Barnard College
Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections
Barnard College, New York, New York, us, 10261
Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections
Join to apply for the
Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections
role at Barnard College.
If you are a current Barnard College employee, please use the internal career site to apply for this position.
Position Summary The Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections (BASC) provides visionary leadership for the Archives, advancing its role as a center for feminist archival practice, historical research, and digital preservation.
About the Barnard Archives & Special Collections The Archives offers access to researchers worldwide through in‑person appointments, remote reference, and digital collections. It manages digital holdings via Archipelago and collaborates with the Barnard Academic Technologies and Learning Innovation Services (ATLIS) team on a sustainable digital preservation pipeline. The Archives engages broad audiences through exhibitions, programming, and online outreach, supporting the college’s teaching mission and prioritizing students, faculty, and staff.
Job Description The Director ensures the long‑term stewardship, accessibility, and ethical care of materials documenting Barnard College and wider histories of feminist activism, art, and scholarship. The role manages day‑to‑day operations, oversees a professional team, prepares reports, supports reference and instruction, teaches, and administers the annual budget for acquisitions and preservation.
Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership and Administration
Provides leadership, vision, and management for the Barnard Archives and Special Collections, developing policies, setting long‑term goals, and ensuring alignment with Barnard College’s mission.
Oversees operations, hiring, training, and supervising professional staff (1-FTE), graduate assistants (2), and student workers (4+), fostering an inclusive work culture.
Manages development, strategic planning, and grant‑seeking initiatives to strengthen resources and visibility.
Develops and communicates policies and procedures for the use of archival materials.
Collection Development and Stewardship
Leads acquisition, processing, documentation, and preservation of institutional history and special collections materials, with an emphasis on feminist history across all formats.
Develops sustainable digital preservation workflows, policies, and infrastructure in collaboration with vendors and Barnard IT.
Manages archives software and systems, including servers and cloud‑hosted digital collections.
Oversees physical plant management, monitoring environmental conditions and coordinating space improvements with Capital Projects.
Access, Research, and Pedagogy
Directs and promotes exhibitions, loans, and public programming of archival materials with faculty and campus partners.
Collaborates across disciplines to integrate primary source literacy and feminist archival theory into the curriculum.
Manages and conducts reference, consultation, and instructional services for faculty, students, administrators, and outside researchers.
Partners with Personal Librarians, Milstein Centers, and other stakeholders to embed archival research in teaching.
Outreach, Collaboration, and Partnership
Builds partnerships with feminist, activist, and community archives regionally and nationally.
Serves as liaison to Columbia University Libraries' archival and special collections community, coordinating discovery of Barnard collections in Columbia systems.
Engages alumnae, donors, and the public in supporting the archival mission.
Works with senior management and development teams to create fundraising strategies, cultivate donors, and write proposals.
Qualifications Required
Master’s degree in library and information science (ALA‑accredited), archival studies, or a closely related field.
Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in archives or special collections, including supervisory experience.
Expertise in archival theory and practice, including digital preservation and born‑digital materials.
Basic understanding of command line interface and programmatic problem‑solving, including open‑source tools.
Experience providing reference and instructional services in archives.
Proven record of work in feminist, activist, or community‑based archives.
Strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.
Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical stewardship.
Preferred
Knowledge of metadata and descriptive standards such as DACS, EAD, MODS, Dublin Core, and digital preservation systems.
Experience managing reference and/or instructional services in an archives.
Experience processing archival collections, including born‑digital materials.
Knowledge of ILS systems, MARC description, and digital asset management platforms.
Participation in relevant professional organizations.
Track record in grant writing and project management.
Familiarity with metadata workflows and digital humanities tools.
Compensation and Benefits Salary range: $120,000–$125,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Barnard College offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, vision, dental, retirement plans, generous paid time off, and tuition benefits.
Preferred Application Deadline For best consideration, please submit your application by
January 5, 2026 .
About Barnard College Founded in 1889, Barnard College is a distinguished liberal arts college for women, affiliated with Columbia University and located in the heart of New York City. The Barnard Archives and Special Collections document the College’s history and its community’s deep engagements with feminism, social justice, and the arts—ensuring that the histories of women are preserved, accessible, and activated for generations to come.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections
role at Barnard College.
