Acquisitions Archivist - Bancroft Library Job at Inside Higher Ed in Berkeley

Acquisitions Archivist - Bancroft Library

Position overview

Position title: Associate Librarian, Career Status or Potential Career Status

Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and salary point at appointment. A reasonable estimate for this position is $80,349-$107,708.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: As soon as March 2026. Start date is flexible.

Position duration: This is a full-time potential career appointment.

Application Window

Open date: December 1, 2025

Next review date: Thursday, Jan 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Saturday, Feb 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

The University of California, Berkeley is seeking a creative, self-motivated, user-oriented, and collaborative Acquisitions Archivist to join the technical services team at The Bancroft Library. As a member of the Acquisitions and Collections Control team and reporting to the Head of Acquisitions and Collections Control, the Acquisitions Archivist serves as a key team member for coordinating, tracking, and stewarding incoming materials in all formats.

In the course of performing acquisitions work, the incumbent will collaborate closely with internal and external stakeholders, including other Acquisitions and Collections Control Unit staff, curators, accessioning and processing archivists, catalogers, the Digital Collections Unit, UC Berkeley Library's Scholarly Communication and Information Policy (SCIP), and various library donors and vendors. This position will work with the Bancroft curatorial team as well as technical services and public services to build and implement a holistic and extensible collections management approach to the intake of special collections informed by an understanding of the resources needed to responsibly acquire and steward materials.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to policies, procedures, productive workflows, and standards compliance to insure a user-centered, access-driven approach to acquiring and stewarding special collections materials, including both archival and large bibliographic collections.
• Under the supervision of the Head of Acquisitions and Collections Control, coordinate and track the process of acquiring collections, including pre-custodial interventions, materials transfer and stabilization, and baseline intellectual control for collections of all formats and sizes.
• Coordinate the intake logistics for archival acquisitions of all formats, using efficient and extensible pathways to access.
• Develop processes and workflows to support extensible management of archival and bibliographic collections in collaboration with curators and technical services colleagues.
• Contribute to the creation of baseline administrative, physical, and intellectual control over new and past acquisitions in accordance with The Bancroft Library's acquisitions procedures and best practices.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with vendors, donors, and depositors, and with Bancroft curators and SCIP.
• Participate in standing committees, meetings, and working groups as appropriate.
• Collaborate with accessioning and processing archivists and the Bancroft Stacks Manager to manage acquisitions on-site and off-site.
• Monitor developments in the field and engage with the professional community at local, state, and national levels.
• Collaborate with staff and leadership to implement the Total Cost of Stewardship Framework.
• Supervise acquisitions students and interns.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

The UC Berkeley Library is committed to supporting respect and empathy, and nurturing a culture of equitable access to a diverse set of collections and services. For more information, see the UC Berkeley Library Statement of Values.

UC professional librarians are represented by the University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). This position is in the bargaining unit. Librarians are entitled to professional development leave, vacation leave, sick leave, and other benefits.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Advanced degree or current enrollment in an advanced degree program.

Additional Qualifications (required at time of start)
Advanced degree; Two or more years of work experience with special collections materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree from an ALA-accredited program or equivalent.
• Knowledge of accessioning, appraisal, arrangement, and description of personal papers and organizational records in various formats.
• Knowledge of archival theory, practices, and trends in acquisitions and accessioning.
• Knowledge of ethics in archival appraisal, acquisitions, and accessioning.
• Experience coordinating the movement of special collections materials, including archival in analog and born-digital formats.
• Experience coordinating the packing and movement of bibliographic collections.
• Experience with Alma and ArchivesSpace or similar systems.
• Knowledge of born-digital archival materials, intellectual property, copyright, privacy, and access issues.
• Ability to work tactfully with donors and manage sensitive material.
• Ability to support user-centered services and develop workflows in library environments.
• Ability to work across departments and manage projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, documentation, and communication skills, with attention to detail.
• High level of technical competency and commitment to ongoing learning.

The Bancroft Library encourages applicants who may not meet all preferred qualifications but bring strong overall potential.

Application requirements

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Cover Letter
• References: 3-5 required (contact information only)

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05166

Help contact: richard.brown@berkeley.edu

Job location: Berkeley, CA

The description above reflects the job as posted. UC Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to UC Berkeley policies on nondiscrimination and confidentiality of references.