Interested in a Job at Carpenters' Hall/ the Carpenters' Company?

Part-Time Archival Records Recovery Position

Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia

Position Description: The Carpenters’ Company of the County and City of Philadelphia is hiring a temporary part-time position to process the Company’s archival records salvaged from a fire at Carpenters’ Hall in December 2022. The records consist of approximately 50 linear feet of paper records from the 20^th century in varying degrees of damage. All remaining physical records have been cleaned and preserved, although they remain delicate. Those records that were too damaged to be cleaned were digitized and are in possession of the Company. Records were loosely sorted into categories but still need to be put into their proper subcategories and checked for accuracy.

The part-time archivist will be tasked with sorting through the 31 physical boxes and reorganizing the records back into their existing record groups and series in chronological order. Subsequently, they will determine what is still missing from the collection. 

Once the physical files are processed, if time allows, the project archivist will then review the digital scanned records that were deemed too fragile to clean and save. The archivist will also create a finding aid for both the physical and digital files, so that they can be accessed for research and by the public.  

The position is funded through the Historical and Archival Records Care (HARC) Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. It is limited to 15 hours a week and is not eligible for benefits.

Primary Responsibilities

· This includes processing a previously processed 20^th century history collection of Carpenters’ Company records which were damaged, and partially destroyed, in a fire. Documents are both physical and digital

· Will create accession and resource records within the institution's collections management system

· Will create a finding aid at the conclusion of the project

· Will perform basic preservation activities including rehousing and minimal physical processing as needed

· Will contribute to the development of institutional accessioning strategies and procedures

· Typically sitting at a desk/table

· Typically standing, walking

· Typically bending, crouching, stooping

· Lifting demands 25lbs

Education

· Minimum of a Master's Degree with coursework in Archival Theory and Methodology or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. Students currently enrolled in an Archival, Public History, or Library Science Master’s Program will be considered

Experience & Skills

· At least one year of previous hands-on experience working with archival collections (including part-time positions, internships, etc.), such as:

o   Familiarity with archival standards and best practices for appraisal, accessioning, and minimal processing

o   Experience with archival collections management systems 

o   Knowledge of archival descriptive standards such as DACS, MARC, EAD and use of thesauri and controlled vocabularies

o   Knowledge of basic preservation standards for archival collections

Salary: $30 per hour (Grant total $4,500)

Work Location: Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Please send your resume and a cover letter to Alyssa Constad: alyssaconstad@carpentershall.org