including format validation, fixity checks, backups, and planned migration to enduring formats.
- Develop and enforce access policies, privacy controls, and rights management for sensitive records in consultation with stakeholders.
- Design and maintain taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, and finding aids to improve discovery and usability.
- Collaborate with digital projects and IT teams to ingest content from scanners, cameras, and content management systems.
- Provide reference services, user training, and outreach to researchers, students, and community members; mentor junior staff and volunteers.
Qualification
- Master’s degree in Library Science, Archives, or a related field (MLIS/MSIS preferred).
- 2–5 years of professional archival experience, including digital preservation and records management.
- Hands-on experience with ArchivesSpace or similar archival management systems; strong data modeling skills.
- Solid knowledge of metadata standards (Dublin Core, MARC, EAD) and preservation best practices.
- Familiarity with privacy, access control, and records retention policies.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to train staff and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Proactive, solution-focused mindset and commitment to ethical stewardship of information.