If you are a current Barnard College employee, please use the internal career site to apply for this position.
Position Summary The Director of Barnard Archives and Special Collections (BASC) provides visionary leadership for the Archives, advancing its role as a center for feminist archival practice, historical research, and digital preservation.
About the Barnard Archives & Special Collections The Archives offers access to researchers worldwide through in‑person appointments, remote reference, and digital collections. It manages digital holdings via Archipelago and collaborates with the Barnard Academic Technologies and Learning Innovation Services (ATLIS) team on a sustainable digital preservation pipeline. The Archives engages broad audiences through exhibitions, programming, and online outreach, supporting the college’s teaching mission and prioritizing students, faculty, and staff.
Job Description The Director ensures the long‑term stewardship, accessibility, and ethical care of materials documenting Barnard College and wider histories of feminist activism, art, and scholarship. The role manages day‑to‑day operations, oversees a professional team, prepares reports, supports reference and instruction, teaches, and administers the annual budget for acquisitions and preservation.
Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership and Administration
Provides leadership, vision, and management for the Barnard Archives and Special Collections, developing policies, setting long‑term goals, and ensuring alignment with Barnard College’s mission.
Oversees operations, hiring, training, and supervising professional staff (1-FTE), graduate assistants (2), and student workers (4+), fostering an inclusive work culture.
Manages development, strategic planning, and grant‑seeking initiatives to strengthen resources and visibility.
Develops and communicates policies and procedures for the use of archival materials.
Collection Development and Stewardship
Leads acquisition, processing, documentation, and preservation of institutional history and special collections materials, with an emphasis on feminist history across all formats.
Develops sustainable digital preservation workflows, policies, and infrastructure in collaboration with vendors and Barnard IT.
Manages archives software and systems, including servers and cloud‑hosted digital collections.
Oversees physical plant management, monitoring environmental conditions and coordinating space improvements with Capital Projects.
Access, Research, and Pedagogy
Directs and promotes exhibitions, loans, and public programming of archival materials with faculty and campus partners.
Collaborates across disciplines to integrate primary source literacy and feminist archival theory into the curriculum.
Manages and conducts reference, consultation, and instructional services for faculty, students, administrators, and outside researchers.
Partners with Personal Librarians, Milstein Centers, and other stakeholders to embed archival research in teaching.
Outreach, Collaboration, and Partnership
Builds partnerships with feminist, activist, and community archives regionally and nationally.
Serves as liaison to Columbia University Libraries' archival and special collections community, coordinating discovery of Barnard collections in Columbia systems.
Engages alumnae, donors, and the public in supporting the archival mission.
Works with senior management and development teams to create fundraising strategies, cultivate donors, and write proposals.
Qualifications Required
Master’s degree in library and information science (ALA‑accredited), archival studies, or a closely related field.
Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in archives or special collections, including supervisory experience.
Expertise in archival theory and practice, including digital preservation and born‑digital materials.
Basic understanding of command line interface and programmatic problem‑solving, including open‑source tools.
Experience providing reference and instructional services in archives.
Proven record of work in feminist, activist, or community‑based archives.
Strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.
Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical stewardship.
Preferred
Knowledge of metadata and descriptive standards such as DACS, EAD, MODS, Dublin Core, and digital preservation systems.
Experience managing reference and/or instructional services in an archives.
Experience processing archival collections, including born‑digital materials.
Knowledge of ILS systems, MARC description, and digital asset management platforms.
Participation in relevant professional organizations.
Track record in grant writing and project management.
Familiarity with metadata workflows and digital humanities tools.
Compensation and Benefits Salary range: $120,000–$125,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Barnard College offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, vision, dental, retirement plans, generous paid time off, and tuition benefits.
Preferred Application Deadline For best consideration, please submit your application by
January 5, 2026 .
About Barnard College Founded in 1889, Barnard College is a distinguished liberal arts college for women, affiliated with Columbia University and located in the heart of New York City. The Barnard Archives and Special Collections document the College’s history and its community’s deep engagements with feminism, social justice, and the arts—ensuring that the histories of women are preserved, accessible, and activated for generations to come.
#J-18808-Ljbffr